Ahead of the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 7, Norwood News interviewed Democratic incumbent Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez (C.D. 13) in mid-October to question her about various issues of concern affecting her constituents as well as her accomplishments to date since taking office in 2022.

 

District 13 comprises some or all of the neighborhoods of Allerton, City Island, Country Club, Edgewater Park, Ferry Point, Locust Point, Morris Park, Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway, Schuylerville, Silver Beach, Spencer Estates, Throggs Neck, Van Nest, Waterbury LaSalle, Westchester Square, and Zerega.

 

The Bruckner Boulevard upzoning housing development in Throggs Neck was obviously high on everyone’s agenda. We put it to the councilmember that many residents were opposed to the development because, among other factors like the impact upon traffic, in their view, there was insufficient policing, schools, and parking to cater for the influx of new residents.

 

Velázquez said in part, “What was presented and what we fought so hard for was to deliver what the community wanted. So, it was going back to listening to them on the infrastructure. I heard them.” She said she worked with the [Adams] administration to carry out transit studies to assess any potential impact on traffic. “And yes, there was parking negotiated for this development as well,” she said. She added that her office also had “honest and frank conversations” to ensure the administration carried out its own studies and understanding what facilities were needed.

 

“That’s why the studies are part of the negotiation with the admin, as part of this development,” she said. “We can say, ‘Oh, I want a school! But if the study shows that we can get a K-12, then we’re going to get a K-12 and we can advocate for that, and if the study shows that it’s actually K-5, then we will go back and take care of K-5.”

 

The councilwoman went on to say that when the Bruckner plan was originally presented to the community, it was very vague and there was no specificity in terms of housing/services for veterans or seniors. She said there is now an 8-story building dedicated to seniors with wraparound social services, security and medical services, and a senior center. She said two of the remaining three buildings will be five floors high, and the fourth will be a 3-story building. “Those buildings will have 25 units in total, dedicated to our veterans and their families,” she said.

 

Velázquez said another key component of the plan was affordable home ownership, through NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) programs to build generational wealth within the community. She said this was based on suggestions and recommendations at community meetings. “At the end of the day, it’s for us by us,” she said, in reference to the community’s envisioning of the housing development.

 

The council member said another key component was having the carpenters’ union, along with 32BJ, and Local 79, lead the negotiations in terms of ensuring local members got priority when it came to jobs [union jobs] arising from the development. She highlighted that she learned as a child of the ‘80s, growing up in the South Bronx, how its development caused displacement of families. “It’s my opportunity now as an elected to make sure that my community comes first,” she said, in part. “So yeah, I can sleep at night knowing that I’ve delivered what the community had asked for and that was why we approved the rezoning.”

 

We mentioned that many of the affordable housing lotteries offered by HPD are not really affordable considering the Average Median Income (AMI) of Bronxites, giving one recent example in Highbridge. Velázquez said she would get back to us on the exact AMI used for the Bruckner project, saying it was based specifically on seniors. She added that JASA, described on its website as an “industry leader in providing safe, affordable, and accessible apartments for [..] older adults and disabled individuals,” would be the appointed service provider for the 8-story building at Site C which would comprise 100 units of rented, affordable housing for seniors. She said 100 units would be allotted separately for home ownership opportunities for residents.

 

We also asked the councilwoman for her position on the construction, announced in August 2022, of NYC Health + Hospitals’ Just Home project on the grounds of Jacobi Hospital at 1900 Seminole Avenue in Morris Park, an initiative which was set to create around 70 studio and two-bedroom apartments, as well as access to on-site social services provided by licensed clinical social workers, peer workers, and specialists, as well as health services at Jacobi Hospital.

 

According to NYC Health + Hospitals, the project was targeted at formerly incarcerated New Yorkers with life-threatening medical conditions. When Norwood News asked NYC Health + Hospitals about the status of the project in July, we were informed by Nicole Levy that it was “moving ahead,” despite fears over public safety amid an expected influx of formerly incarcerated people into the neighborhood. Velázquez clarified that she has always been against the project, which she said had been initiated under her predecessor, former Council Member Mark Gjonaj and under former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Unfortunately, the community was never engaged and so, you can’t blame them for being frustrated, angry, because they were left out of a very important conversation,” she said.

 

She said the new Metro North station in Morris Park is going to create changes and new conversations with the community, Montefiore and Mercy College about a life science hub and other innovative possibilities for the area. “So, what we have done, me and the [Adams] administration, is put a halt [to the Just Home project],” she said in part, referencing a public hearing that took place in late October confirming the pause. She said another senior housing project could be an alternative option for the site, given many seniors have been displaced. “This is a way to honor their legacy and what they’ve done for our communities, and being a foundation, if you will, for us all,” she said.

 

Another possibility is a women’s health center, she said. “I’ve been very clear that The Bronx doesn’t have one,” she said, adding in part, “There are other boroughs that have, and it’s a shame because The Bronx has some of the highest rates of maternal morbidity.” She continued, “It’s deeply personal to me. I did lose a friend to maternal morbidity.” She also highlighting the need to support women who may wish to start a family later in life for whatever reason, including herself in that category. “It’s personal on those two levels,” she said. “The community deserves an opportunity to negotiate [the Just Home project], and they were never offered that opportunity.”

 

Asked if she had an alternative site in mind to provide the needed services to the formerly incarcerated people with severe medical needs planned under the Just Home project, she said, “No, because what I’m exploring is what really is going to work in this community. I am not here to change or to deliver what the prior administration had agreed upon.” She said the current administration’s approach was different. “It’s a ‘we.’ It’s an ‘us’,” she said. “So, what we’re discussing is, what can we all work together on to make sure that we’re delivering for the most vulnerable in our communities?”

 

We also put it to Velázquez that there had been opposition from some residents to the installation of bike lanes in the East Bronx. She asked where specifically. We followed up with residents and shared that there were complaints about those on Bronxdale Avenue from Pelham Parkway to Tremont. Some residents alleged there had been no outreach prior to their installation.

 

They also said in some sections the bike lanes are closest to the curb, and that there is another lane for parked cars between the bike lane and the passing traffic lane. They said it was dangerous to open a car door when there was traffic passing on both sides of a parked vehicle. On the other hand, they said not all bike lanes were installed next to the curb, and that in other areas, the lane for parked cars was next to the curb, causing confusion due to the lack of consistency in design.

 

Velázquez’s later said, “All the major decisions associated with this bike lane occurred before my election to the Council. Like any project, it’s the responsibility of DOT to keep the community informed about any transportation initiative in the district. As issues come up, I will continue to advocate for community and make sure that DOT is responsive to them.”

 

Norwood News followed up with DOT on the topic. Vincent Barone from DOT replied, saying, “Years of data show the installation of bike lanes dramatically improves safety on New York City streets for everyone, including for pedestrians and vehicle occupants, and have been critical in reducing traffic fatalities to historic lows. As with all our projects, NYC DOT conducted extensive public outreach on these corridors before implementing what were carefully reviewed, life-saving redesigns.”

 

DOT added that according to DOT’s Safety Treatment Evaluation (2005-2018), parking protected bike lanes reduce deaths and serious injuries by 18.1% for all road users, 29.2% for pedestrians, and 13.1% for vehicle occupants. They said the bike lanes implemented in the area follow common designs installed on City streets for nearly two decades.

 

They said parking protected lanes use such parking lanes to create a barrier between bicycles/legal micromobility vehicles and moving traffic. They said such lanes also often include a buffer space between the parking lane and the bike lane to allow vehicle occupants to open car doors and exit the vehicle without entering the bike lane.

 

They went on to say that many of the bike lanes installed recently in the East Bronx were to compliment what they said was “DOT’s popular e-scooter sharing program.” They added that DOT attended seven meetings with stakeholders on the Bronxdale Avenue bike lanes over the course of multiple years, dating back to 2018.

 

When we asked Velázquez about public safety, she regarded it as one of her accomplishments. “It’s like record investment,” she said referring to “not just funding, but also having frank and honest conversation with the administration and talking about the needs of the community.” She said under her tenure, more than two dozen cops were delivered for the 45th and 49^th Precincts, combined, and cited other investments in “auxiliary vehicles,” and “more patrol cars” because that was what residents had asked for. She has been endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association (PBA).

 

She also said that she had fought for the upgrade of the Rodman’s Neck NYPD training facility on City Island, which she said had not been touched since the 1960s, including the installation of sound barriers. “Clearly, our officers need it,” she said. “As an elected, it’s truly gratifying to know that you can keep on building and making sure that promises asked, promises delivered.”

 

Staying on public safety, we also asked the councilwoman about concerns for safety due to the increase in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, despite the passage of a first package of bills addressing the situation. On Oct. 23, Velázquez, chair of the committee on consumer and worker protection, held a committee hearing, along with Councilman Oswald Feliz (C.D. 15) [also running for re-election on Nov. 7] and others, listening to testimony related to safety and usage of such batteries for e-bikes and scooters.

 

Key legislation and resolutions discussed included requiring the posting of lithium-ion battery safety guides in places of business and on online retail platforms that sell powered mobility devices; establishing a battery safety certification for powered mobility device mechanics; and record keeping and reporting on the disposal of rechargeable batteries used for powered mobility devices.

 

Others were safety standards for powered bicycles and powered mobility devices used for food delivery services; creating licensing requirements for electric bicycle or scooter businesses; and passing resolutions calling for State and federal laws prohibiting the sale of second-use lithium-ion batteries and the setting of consumer standards for lithium-ion batteries. Velazquez said, “Preventing hazardous products and educating users will save lives. I am proud to join my colleagues and sponsor legislation that prioritizes the safety of our workers and communities.”

 

She said another huge win for her was the passage of the outdoor dining bill, allowing outer boroughs to enjoy outdoor dining through sidewalk cafés year around and at the roadway. She said it was what saved many families during the pandemic. “It saved 100,000 jobs,” she said. “We’re now exploring it as an opportunity to expand on those jobs at a time where you keep on hearing about job shortages, and it’s a way to just spur more investment in New York City.”

 

Election Day is Nov. 7 and polls are open until 9 p.m. To find your Election Day voting site, visit https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc/. For more information on other candidates running in other races on Election Day, click here. You can also call NYC Board of Elections if you have any questions or concerns on 866 VOTE NYC / 866 868 3692

 

Editor’s Note: Norwood News also reached out to Republican and Conservative candidate Kirsty Marmorato in order to write a similar profile piece on her candidacy. As of Nov. 6, we had not heard back from the candidate. Click here to read our coverage of the recent BronxNet debate between Velázquez and Marmorato.