In selecting Roberto Crespo to be its new chair, Community Board 2 has tabbed a lifelong resident who says he will play hardball with developers and city officials to ensure Hunts Point residents get a fair shake.
The six-lane Bruckner Boulevard has one of the highest traffic volumes in the city, and was the scene for three vehicular deaths in March and April. As a result, neighbors and elected officials are demanding that the city make some changes to improve lives for pedestrians.
An ambitious plan to transform the shuttered Bridges Juvenile Justice Center into affordable housing and community space met resistance when Community Board 2 learned that a new city policy calls for 10 percent of The Peninsula’s 740 new apartments would be set aside for homeless families.
Could the sleepy, industrially zoned Hunts Point waterfront be home to New York City’s next big event center?
A proposal for two 14-story buildings with close to 500 apartments planned for Whitlock Avenue is close to securing approval from Community Board 2, but some want assurances from the developer that community benefits are a big part of any agreement.
The city broke ground on Lyons Square Park in late November, and plans for Hunts Point Playground are in the final review process.
Elected officials have vowed to take action to avoid future accidents like the one that killed two girls on Wednesday, and also discontinue the city’s “cluster-site” shelter system.
Board 2 voted in longtime board member and Hunts Point native Ralph Acevedo as its new district manager.
A long-awaited retail mall is scheduled to open on Hunts Point Avenue this fall, but will look much different than an ambitious proposal presented to Community Board 2 five years ago.