Mixed Feelings as Board Takes up Mayor’s Jerome Avenue Rezoning Bid
The clock is ticking. Community Boards 4, 5 and 7 have until October 30 to vote on the de Blasio administration’s proposed rezoning of Jerome Avenue in the western Bronx. It’s the first stage of the seven-month Uniform Land Use Review Procedure through which a zoning change becomes law.
As City Limits reported, the rezoning proposal is opposed in its current form by a coalition of community, tenant and clergy groups called the Bronx Coalition for a Community Vision. They argue the rezoning will exacerbate displacement and does not come with enough guarantees of good jobs for local residents, among other concerns.
A report produced by Community Boards 4 and 5 last year expressed support for the general vision of the rezoning while calling for certain investments and strategies. Some demands were similar to the coalition’s, including the creation of a certificate of no harassment program to protect existing tenants and investment in apprenticeship programs. Others were different, such as the removal of all auto-zones from the rezoning area and an emphasis on moderate and middle-income housing.