CB7 Backs Plan to Downzone Mosholu Parkway Amid Zoning Studies

A grassroots effort to limit height restrictions for new buildings along Mosholu Parkway crossed another hurdle as city officials agreed to consider examining downzoning efforts along the parkway next year. The move comes amid Community Board 7’s independent zoning study of two neighborhoods within its borders as a way to preserve its character while stemming further development. The group won a victory at the latest CB7 Land Use/Housing Committee meeting on Feb. 15 when the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), charged with determining the character of neighborhoods across the five boroughs, assured the community it will assess

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

Although Mayor Bill de Blasio’s town hall meeting was held in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, the mayor heard from Norwood residents, who brought issues of parking and overcrowding to his attention. Throughout the event, held at In Tech Academy on Tibbett Avenue and moderated by Councilman Andrew Cohen, the mayor addressed Bronxites’ questions on national issues as well as local concerns, including immigration, healthcare and education. “This is a city where we’re passionate people. When you look at the tabloids, you look at the news, there’s a lot of feeling, a lot of emotion. And I think we

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Community Board 7 is currently operating without a district man- ager, following suit with Community Boards 5 and 8, also without DMs. Andrew Sandler (pictured left), the CB7’s district manager, has been out on medical leave since early January and it is unclear exactly when he will return. He’s expected to be back within the next couple of months. In the interim, CB 7 will be run by Tom Lucania, director of community boards from the Bronx Borough President’s office. He’ll also take over DM duties at CB5 and CB8 until the DM seats can be filled. He’ll also handle

By DAVID CRUZ

For Community Board 7’s Robyn Saunders, you can’t salute a veteran enough. The scion of a family of veterans, Saunders sees service to country as a crucible that should never be overlooked. “I just don’t want us to forget,” Saunders told the Norwood News midway through a recognition breakfast honoring veterans whose service to country goes back to World War II. “They protect us even when we’re unaware they’re protecting us.” Saunders and CB7 organized the breakfast on Feb. 10 at Lehman College, with the school’s Office of Veterans and Military Affairs sharing hosting duties. The ceremony saw 19 living

Dear Fellow Readers, Happy Groundhog Day! The Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use! In this third edition of 2017 we bring you 16 pages packed with thought-provoking news items. As usual, we begin one page and a story we’ve been wanting to cover for some time: classroom space. With Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing the creation of 38,000, parents would prefer to see a school built. And so does local Bronx Community Board 7, which has made it its top request to the city. Read how many seats are needed and

By DAVID CRUZ

Anthony Rivieccio, a community activist known to harangue developers chipping away at Bedford Park’s past and present, has a surefire way to stem development: restricting building size. That idea is already being examined by Community Board 7, which hired an urban planning consultant to gather testimonials on neighborhood needs, which appear to trend towards a more suburban-like setting. Her hiring was intended to follow up on a promise the New York City Department of City Planning made to the community in 2011, ensuring that it would revisit a proposal to downzone parts of Bedford Park, which include Mosholu Parkway, the

Community Board 7 lit up Mosholu Parkway with its annual Holiday Tree Lighting event on December 8. The event had traditional hallmarks for a tree lighting–carolers, hot chocolate, and, of course, a visit by Santa Claus. The NYPD and NYPD Explorers helped members coordinate the event. Check out photos by David Cruz. ““

Reservoir Park Access Set for Nov. 19

City To Grant Jerome Park Reservoir Access on May 20 and 21

By DAVID CRUZ

The city is once again reopening Jerome Park Reservoir for one November weekend, throwing a bone to residents who’ve longed for permanent access to the closed-off site. “No restrictions,” said Adaline Walker-Santiago, Community Board 7 chair and member of the Filtration Monitoring Committee (FMC), the group that campaigned for access. “All residents will be able to go inside the gates of the reservoir. We’ll walk around the reservoir.” The city Department of Environmental Protection has kept the public off the reservoir grounds, citing safety concerns to the millions of gallons of drinkable water to the city. This is the second

By DAVID CRUZ

Two neighborhoods falling within Community Board 7 will be the subject of an independent rezoning study by the board, in a move that revisits a request community stakeholders made years ago when rezoning efforts were happening in other parts of the district. But the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), the agency tasked to devise the overall makeup of neighborhoods, will likely reject any plans to down-zone, a request community stakeholders have long sought. The board has now scheduled a brainstorming forum for Nov. 16 to gauge residents on how sections of Kingsbridge Heights and Bedford Park, home