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I also go to that website, know the lady Suzie fairly well. She lives in Riverdale and she somtimes shakes her head at the posts here, true there are still sections of the Bronx that are really bad, but, Woodlawn is still OK
and parts of Sedgwick Ave are OK.....and if you read the Riverdale Press there are still alot of robberies around, but I don't think its really that bad
if your mindful of your surroundings, you should be OK. Of course, the Bronx has changed since the 50/60's. Long gone are many businesses that once were what made Fordham Rd what is was, gone are many of the Jewish/Irish/
Italian that made up sections of the Bronx, only to be replaced with people that only know poverty and will stay in poverty.
I hope that one day that the Bronx will somehow be a safe and peaceful place to live, but it takes the PEOPLE themselves to make it better. If they just want to sit on their a*& and do nothing, well then, nothing will change
and the next generation will follow in their footsteps.
We need a deeper sense of community in order to survive gentrification & poverty alike.
We need a deeper sense of community in order to survive gentrification & poverty alike.
I still don't see gentrification as a huge problem. Yes, the high rents are becoming a serious problem. But it's not like they were super low when the city was in the doledrums. If one wants to lower rents, why not try building more housing. And kicking the trash out of NYCHA and giving those apartments to those making 40-100k
My impression (as in the link provided in earlier post) is that at least some of these new bldgs are going to be mixed income. I believe you get tax benefits/more chance of an OK with a community board in terms of rezoning for residential space if you do so.
This complex will supposedly have a ratio of market rate, middle, and low income apts. Something like 40/30/30 or such--don't remember.
Hustla, I only see it as a positive if more affordable housing is built, for the poor as well as those middle class who are willing to put up with--or actually enjoy--the tradeoffs. . The rich have Manhattan, much of Bklyn etc. The boros are where the actual lower/middle/middle class that have not fled are also moving due to economics.
i think a lot of bronx revival depends on what happens after new housing is constructed. New buildings dont mean that the area will suddenly burst into a picture perfect area. If drug dealers and low income families move into newly constructed areas, theres really no improvement. Just my opinion.
I'm new here and have been reading alot of opinions on the South Bronx. I have lived in the South Bronx all of my life I remember the Burntdown Bronx and went to school as though I was living in a war torn country. Today it has changed completely. Yes there are drugs, drug dealers and crime but change happens slowly not with the speed that most ppl want it to happen. My family lives in a group of buildings that were reconstructed in the early 90's, which were once Crack buildings. The City at that time with the help of Mayor Koch gave a group of individuals one million dollars to fix it up and make Co-ops for lower income residents. My Father was one of the proponents of this project. We have lived there for over 15 years now and its considered one of the best valued projects taken over by private individuals.
Real estate value could put all five buildings in the millions but since it is still run as a Co-op noone is willing to change that. My father's monthly maintenance fee is 575/month for a duplex apt of 4 bed/1full bath/1/2bath. we also have the convenience of a laundry facility in the basement and the use of the backyard for games for the kids or parties. The five buildings are also security protected with fences and cameras all around. This is what has prompted other nearby buildings to copy our efforts to clean up the neighborhood.
I, know the Bronx is not the best place to live but I also know I am not afraid to walk around it. It could be also because i make sure the police is constantly around and the community has tried getting the drug dealers out. So the real estate of the 'South Bronx' can change even if there is a large portion of low income families. It's not about ppl liking to live like that but its mostly of Fear. Most immigrants are afraid to call the police, afraid of the drug dealers, afraid of making a splash. I have had a difficult time pushing neighbors just to call the cops but its something to think about when you wish change to happen.
Yet, I do see change because I have never seen so many artists choose to live in these neighborhoods. Other non-profits trying to help this change along.
So even though the housing may not look good its a good deal better than having empty parking lots and will help shift if more ppl get involved.
If I had the money I would have bought a home and then sell it because many homes have risen in prices in which some cheaply made houses cost from 50,000 to 80,0000 in the early 90's and now are being sold to like 350 thousand to half a million.
So if your gonna invest do it soon.
Of course Hustla is keeping with the doom and gloom. To call the area of 156 in Melrose a wasteland because it is close to housing projects is ludicrous. The upper East side has plenty of projects, and there are a number of multimillion dollar condos directly across the street...with views of only the projects....so this argument is foolish. In this city you are forced to live within the proximity of housing projects, especially when you are in the more urban areas like Melros, Mott Haven, and parts of Manhattan.
The Bronx is rapidly improving...so not be fooled by the relentless naysaying of those like Hustla. People like Hustla will always find a reason not to invest...and all those people who have invested are laughing all the way to the bank while he continues to rent. There are still opportunities to be had in the Bronx, especially areas like Mott Haven, Highbridge, and Melrose, as demand continues to increase. Those crappy, rundown, unrenovated 3 family homes are selling for $500,000++ with no sign of stopping.
Many buildings are going co-op, further spreading wealth to those that are wise and savvy enough to see value. Is it perfect? Nope. Are rewards guaranteed? Nope. Is it worth the risk? It is to me..and the many others within the boroughs and outside the borough that are snatching up properties left and right.
Of course Hustla is keeping with the doom and gloom. To call the area of 156 in Melrose a wasteland because it is close to housing projects is ludicrous. The upper East side has plenty of projects, and there are a number of multimillion dollar condos directly across the street...with views of only the projects....so this argument is foolish. In this city you are forced to live within the proximity of housing projects, especially when you are in the more urban areas like Melros, Mott Haven, and parts of Manhattan.
The Bronx is rapidly improving...so not be fooled by the relentless naysaying of those like Hustla. People like Hustla will always find a reason not to invest...and all those people who have invested are laughing all the way to the bank while he continues to rent. There are still opportunities to be had in the Bronx, especially areas like Mott Haven, Highbridge, and Melrose, as demand continues to increase. Those crappy, rundown, unrenovated 3 family homes are selling for $500,000++ with no sign of stopping.
Many buildings are going co-op, further spreading wealth to those that are wise and savvy enough to see value. Is it perfect? Nope. Are rewards guaranteed? Nope. Is it worth the risk? It is to me..and the many others within the boroughs and outside the borough that are snatching up properties left and right.
The Upper East Side has a lot of NYCHA developments? You could not be more wrong. There is one on the East Harlem border. Holmes PJ's, it's very isolated and drama does go down in and around them. Yes people nearby do pay outragous rents but they do deal with these issues on a day to day basis. They are concerned with robbery when they leave their homes and they do prepare for it.
Melrose is a dump. Not only is violent crime a big problem but so are all the other social problems which have a direct correalation to that high poverty/low income rate.
As for housing values, they are starting to plateau. Eventually the NYC housing bubble will popp and of course the areas most effected are those already undesireable. They will collapse as better areas become more affordable. People do not want to live in areas like Melrose.
It's one thing to invest and ride the wave, but living in these areas is not a good idea. They are undesireable places to live.
A lot of people say the Bronx is getting so much better. How it's so different. I just laugh. I know the Bronx like the back of my hand. Especially the lower income sections of the borough. Some people say "Oh I lived there when the Bronx was burning". That doesn't mean anything. The vast majority of people who say that grew up sheltered and never knew the streets of the Bronx to begin with. And the same goes now. I see the same old **** I have seen for years. The same **** I saw in 1987 I see in 2007. The same exact root problems exist. There are small difference, depopulation has been replaced by overpopulation for example but its pretty much the same old. A lot of problems.
People are just riding the real estate wave in the Bronx now. Ripping people off, making a quick buck. Eventually this will fizzel out and in the end we will be left with the same problems in the South Bronx. Those root problems exist now and will exist becuase nothing is being done. In fact those basic problem are only getting worse.
The Upper East Side has a lot of NYCHA developments? You could not be more wrong.
there is one PJ on first about 92 street that backs up to york ave and big buck buildings, when those coops were being built I couldn't fathom spending big money to have a pj next door, but this is NY and strange things happen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hustla718
Melrose is a dump. Not only is violent crime a big problem but so are all the other social problems which have a direct correalation to that high poverty/low income rate.
melrose is a dump now, it was a dump 40 years ago and it will probably still be a dump 40 years from now, unless they level, depopulate and repopulate with different people nothing there will change.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hustla718
As for housing values, they are starting to plateau. Eventually the NYC housing bubble will popp and of course the areas most effected are those already undesireable. They will collapse as better areas become more affordable. People do not want to live in areas like Melrose.
It's one thing to invest and ride the wave, but living in these areas is not a good idea. They are undesirable places to live.
housing in top notch areas should remain strong, it is all that stuff on fringes like 92 and york next to the pjs that might take a hit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hustla718
A lot of people say the Bronx is getting so much better. How it's so different. I just laugh. I know the Bronx like the back of my hand. Especially the lower income sections of the borough. Some people say "Oh I lived there when the Bronx was burning". That doesn't mean anything. The vast majority of people who say that grew up sheltered and never knew the streets of the Bronx to begin with. And the same goes now. I see the same old **** I have seen for years. The same **** I saw in 1987 I see in 2007. The same exact root problems exist. There are small difference, depopulation has been replaced by overpopulation for example but its pretty much the same old. A lot of problems.
all I can say is that the bronx is better now than in the '70s but that is a long way away from being a desirable place to live.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hustla718
People are just riding the real estate wave in the Bronx now. Ripping people off, making a quick buck. Eventually this will fizzel out and in the end we will be left with the same problems in the South Bronx. Those root problems exist now and will exist becuase nothing is being done. In fact those basic problem are only getting worse.
agreed until the root causes of the problems in these places are addressed the areas will never change, the bronx is not manhattan where neighborhoods rise from the ashes to be fashionable, and even in manhattan some areas are beyond ever coming back to being desirable places to live
So now Hustla you are an expert on crime and a real estate tycoon? How about you stop reading from the NY times to get your real estate information. Real estate is in fact not plateauing in the city, especially for commercial properties (that includes any property over 3 families). Melrose was a wasteland and has been completely depopulated, and they are now rebuilding the entire swath for low and middle income housing, both subsidized and unsubsidized.
Nobody claims the Bronx is perfect, fashionable, or a "hot" place to live. However it is far better than it was in the 70s and 80s, and continues to improve...of course you will never recognize any changes or improvement. If they build new housing for low-income tenants (which is the bulk of the community) you dismiss it as "just more of the same," and if they build luxury condos, you complain that they are "trying to push the poor people out." The glass is always half empty with Hustla...I encourage all to look at his prior posts....he will not give any credit to anything that has or is occuring to improve the Bronx.
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