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City Hopes to Boost Affordable Housing With New Bronx Neighborhood

By Eddie Small | September 25, 2014 12:32pm
 DCP hopes to make Cromwell-Jerome a new neighborhood in The Bronx.
DCP hopes to make Cromwell-Jerome a new neighborhood in The Bronx.
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DCP

BRONX — The city is hoping to bring more affordable housing to the Bronx by creating a new neighborhood, Cromwell-Jerome, which would also help revitalize a section of the borough with  economic development and cultural activities, according to the Department of City Planning.

The 57-block area would run along Jerome Avenue from McClellan Street/East 167th Street to Tremont Avenue. It also extends along Cromwell Avenue south of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

The area was developed almost 100 years ago as an area to provide services like parking to nearby residential communities such as Highbridge, Concourse and Morris Heights, and it still contains several parking facilities today as well as auto shops.

Although residential developments are not allowed under existing zoning rules, which are geared more toward commercial and industrial uses, DCP is looking to make changes.

The Cromwell-Jerome neighborhood would specifically focus on affordable housing as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Housing New York plan, which aims to create 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years.

It was not clear how many affordable housing units would be built.

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The area is served by the 4, B and D trains as well as several bus lines and also contains several parks and playgrounds, DCP officials said.

The DCP will partner with agencies including the Department of Small Business Services and the city's Economic Development Corporation and its Bronx Office and Transportation Division have launched a study meant to improve traffic and safety in the area.

The agency also intends to get the public involved with revamping the region through events like walking tours, surveys and focus groups.

"Many community stakeholders have suggested that the Cromwell-Jerome area should be revitalized to meet today's needs and plan for the future," the DCP's website reads.

"The area is transit rich and is surrounded by strong retail corridors and solid, growing residential communities, which would all benefit from more intensive and diverse uses in the area."

Bronx Community Board 4 District Manager José Rodriguez said he was thrilled with the idea of renovating the Cromwell-Jerome area, particularly when it came to improving the region's traffic and transportation infrastructure.

"It’s an opportunity to transform that particular area in the district," he said, "and hopefully, when things are said and done, Community Board 4 — quality of life and socioeconomic conditions here — will definitely improve."