SoBRO: South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation

In 2007, SoBRO initiated the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) certification process for an empty lot at Boston Road and E 175th Street, just east of Crotona Park in the Bronx. ULURP is a major step toward getting property rezoned and ready for mixed-use development.

The area currently surrounding this lot is characterized by storage facilities, gas stations and vacant, contaminated lots (or “brownfields”). The current zoning, C8-3, even allows for junkyards in this area.

Rezoning the area to be a MX, or mixed-use, district will allow the construction of a large commercial and residential facility on the property (Click here to see a rendering of the project). 175 units of affordable housing and 30,000 square feet of commercial space will add to the accelerating pace of development in this long-neglected community.

Just around the corner from this site lies another SoBRO development project, the Southern Blvd. project, which will transform a brownfield into another mixed use building. Between these two projects, the area is set to undergo a major transformation in the coming years.

Similar to the larger rezoning projects along Bruckner Blvd (which SoBRO also spearheaded) and the more recent Lower Concourse, this will allow this section of the Bronx to benefit from the sea change the borough is currently undergoing; from a collection of vacant and underutilized property into real neighborhoods, this sort of initiative and development will be key to helping the Bronx keep pace with New York City’s wider progress.

Once the MX designation is received in another 6-8 months, construction on the project can begin. With an estimated 20 months in the construction phase, the project will be completed in just over two years.