New plan for Pelham Gardens, Laconia and Baychester. The City Council approved the proposed rezoning of 163 blocks in the Bronx, covering portions of Pelham Gardens, Laconia and Baychester located north of Pelham Parkway and east of Williamsbridge and Boston Roads. The new zoning is designed to preserve the existing neighborhoods’ character with lower density and contextual zoning districts and to prevent out-of-character development.

The neighborhoods’ zoning (R3-2, R4 and R5) has allowed for rowhouse development and multifamily apartments which the Planning Department found incompatible with the scale of existing homes in the neighborhoods. The Planning Department proposed down-zoning some areas and slightly increasing the permitted size of development in other areas primarily along Gun Hill Road and in proximity to the No. 5 Subway Line station, which could support increased density. The commercial zoning along Gun Hill Road was also modified to increase the type of retail uses permitted as of right and encourage new mixed-use development. (more…)

Families near Pelham Bay landfill claim infants’ cancers caused by chemicals at dump. Sanitation closed its 81-acre landfill in Pelham Bay, Bronx in 1979 following 16 years of operations and increasing complaints over odors and a yellow mist emanating from the site. In 1983, the state declared the dump an inactive hazardous waste site prompting the City to sue 15 corporations in 1985, alleging that the corporations illegally dumped hazardous chemicals. Later that year, Sanitation signed a consent decree with the state, admitting that the groundwater was contaminated and that it had allowed illegal dumping. The City was later awarded several million in clean-up costs.

Bronx residents began to complain to the City of a link between the landfill and local residents’ cancer. The concerns generated two City studies; both found no increased incidences of cancer in adjacent Bronx neighborhoods when compared to the rest of the city.

Despite these findings, 23 families sued the City, alleging that diagnoses of acute lymphoid leukemia, Hodgkin’s and other cancers were linked to the landfill. The families submitted an expert’s study that found the levels of acute lymphoid leukemia to be 3.4 times higher in children living closest to the landfill, and toxicologists’ reports listing the human carcinogens found at the landfill and potential routes of exposure. (more…)

A Parks employee holds a small bag of mulch at a previous Mulchfest. Image Credit: Parks Dept.

In 2020, the Parks Department broke a record with over 50,900 trees mulched. Today, December 26, 2022, the Parks Department launches this year’s “Mulchfest,” where New Yorkers can mulch their live Christmas trees at locations in all five boroughs. The mulch can be used for gardening and to improve soil fertility. The mulch helps retain moisture, adds nutrients, and keeps roots warm. The mulch Parks collects is used to help city trees and community gardens citywide. (more…)

Subway trains at the Spring Street station twice struck passengers lying on the tracks on separate occasions. How fast should subway trains be moving when they enter a station? The faster the subway trains go, the more people the trains can carry and the quicker people will get to their destinations. Even a slowdown of a few seconds per train can slow the entire system. Speed is so important to the mission of the Transit Authority that the Transit Authority has committed billions of dollars to upgrades which will allow for increases in train speed and carrying capacity. On the other hand, safety is also a paramount priority, and as speeds increase so do stopping distances. (more…)

Two 20 inch water mains were installed from the mainland in Pelham Bay under Eastchester Bay to City Island. Image Credit: DDC.

Two new water mains were placed under Eastchester Bay. On July 20, 2022, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala and NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley announced the completion of a $34 million project dedicated to upgrading the drinking water for City Island, Bronx residents. The project began in 2019 and was substantially completed in December 2021 through the funding of the Department of Environmental Protection and the management of the Department of Design and Construction. (more…)