Image Credit: Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s Office.

Since 2017, Borough President Diaz has allocated over $16 million to renovate the ‘Bronx Riviera.’ On July 17, 2019, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced that his office has allocated an additional $6,107,400 toward the restoration of the historic Orchard Beach Pavilion and South Yard in the Pelham neighborhood of the Bronx.

Orchard Beach, which is home to the annual New York Salutes America boardwalk festival, the Hoops in the Sun basketball tournament, and The Bronx Summer Concert Series, is the Bronx’s only public beach. The beach draws visitors from across the City and had 1.9 million visitors in 2017.

Orchard Beach’s pavilion has been closed to the public since 2007 due to unsafe, deteriorated conditions. The pavilion once gave Orchard Beach a carnival-like atmosphere, providing a space for entertainment. Borough President Diaz believes the restored pavilion will once again become an amenity for beachgoers.

Borough President Diaz’s $6.1 million is in addition to the $10 million he allocated to the pavilion restoration in 2017. Mayor de Blasio contributed $20 million, Governor Cuomo contributed $10 million, and New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie contributed $10 million.

“…Our investment will allow for us to be able to build first-rate concessions, top-notch performance spaces and the ability to host even more top-notch events. Renovation of Orchard Beach will allow the area to evolve into the economic engine it once was and could be once again. This investment is part of our ongoing commitment to our grand vision for a new Orchard Beach, one that will help ‘The Bronx Riviera’ grow as both an economic engine for our borough as well as a destination point for visitors from across the region,” said Diaz.

By: Laine Vitkevich (Laine is a CityLaw Intern and New York Law School student, Class of 2020).