As developers far and wide continue eyeing Bedford Park for development, the Bedford Mosholu Community Association is utilizing a workaround strategy to ward further development.

And Ella Santos, a vice president of the group needs an item that’ll serve as the lifeblood of the campaign: your photos.

“They don’t have to be historical photographs. It could be current,” said Santos, speaking at the latest BMCA meeting Oct. 3. “Any old photos of you standing in front of your house, with friends.”

BMCA is now applying to be placed on the Historic Districts Council’s (HDC) “Six to Celebrate” initiative which assists communities in getting their neighborhoods approved for landmark designation. According to its website, HDC offers free resources to help neighborhoods achieve official preservation designation through the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Landmarked neighborhoods usually make it tougher for developers to redevelop portions of a neighborhood.

The website notes that the “six selected groups receive HDC’s hands-on help on all aspects of their efforts over the course of the year and continued support in the years to come. The program helps community activists learn to use tools such as documentation, research, zoning, landmarking, publicity, and public outreach to advance local preservation campaigns.”

 

 

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#Bedfordmosholu #architecture #artdeco #artnuveau #nyc #mosholuparkway #homes #bedfordmosholucommunityassociation #bronx #theboogiedown #bronxisbeautiful #thebronx #northwestbronx #everydaybronx #theboogiedownbronx #historic #historical #beautifulhomes pic by @ellasantosart

A post shared by Bedford Mosholu Comm Assoc (@bedfordmosholuassoc) on May 15, 2018 at 10:40am PDT

The Bronx neighborhoods of Westchester Square and Little Italy on Arthur Avenue are on this year’s list.

Santos has already done her part, having created an official BMCA Instagram account several months ago. Photos of the architectural beauty of Bedford Park, with its ornate Victorian-style home mixed in with pre- and post-war buildings, are routinely taken and posted on Instagram.

Bedford Park has undergone a development blitz. In a review by the Norwood News, relying on data from AATOM data solutions, the section of Bedford Park–bordered by the Grand Concourse, Mosholu Parkway, East 198th Street, and Webster Avenue–saw 28 properties sold between January and August of 2018. These include private homes, duplex, triplex, and quad-plex properties. Over the same period a year before, only nine properties within that area were sold.

Bedford Park was initially built to be a suburb within New York City, but has since seen the development of eight-story buildings abutting century-old homes.

Editor’s Note: Photos of Bedford Park can be sent to bedfordmosholu@verizon.net. BMCA’s Instagram handle is @bedfordmosholuassoc.