Plan for seven buildings includes Boricua College campus, 679 residential units and over 36,000 sq.ft. of retail. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development proposed to amend the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area Plan in the Bronx to facilitate a large, seven building, mixed-use, residential and commercial complex called Boricua Village to be constructed on a 4.2-acre lot in the northeast corner of Melrose Commons.

HPD’s plan called for 18 changes to the existing Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Plan, which the City adopted in 1994 to encourage development in a 34- block area of the Bronx, roughly stretching from East 163rd Street to East 156th Street between St. Ann’s and Third Avenues to Melrose and Courtlandt Avenues. The amendments included changes in land use designations and the elimination of height limits, lot coverage requirements, street wall coverage provisions, and curb cut restrictions. HPD’s proposal also called for the rezoning of the entire 4.2-acre site to R8 with a C2-4 overlay to allow a higher residential floor area, and the disposition of 42 City-owned lots.

Ultimately, the amendments envisioned a new seven-building complex anchored around a 120,000 sq.ft., 14-story building for Boricua College, which has outgrown its current Bronx campus. The new building would include classrooms for 2,000 students, a theater, offices, and a museum. Six additional buildings containing 679 residential units, 36,511 sq.ft. of ground floor retail, and 174 below-grade parking spaces would surround the campus. The residential and retail space would be located in two groups directly east of the college. The northern group would consist of four buildings, nine to 13 stories in height, containing 25,987 sq.ft. of ground floor retail and 434 apartments. The southern group would contain three contiguous buildings containing 12,824 sq.ft. of ground floor retail, 245 apartments, and 6,472 sq.ft. of private open space. The plan proposed over 65,000 sq.ft. of open space, including a large, 37,803-square-foot public plaza with landscaping, trees, seating areas, and an amphitheater with raised grassy seating areas.

The application also incorporates changes to facilitate other developments, including the Courtlandt Corners North and South, an affordable housing project by the Phipps Houses Group. As planned, it would contain up to 474 residential units and 28,000 sq.ft. of retail space to be located in the northwest portion of the urban renewal area.

HPD’s proposal would require demolition of the Bronx Municipal Court – Second District Building. Although not a designated City landmark, Landmarks determined that the building meets eligibility requirements for City designation. This prompted a finding in the project’s environmental study that the demolition would be an unavoidable adverse impact. The City required that HPD complete a detailed historical analysis of the building before its demolition.

There was little opposition to the project with the community boards voting overwhelmingly in support. Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. also supported the project, but advocated placing conditions that included more homeownership opportunities, additional public transportation, green building construction, and relocation programs for affected local businesses.

The Planning Commission approved all of the applications without modification on May 9, 2007 and the City Council’s Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee approved unanimously on June 7, 2007.

ULURP Process:
Lead Agency: HPD, FEIS
Urban Renewal Amendment
Comm.Bd.: BX 1, App’d, 18-1-0 BX 3, App’d, 24-0-0
Boro. Pres.: App’d
Council: pending

Map Amendment
Comm.Bd.: BX 1, App’d, 18-1-0
BX 3, App’d, 24-0-0
Boro. Pres.: App’d
Council: pending

UDAAP / Disposition
Comm.Bd.: BX 1, App’d, 18-1-0 BX 3, App’d, 24-0-0
Boro. Pres.: App’d
Council: pending

Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area (C 070275 HUX – URA amendment); (C 070276 ZMX – map amendment); (C 070277 HAX – UDAAP/Disposition) (May 9, 2007). CITYADMIN