MELROSE — A major South Bronx development that includes a rooftop telescope, affordable housing and a public skate park will get a $1.5 million boost from the borough.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is including the money for La Central, a mixed-use project coming to 430 Westchester Ave., in his upcoming capital budget, which will come out later in July.
The budget will include a total of $34,450,000 for more than 100 projects, and La Central is one of the bigger developments it will focus on, according to Diaz's office.
The 1.1 million-square-foot project, located right by The Hub, will feature 992 apartments, including 160 units of supportive housing for people with special needs. It will also contain a YMCA, space for BronxNet Television Studios, a public skate park and a telescope on the roof.
It will include several four-bedroom apartments as well, which will be especially helpful for The Bronx given the number of immigrants with large families moving to the area, according to Diaz's office.
The environmentally friendly project will help fill out The Hub and increase housing opportunities in the borough for middle-income and low-income people, Diaz said.
"La Central is [a] perfect example showcasing how we are always looking to build on the successes that we have managed to accomplish here in The Bronx,” Diaz said in a statement.
La Central will contain 30,000 square feet of community space and more than 45,000 square feet of retail space, and residents of Community District 1 will get preference for half of the housing units, according to The Hudson Companies, one of the developers for the project.
Construction of La Central is scheduled to start late in 2015 and finish in early 2019.
