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What I like about this new development is that Grand Concourse south of 144th St is no longer going to be a ghost town. There's gonna be some life injected into the area, resulting in some ridership at the deserted 138th St-Grand Concourse (4/5) stop.
Teachers, cops, firemen get laid off, the city's crime worsens, buildings burn longer, and kids dont learn anything and turn to the streets for education. Im sure sanitation workers will get axed which means more garbage laying in the streets. But its all good because Dexter from Iowa will have organic food parties at his loft in Hunts Point and A-Roid gets to make millions playing a child's game in Taxpayer Stadium.
Simply put, the Bronx is already diverse and there are hardworking people trying to better themselves from every background in the park. Any development should be geared toward these types of people and with a long term initiative. The Bronx should be returned to its better days and be a lower/working/middle class haven also for people priced out of Brooklyn, Queens, and Westchester. Smart development = well built middle class homes/apartment buildings and banning big box stores.
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Originally Posted by Rachael84
I'm more concerned about what's going to happen to this city if 23,000 teachers, cops, and firemen get laid off.
I'm more concerned about what's going to happen to this city if 23,000 teachers, cops, and firemen get laid off.
Don't worry, as long as the well-to-do in the city continue to prosper, that's all that's really important it seems.
Besides, with those sparkling new stadiums opening (at taxpayer expense, no less) there are always jobs available there. Because, you know, those are such well-paying jobs that the mayor hugs his kids with and says, "I hope you get this job someday!"
It's appalling that those services most strapped for cash - police, firefighters, schools - are the ones who always get axed. And city leaders are never in any hurry to cut pork projects of any kind. We may be the greatest country on earth, but you'd never know it by looking at our government.
I don't even know if that area can bridge the gap to become a true yuppie neighborhood, since downward pressure on prices is bringing people closer to Manhattan, and will continue to do so as the prices slide. Why would someone buy in a transitional area of an outer borough that will be the last to rise and first to fall when they can get in on a more convenient and established area that will be the first to rise when real estate picks up? If you could buy a unit for $50-$100k, perhaps that would be a decent way to bring new people into the area, but not at top dollar.
There are two coop buildings near Franz Sigel Park on Walton Ave (this is about one block from Grand Concourse and 158th St.) where coops have been selling in the 200K and even up to 390K in the past couple of years. The address is 811 Walton Ave. They even have their own website.
I visited either this building or one nearby in Dec 2005 and the realtors were doing a huge marketing push to get Manhattan buyers. It seems they have been pretty successful if you check sales at 811 Walton on propertyshark.
True, but that's a better section of The Concourse closer to the Stadium, and nearer where it widens into a large boulevard. There has been residential in that area for decades, and much of it is quality residential buildings. There's a push to get Manhattan buyers, but the next SoHo is a stretch for the industrial zone.
What remains to be seen is what happens with Manhattan apartments as prices fall, since that could cause a domino effect, with transitional areas taking more of a hit. That's why I was suggesting the $50k-$100k price point, not because the neighborhood coult not sustain a higher price, but selling at close to the minimum profit would maximize occupancy and really stabilize the neighborhood, as opposed to a glut of overpriced units that won't sell, flood the market, and further depress prices.
At those prices, even for a rough shell that the buyer could customize for another $25k-$50k, there would be contracts out the door, with instant sell-outs likely, both to those seeking affordable housing and to new residents looking for a bargain in an up-and-coming area. The waiting game of using tax dollars to fund bloated projects that don't sell is what I would try to avoid in this area. Also, I would mandate a homestead exemption, that people must buy and remain in the unit for a specified minimum number of years, so that there would not be instant bidding wars that speculative bidders might try to exploit.
Hey glad to see so much discussion about the changes coming to the neighborhood. No the rezoning does not mean instant revitalization with Parks and new housing, but it is continuing the changes that we ahve been seeing. It is a sign to NYers that despite the challenging climate the city is not stepping back from its obligations, or retreating and ignoring neighborhoods, and that is understands that we cannot move forward as a society by ignoring communities. Here is a better link to what will actually be occuring in the community: Lower Concourse - Department of City Planning This won't be happening tomorrow, but it repositioning the South Bronx, as I have stated before, to a sustainable working/middle class community, with the transportation, amenities, and parkland to sustain it and thrive.
I would like to see the Grand Concourse become what it was during its glory days. Housing affordable for the common man. Shops owned by local people. Not a poor man's soho/village with the vibrant psuedoculture that engulfs much of Manhattan.
Isn't that the way it is now, sort of at least? The Concourse, being a slum, albeit one with Art Deco buildings, is probably quite affordable, relative to New York of course. And what better example of a locally owned business than the ubiquitos bodega?
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