Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) held one of its last meetings before the summer break on Thursday, June 17, to discuss neighborhood updates and various motions that were due to be tabled at the Board’s executive meeting held on June 23.

 

It was an eventful meeting that touched upon a variety of topics and saw four motions passed. Two were presented by the housing, land use and economic development committee, one by the parks’ committee and one arose during the new business section of the meeting.

 

The first motion which was passed by the Board pertained to the proposed “FRESH II” text amendment to prevailing City zoning laws. FRESH stands for “Food Retail Expansion to Support Health Program.”

 

The amendment expands upon the existing FRESH program which was designed in 2008 to offer incentives to developers to build supermarkets that provide fresh, accessible food in neighborhoods where such produce is in short supply, and in efforts to promote more healthy eating. FRESH II aims to expand the program to a greater number of new City districts.

 

Bronx CB7 Land Use committee member, Erick Ascensio, presented the motion in support of the text amendment. A question was raised as to whether there were any incentives for community members to shop at such supermarkets, once opened. Ascensio clarified that the amendment did not include such a stipulation. “It’s mostly to allow supermarkets and fresh produce to be more available to communities that can be considered food deserts,” he said.

 

After a 2 day Operation we removed 18 gas powered illegally operated scooters and summonses were issued to those operators. 2 operators were arrested.
Be mindful of the traffic safety laws and click the link below to learn what you can use in NYC ⤵️⤵️⤵️https://t.co/WnJMa27w4H pic.twitter.com/GfhweO70QN

— NYPD 52nd Precinct (@NYPD52Pct) July 9, 2021

 

The second motion concerned the proposed text amendment to zoning laws for health and fitness outlets. Most health and wellness related businesses, such as gyms, spas, martial arts studios, therapists, and yoga studios need special permits from the Board of Standards and Appeals to operate. The aim of the proposed amendment was to ease red tape to allow the opening of such businesses in certain City districts. Ascensio proposed the motion that CB7 would support the amendment because such businesses were neighborhood amenities.

 

Committee member, Andrew Laiosa, brought up the issue and potential for human trafficking that sometimes occurs in massage parlors. Laiosa expressed concern that the proposed amendment would make it easier for people with ill intent to open such businesses, thereby making it harder to tackle human trafficking. The committee discussed the fact that the amendment pertained more to zoning laws [relating to construction] rather than the operational permits needed to run certain types of businesses within such buildings. The motion was subsequently passed.

 

The Parks’ committee then presented the third motion, which related to a letter from a local labor union which was asking CB7 to support the adoption of the “Design Build” concept for procurement and construction in the district’s local parks.

 

The purpose of the Design Build concept is to combine design work with construction work on parks projects, ideally reducing the cost of such projects as well as the amount of time needed to complete them. “Originally, in the letter, the union asked that we put this in our ‘Needs Assessment,’ which would go in with our budget in the fall,” said Parks’ chair, Barbara Stronczer.

 

She said that she had gotten in touch with the union and had asked if there was anything else the board could do to help because the board reviewed a lot of parks projects. “They pointed out that we could contact our elected officials and ask for their support. It might be helpful,” she said.

 

The motion was subsequently passed for the board to send a letter to Community District 7 (CD7)’s three City Council representatives to ask that they support the Design Build concept.

 

At the end of the meeting, during the new business section, committee member, Edgar Ramos, said that the NYPD had requested CB7’s support, by way of writing a letter to CD7’s elected officials, to request that new legislation be put in place to help the NYPD control traffic problems relating to the use of scooters and dirt bikes. Ramos explained that there was very little the NYPD could do to control such vehicles under the existing laws and rules relating to parking, traffic, and towing.

 

Ramos added, “I ask everyone, you know, when you’re having conversations with your elected officials, just kind of put the center here, you know. Let them know the NYPD needs their help so they can help us,” he said. The committee briefly discussed the traffic issues relating to such vehicles before passing the motion.

 

On July 9, the 52nd precinct tweeted that after a two-day operation, they removed 18 gas-powered, illegally operated scooters and issued summonses to the drivers, two of whom were arrested. They advised residents to be aware of which e-bikes are legal and which are illegal. See attached slides for details.

Health committee chair, Michelle Avila, then updated the committee on COVID-19 rates in the area, saying that there had been a decline of 1 percent or less than 1 percent in positive COVID-19 rates in some neighborhoods from June 6 through June 12.

 

Meanwhile, in terms of COVID-19 vaccination rates, Avila reported that such rates were being monitored, and that the Bronx was behind other boroughs. She reminded members to encourage people to get vaccinated and to talk to others about the importance of doing so. She also said the health committee planned to carry out some outreach over the summer to dispel vaccine rumors and encourage people to get vaccinated.

 

CB7 Board chair, Emmanuel Martinez, reinforced the message, reminding everyone to continue to be cautious about COVID-19. “We still have to continue protecting ourselves because, you know, the virus mutates when it wants and especially now, in the summer, when more people are going to be out and about, it’s even more important for us to continue with our safety protocols,” he said.