Extremely concerned members of Bronx Community Board 6 (CB6) sent a letter dated Feb. 20 to Keith Kalb, interim commissioner at the Bronx borough office of NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) on “the current state of Fordham Plaza.” In it, they refer to what they describe as DOT’s prior eviction of vendors and businesses previously operating in the Plaza, located in Belmont on the border with Fordham Heights and Fordham Manor, to facilitate reconstruction works at the site. The works were completed in 2016, according to CB6.

At the time, CB6 members said DOT committed to filling the newsstands and retail café with vendors. “However, the Plaza’s retail spaces remain vacant,” they wrote, adding that they have yet to receive an update from DOT on the latest status of the issue. “The board is concerned that the ongoing quality-of-life issues such as vandalism and graffiti that result from a lack of daily space activation in the plaza,” members wrote.

“This plaza was once a center for economic activity in the neighborhood and is now a source of quality-of-life issues for our community. The failure to find permanent vendors in the retail stands for this site for 7 years is an unacceptable waste of $34 million federal, state, and local public dollars.”

Members added that they would be voting on whether or not to refer the project to the NYC Comptroller for a potential audit, writing, “The Board is requesting a public explanation of DOT’s failure to find vendors for this site. This project used an immense amount of public resources and the public is owed an explanation to why DOT has failed to fulfill its initial promises to the community.”

The Board concluded the letter by requesting DOT to provide a summary of its efforts to find vendors for the Plaza between 2016 and July 2022, when a concessionaire Request for Proposal was publicized, as well as an update on the status of an RFP that DOT issued six months ago. “We ask that this information be relayed to the board in writing and at our Transportation committee, so that a public record of this presentation can be created,” they said.

The Board will vote during their March 8th board meeting on whether to request an audit of the Fordham Plaza renovation by NYC Comptroller Brad Lander. According to Bronx CB6, “NYC Department of Transportation refuses to provide an explanation to the public as to why the Plaza does not have vendors 7 years after the renovation was completed.”

Meanwhile, across the way in Fordham Manor, back in 2021, Norwood News reported on how City officials were urging Bronxites to “Shop Your City” amid a tour of Fordham Road by the NYC Small Business Services commissioner at the time, and spoke to a number of local small businesses about their concerns for the future of their businesses.

Meanwhile, a Commercial District Needs Assessment survey for the general Fordham area has been prepared by NYC Small Business Services in partnership with the Fordham Road BID and the Street Vendor Project, based on interviews with merchants, street vendors and shoppers. Some extracted highlights from the report are attached.

In terms of the challenges, these centered around crime and safety concerns, car and bus traffic, as well as a lack of parking, leading to high
vehicle congestion in the area. The study found that this made the commercial corridor feel unsafe and “contributes to a loud and unpleasant shopping experience.”

In December 2022, Fordham Road BID representatives joined Mayor Eric Adams for an event addressing how best to combat against retail theft. Thank you to @NYCMayor & @NYCMayorsOffice for inviting us to participate in the Retail Theft Summit last week to discuss how to stop the surge in retail theft across the 5 boroughs. We remain committed to working towards real, long-lasting solutions to the issue of retail theft,” they wrote.

Norwood News reported on a number of robberies in the area in recent months and years (including earlier this week). Some it seems were carried out to keep warm amid the cold weather. There was also this dramatic sidewalk chase in 2021 which took place in the midst of heavy traffic.

Other challenges are the high volume of shoppers during busy times leading to sidewalk congestion in certain areas. It was also found that congestion was further impacted by the presence of street vendors and merchants displaying items outside their storefronts.

Sanitation issues were also a concern, such as improper trash disposal, illegal dumping, and graffiti, giving the appearance of a poorly maintained district and presenting challenges for maintaining corridor cleanliness.

In addition, retail businesses’ early closing hours, as well as real and perceived issues with street lighting, contribute to nighttime safety concerns on the corridor, while a reported lack of enforcement and limited paths to legalization for street vendors leads to tension between vendors and storefront businesses.

Strengths of the area are that it is easily accessible by public transportation with the 4, B, and D subway lines, multiple bus routes, and the fourth busiest Metro-North station connecting the area to the Bronx, Manhattan, and the wider region.

Other strengths are its diverse community with new and long-standing small businesses operating alongside local and regional chains that offer a variety of retail, dining, and services for residents, visitors, and commuters. Norwood News reported briefly last year on the opening of a new Target store on Fordham Road.

In terms of other positives, high pedestrian foot traffic and wide sidewalks support the commercial district and exemplify the walkability of the neighborhood according to the study, while large educational institutions like Fordham University and others, which have long-term roots in the community, employ local residents and bring thousands of students and employees to the neighborhood.

Lastly, renovated public spaces such as Fordham Plaza, Bryan Park, and nearby St. James Park are central meeting spaces that are also used for public events that serve the community.

Some of the ideas for enhancing the area included providing marketing support for businesses to grow their online presence through websites and social media, beautifying public spaces and brightening the corridor by adding plantings, public art, and street lighting, while expanding supplemental sanitation hours and routes.

Other ideas included improving the cleanliness of the commercial corridor and supporting a safe and healthy neighborhood by training
supplemental sanitation workers to observe, identify, and report sanitation and quality-of-life issues.

Increasing awareness of, and access to, government assistance programs to support merchants facing financial difficulties was also on the wish list, as was working with property owners to attract new businesses to vacant storefronts and meeting the needs of local consumers, including additional healthy food, sit-down dining, and entertainment options.

Finally, other ideas were incorporating traffic safety improvements to encourage more walking and biking, and reducing the negative impacts of car and bus traffic throughout the busy corridor.

Street vendors were also asked what were the top challenges facing their businesses. The biggest challenge, according to the results of the survey, was government regulations (lack of licenses/permits) at 60 percent, followed by crime/safety at 46 percent, fines and tickets at 43 percent, lack of transparent rules at 18 percent and access to loads/credit/financing at 11 percent.

Additionally, there was the lack of training and educational programs available specific to vending at 11 percent, sanitation and cleanliness at 9 percent, language barriers at 5 percent, problems with brick and mortar businesses at 5 percent, restricted streets for vending at 4 percent, and other reasons at 3 percent.

The full document can be read here.

Earlier this week, Norwood News contacted DOT for comment on the letter sent to it by Bronx CB6. We received the following response from DOT interim press secretary, Vincent Barone, “We look forward to providing a full Fordham Plaza Concession update to the community board.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.