Officials: Jerome Ave. zoning changes making progress

<p>City officials say plans to rezone a stretch of Jerome Avenue are making progress.</p>

News 12 Staff

Nov 1, 2017, 9:29 PM

Updated 2,612 days ago

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The City Planning Commission has worked for three years to rezone a large stretch of Jerome Avenue, and those changes may be coming to fruition in the near future.
The last time the area was rezoned was in 1968. The rezoned span would stretch from Yankee Stadium to near East 168th Street, by Monroe College. It would ultimately allow for taller buildings, including affordable housing and more commercial and green spaces.
Residents rallied in September against the plan, fearing gentrification. But City Planning says that is not the intention.
"Zoning is not a light switch and, you know, if we are able to rezone the corridor, that does not mean that uses will need to leave or vacate immediately," says the department's Michael Parkinson. "We're pursuing this project to accommodate change, but it's not going to happen overnight."
The rezoning plan will go before the borough president at a public hearing Thursday night. It will be held at 5:30 p.m. in room 600 of the Bronx County Courthouse.