Bronx area - Fordham/Kingsbridge (Rose, Washington Heights: zoning, price, versus)

[badmammajamma]

I have been following this thread and had to post in support of most of what Hustla 718 has put down. I am Old School with capitals. I moved to the Castle Hill Projects when they opened in 1960. It was supposed to originally be for veterans who could not get their stuff together enough to buy a house on Long Island so here you go Joe have an apartment. We lived at 2125 Randall Avenue and had a beautiful view of the lots that is before Jamie Towers was built and obscured our view. I remember when the #36 bus line first started and how long that ride from start to last stop was. The hood at that time was predominately a MIX of white, break it down lots of Irish, Jewish and some Italian. Lots of African American as well as Puerto Rican. We had Indians at a time when there were hardly any immigrating to America. WE WERE ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY until about 1968 and DRUGS. What drugs did the projects was a shame it was a malaise that crossed color lines in a big way. Remember that line "marijuana leads to heroin addiction" well too often it did just that in the projects. Many kids got strung out, crime ran rampant, moving trucks were in the street taking some of the good people out everyday. Some stayed but only if they had to and by the early 70's when I left it was real bad, my family was there until 1975. I would go back and be surprised at how at every visit it would seem like it was 10 times worse than the last visit. I took my mother back to the projects in the car just to visit quickly. I had been back periodically so I knew the change in the last 10 years was for the better. My mother was right in front of our building and the way we came in with the car she had no idea where we were until we saw the NYCHA sign and the address 2125 Randall Avenue. We left again but there was still a good feeling somewhere. This area can only improve as it has been doing slowly. I still would not go here at night anymore though. No more basketball until "the street lights come on"..

[Suzer]

Thanks for the really interesting post on Castle Hill.

[Guywithacause]

badmamajamma...I think Hustla's posts are not wrong, however he chooses only to focus ont he negative and not the number of positives that are occuring. The new investment int he Bronx that is bringing a much needed breath of fresh air to these communities, whether it be new/renovated parks, new affordable and market rate housing, commercial investments (business and large commercial buildings), huge development zones like Yankee Stadium, and general upgrading of subsidized housing of all kinds.

Things are changing, are they perfect...of course not..will they ever be...no. But let's give a balanced report of the Bronx, instead of the same old doom and gloom that is not accurate anymore. The Bronx has turned a corner, as the influx of new residents and investment is proving, and those that can look past the housing projects to see the business moving in, the new faces around, and feel the energy changing, will be those that are rewarded handsomely and will be part of a resurgence.

[badmammajamma]

Originally Posted by Guywithacause

badmamajamma...I think Hustla's posts are not wrong, however he chooses only to focus ont he negative and not the number of positives that are occuring. The new investment int he Bronx that is bringing a much needed breath of fresh air to these communities, whether it be new/renovated parks, new affordable and market rate housing, commercial investments (business and large commercial buildings), huge development zones like Yankee Stadium, and general upgrading of subsidized housing of all kinds.

Things are changing, are they perfect...of course not..will they ever be...no. But let's give a balanced report of the Bronx, instead of the same old doom and gloom that is not accurate anymore. The Bronx has turned a corner, as the influx of new residents and investment is proving, and those that can look past the housing projects to see the business moving in, the new faces around, and feel the energy changing, will be those that are rewarded handsomely and will be part of a resurgence.

Hustla's posts are accurate mostly the past in the bronx can be painted in shades of gray not much light back there just cycles of very bad and real bad life on the streets. You have to remember the projects were originally designed for people of a certain income. We paid $87 a month for rent way back then we were barely lower middle class. Things changed in a hurry white flight to the suburbs was replaced by people who had even less money. This turned into a high water mark for how bad the projects could get in the 80's and the crack epidemic. The 70's were as bad or almost so because of heroin. Now flash forward to today and we have less of a problem with these drugs we have more working people in and around the projects in private homes but the projects are still mighty bleak. The neighborhood is better I made that point in my post the working people will always WORK as well to better their life, house etc. BUT when you have the projects as epicenter in this neighborhood you have a problem because the projects will have a good share of low income and no income and all the baggage that it brings, although there are some good hard working people there making it better. So yes agreed the Bronx is turning slowly...A good perspective on this would be a cop to chime in from the 43d PCT. They see and know in terms more along HUSTLA's perspective. To me it is better. Yankee Stadium area is better of course where are the fans from? The suburbs. Go in the blocks go down the Concourse Highbridge 149th deep into the Bronx not much change there still scary. Parkchester is better, there is new construction on Melrose. Also lets not forget Riverdale, is the Bronx so is City Island and Pelham Bay always decent neighborhoods. So the Bronx I think has a good future but it has been a long time coming and still in some area's will take a long while.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by badmammajamma

Hustla's posts are accurate mostly the past in the bronx can be painted in shades of gray not much light back there just cycles of very bad and real bad life on the streets. You have to remember the projects were originally designed for people of a certain income. We paid $87 a month for rent way back then we were barely lower middle class. Things changed in a hurry white flight to the suburbs was replaced by people who had even less money. This turned into a high water mark for how bad the projects could get in the 80's and the crack epidemic. The 70's were as bad or almost so because of heroin. Now flash forward to today and we have less of a problem with these drugs we have more working people in and around the projects in private homes but the projects are still mighty bleak. The neighborhood is better I made that point in my post the working people will always WORK as well to better their life, house etc. BUT when you have the projects as epicenter in this neighborhood you have a problem because the projects will have a good share of low income and no income and all the baggage that it brings, although there are some good hard working people there making it better. So yes agreed the Bronx is turning slowly...A good perspective on this would be a cop to chime in from the 43d PCT. They see and know in terms more along HUSTLA's perspective. To me it is better. Yankee Stadium area is better of course where are the fans from? The suburbs. Go in the blocks go down the Concourse Highbridge 149th deep into the Bronx not much change there still scary. Parkchester is better, there is new construction on Melrose. Also lets not forget Riverdale, is the Bronx so is City Island and Pelham Bay always decent neighborhoods. So the Bronx I think has a good future but it has been a long time coming and still in some area's will take a long while.

Castle Hill PJ's calmed down a bit after the feds stepped in. Still a wild development but somewhat calmer. Less drug homicides, but the same amount of jumpings, domestic violence, robbery and all that other garbage.

Unfortunately the housing you see going up like Melrose Ave for example is low income. More of the projects. A necessary evil in a borough where living cost are far beyond the reach of the local population. A growing low income population as people from other boroughs must relocate. People getting kicked out of buildings thanks to the early stages of gentrification in Harlem, Washington Heights, Bed-stuy, and Bushwick.

[DAS]

A lot of working class families from the south bronx relocated to Harlem in the late
1970's after being burned out of their buildings. Harlem was right across the bridge and affordable and certain blocks were ok. Most people had relatives in Harlem so it was not much of an adjustment.

Now when a building is on fire in Harlem everyone in the community knows that the building will be renovated and those displaced tenants will not be able to return. Most will relocate to the Bronx.

[briarwood]

Originally Posted by DAS

A lot of working class families from the south bronx relocated to Harlem in the late
1970's after being burned out of their buildings. Harlem was right across the bridge and affordable and certain blocks were ok. Most people had relatives in Harlem so it was not much of an adjustment.

Now when a building is on fire in Harlem everyone in the community knows that the building will be renovated and those displaced tenants will not be able to return. Most will relocate to the Bronx.

Which is funny when you consider Harlem was the original starting point for the people who infested the South Bronx beginning in the 1940s.

[Elvira Black]

Anyone else find the above "infestation" comment offensive and/or ignorant in any way?

[Pete Piper]

I found the use of "infested" offensive also for obvious reasons.

[DAS]

Leaving out the word "infested" that was my point. Starting in the 1940's most people left the tenements of Harlem to buy homes in the Bronx. Most of the time at first this was the South Bronx because white families moved to the sections in the North Bronx leaving the Southern Bronx to the minorities. Even moving to a then safe clean tenement in the South Bronx was better than Harlem back in the 50's and 60's. The Bronx was a step up from Harlem.

As white families started to leave sections of the northern Bronx for the suburbs minorities started moving into those areas At first it was the home owners from the southern Bronx moving and renting out the houses they left behind. With the homeowners gone areas started going down. Homeowners demand certain services and tend to take care of their property better than renters. Not all but most. This affected the entire area even the people that lived in tenements.

Then the fires and relocations started in the Bronx. Some areas have been built back up and are continuing to build. Some northernern areas went down and are building back up.

The fight now IMO is that when an area is on the rise, some people want to move in to make a big profit this eventually forces working people and artist and others that have worked to improve an area out. The Bronx is the last frontier in this city. Where will everyone go if this occurs at anytime in the near future? There is no other boro to run to. Most people on this furum have already run to the Bronx from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. I don't know much about Staten Island someone can elaborate on that one.

I really can't imagine a rich person becoming a cop or fireman and protecting and serving this city. I can't imagine a rich person working for transit or cleaning the streets or delivering my mail. If everyone is pushed out further it won't make sense for working people to spend their hard earned money to come into the city to perform these services.

Of course it doesn't have to become this way.