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Agreed Agrotera...the community has come a long way and those brownstones are now very much in demand...as is that particular little community...you should see some of the bling bling renovations going in these homes....they look great. I like the accessibility to the city..the amenities...and the improving area.....the wide sidewalks are a big plus too...and parking is unheard of anywhere else.
Hustla, I understand the article might have made you feel like how can you find an oasis in the desert but I also like to correct things.
I may not have ties with being involved in things unlawfully but I also didn't stay at home chit chatting about the problem. Just because poor people do live in the area doesn't mean they are not civilized. I for one have seen many good things come out of the 'ghetto'. I feel adamantly that drug dealers are the problem. As for snitching I think thats ridiculous because who does it help? oh yeah the ppl doing illegal things so I am glad it happens.
Yes the young adults are trouble makers but remember the ones in gangs are involved in the drug trade as well which creates territorial fights, fights among themselves and bystander violence.
I guess thats why I am glad many ppl who grew up in the area and are college educated with good paying jobs stay in the area, because they want change as well. I have worked most of my life volunteering to make the 'ghetto' a better place to live for the poor and many times ppl who feel they have nothing need to hold on to something and that is their neighborhood.
So yes its might seem like craziness to highlight such a place but I see it as We are being recognized on IMPROVEMENT and hopefully with continued efforts from so many non-profits and government help we will continue but again these things take time.
Many ppl gave up on the Burnt down South Bronx but others gave us a chance to rebuild and they have. Now we just have rebuild the community, the sense of safety for the poor and the not so poor. Why should poor ppl not have that too.
Great post Agrotera! Change does not happen overnight..it happens one person at a time, one apt at a time, one building at a time, one block at a time, one neighborhood at a time..one tree at a time..one school at a time..one park at a time...improvements are being made and I am glad I am part of the solution instead of ridiculing those who fight for change...or scaring away those that may want to stay/move in and make things better!
I have been reading these postings about Longwood and have to say I'm surprised to hear that it is considered such a dangerous place to live. My husband and I bought a house on Beck about a year and a half ago because we fell in love with not only the architecture, but the easy commute to work and what seems to be a relatively stable and friendly community. My husband grew up in New York and had a very bad image of the Bronx from the 70's, so he thought I was crazy when I said we should move out of Harlem because it was getting too expensive and go to the South Bronx. I'm not originally from New York and didn't really know the history, so when I saw how much cheaper the prices were up there, I kept pushing the issue. Eventually I convinced him to look with me and we decided we only wanted to look in the South Bronx and not Riverdale or the other "established" neighborhoods because they seemed too far away from the city, so we took a year to walk around all of the neighborhoods at all hours of the day and night to see if we could see ourselves living in any of them. Much to both our surprise, we felt okay in most of the neighborhoods, although not all (i.e., some parts of Tremont, Morrisania and Hunts Point seemed a littly sketchy and isolated at night), but particularly liked the look and feel of the Longwood section and decided to plant our roots there. I'm not walking around with blinders on and saying the Bronx is a paradise, but I used to live in Alphabet City when I first came to New York in the 1980's and feel that was a much worse neigbhorhood than what I'm seeing in Mott Haven, Port Morris and Longwood today. Yes, I see drug dealers, crackheads and prostitutes walking around, but I also see a lot of hardworking people and property owners who somehow survived the worst of times and feel it can only get better from here. The island of Manhattan has basically become the domain of millionaires and all of the other neighborhoods surrounding it have, by proximity, become exorbitantly expensive, i.e., Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Long Island City, Astoria, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Hoboken, Jersey City, etc., so the only place for regular people like me to go who have to work in the city, but can't afford those other boroughs and don't want to waste their lives away commuting, is the South Bronx. I almost hope I'm wrong, because I've seen a lot of people who lived through the tough times in those other neighborhoods get pushed out when things got better, so maybe the change in the South Bronx will be slower and more inclusive of the people who are already there. Either way, whether the neighborhood changes, or not, we are happy with our decision and enjoying our exploration of the Bronx very much. Even with its problems, I think it has a lot to offer...
Hey welcome to the Block. I LOVE Longwood...the homes are great...the architecture is the best in the Bronx...the homes have parking, wide sidewalks, trees, and feels very much like a community.
Beck is a great block too. I live a few blocks away on the Mott Haven side (West of you)....I have been looking for one of the places to buy...there is one on Kelly that needs a total rehab so thats a little outta my league. Do you know of any others?
Hey welcome to the Block. I LOVE Longwood...the homes are great...the architecture is the best in the Bronx...the homes have parking, wide sidewalks, trees, and feels very much like a community.
Beck is a great block too. I live a few blocks away on the Mott Haven side (West of you)....I have been looking for one of the places to buy...there is one on Kelly that needs a total rehab so thats a little outta my league. Do you know of any others?
are you going to charge your tenants market rate? or have them sign a rent stabilized lease?
Dear Guywithacause - Thanks for the warm welcome. I don't know of any buildings on Beck or Kelly for sale at the moment, but will keep my eyes open for you. Although some of the buildings are in excellent condition, I don't think they come up for sale very often because people genuinely like living in them. Unfortunately, most of the buildings I've seen that are available are the ones that need a ton of work. My husband and I thought we could live in our building without doing anything to it for at least a couple of years, however, we soon found out it was infested with roaches, had tons of roof leaks and electrical wiring that was so old it was actually disintegrating behind the walls and creating a giant tinder box. Therefore, we were forced into a renovation we were not quite ready to deal with, but have somehow managed to maneuver. It is also a landmarked area, which is of course an asset, but has also made the renovation process a lot more involved and expensive. That being said, we now love our house and feel very good about our investment. If we were looking to flip it to make a lot of money, we would be in trouble because I don't think the prices are going to go up much for the next 5 or 10 years since the economy seems to be on its way down rather than up. Luckily, that was never our intention because we were just looking for a place to call home for a long, long time. So far, so good...
Yes newkid....many of the homes do require work....so I know that going in. I am glad you are in it for the long haul...that kind of attitude is what makes a community and a home..not housefloppers or "investors." What kind of renovations have you done? I have done a massive renovation of my home....it was pretty crazy...it's a 3 family also.
SeventhFloor...I ansswered your question...now answer mine: Why would a Landlord choose to sign a tenant to a rent stabilized lease versus a regular market rate? What are the advantages?
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The Bronx...why not?
