Residents pick sides in City Council-approved Bruckner Boulevard redevelopment in Throggs Neck
NEW YORK -- The City Council voted Wednesday to approve rezoning for a new development plan in the Bronx.
It includes plenty of affordable housing, which elected officials are excited about, but many neighbors are opposed.
CBS2's Nick Caloway toured the Throggs Neck site where one of four proposed buildings will go up. It's currently a supermarket, and ask folks in the area about changing that and they don't hold back.
"Absolutely against it," a resident named Stephen said.
"You know, I'm not against people trying to move in, but I don't think this is the right neighborhood for it," Sal Saglimbeni said.
In total, the Bruckner Boulevard redevelopment would create 349 new housing units. More than 190 of them would be affordable housing. Among those, 99 would be for seniors and 25 reserved for veterans.
However, neighbors say massive apartment buildings won't fit in the area, which consists mostly of single- or double-family homes.
Michele Torrioni said the planned redevelopment would change the landscape of what is a unique neighborhood.
"We should be allowed to have diversity of living, not just tall buildings all the time. People have invested in single-family, double-family homes. They should be allowed to have both options," Torrioni said.
Some residents said their voices have been ignored, as city leaders rush to rezone properties, Caloway reported.
In throwing her support behind the plan, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams cited the city's housing crisis.
"We must confront the housing crisis facing our neighborhoods and city with every district contributing to the production of affordable housing. I'm glad that the Bruckner Boulevard rezoning achieves this goal while advancing benefits for local residents," Adams said.
Down the street from the Super Foodtown, Domenic Porfidia said he doesn't love the idea of worsening an already horrible parking situation, but added, "You know, New York is New York. They build on top of each other and they have to build, they've got to build. There's not much you can say."
And, Porfidia said, people have to live somewhere.
Lawmakers say in the last eight years only 58 units of affordable housing have been built in the neighborhood.