Goodbye Montefiore, Hello Homeless?

Goodbye Montefiore, Hello Homeless?

(Just what was this 'Coalition for the Homeless' van doing in front of a 'rent stabilized' building in Riverdale? Pictured above is the van, and you can see the Whitehall in the background. The building is managed by Goodman Management, and calls to Goodman Management were answered with, 'Not in that building’.)

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 19- Two weeks ago, I mentioned that a Coalition For the Homeless van was spotted in Riverdale. That same Coalition For the Homeless van was spotted in front of one of the few remaining 'Rent Stabilized' buildings in Riverdale. 

The building is managed by Goodman Management, and calls to Goodman Management were answered with not in that building. With Goodman Management managing many buildings in Riverdale and Community Board 8, my next question was are there any homeless or transition housing in any of the buildings Goodman manages? The reply here was that Mr. Goodman would have to get back to you on that.

It seems that in rebuffing the Montefiore Medical Center project, the opposition may have just opened the site up to affordable housing by Stagg Developers. Stagg has just paid $7.1 million dollars for a property on Webster Avenue for a 200-plus unit building of so called market/affordable housing. I have been told that the asking price is only $7 million for the Montefiore Riverdale/Oxford Avenue site. By the way Mr. Stagg was the first of many developers to look at that site to possibly build market/affordable housing. With new zoning changes being proposed, other bonuses to developers, and new financing to meet the deBlasio 200,000 unit affordable housing edict this site is a bargain to Mr. Stagg.

Con Edison is having their underground transformers checked, as the recent spring thaw has melted all the snow and sent the residual salt melting at their equipment. On my blog is a photo of a transformer meltdown on a recent night. The FDNY came and roped off the area until Con Edison came the next day to fix the problem.

Lastly, we say good-bye to a great man who not many knew of, Mr. Lorance Hockert. Larry as those who knew him called him was a member of Community Board 8 from 1990 through 2003. Larry was also the boards chair from 1998 through 2000, and was crucial in the 197A plan developed by Community Board 8. One piece of little known information was that Lorance Hockert was going to be the next councilman after June Eisland was to be term limited out of office. However for reasons known to only a few people Larry never did commit to that, and retired from Community Board 8 the following term. Lorance 'Larry' Hockert will be missed by all.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.  

#Riverdale #Montefiore #Homeless #Bronxnews