230th Street mall may expand with key corner

By MIAWLING LAM

Equity One snapped up this abandoned gas station at
West 230th Street and Broadway for $2 million

The developer of the yet-to-be-built $54 million Broadway Plaza shopping mall has purchased the adjoining vacant lot—the defunct Getty gas station.

The Riverdale Review can reveal that Equity One last month acquired the 7,500-square-foot parcel at 5510 Broadway from a California-based LLC for a hefty $2 million—more than three times the current market value of $630,000.

Documents filed with the New York City Department of Finance show the property deed for the commercial site was transferred on October 15.

Equity One currently owns the 80,000-square-foot parcel on the eastern boundary of the gas station. The site, now a city-owned parking lot, will be developed into a two-story multi-tenant shopping mall set to open in mid-2014.

The newest acquisition means the national developer now commands two of the three coveted parcels of developable land along the busy intersection of West 230th Street and Broadway—a clear indication that the area is viewed as a worthy spot for major commercial development.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (November 15 - 21) of the Riverdale Review:

The abandoned gas station at West 230th Street and
Broadway has been acquired by Equity One.

* 230th Street mall may expand with key corner > The developer of the yet-to-be-built $54 million Broadway Plaza shopping mall has purchased the adjoining vacant lot--the defunct Getty gas station. The Riverdale Review can reveal that Equity One last month acquired the 7,500-square-foot parcel at 5510 Broadway from a California-based LLC for a hefty $2 million--more than three times the current market value of $630,000.
* Local pols eye Senate leadership battle > Election Day is over, but a few state Senate races upstate are still too close to call, which could have an impact on the careers of some local politicos.
* Board rejects plans for new mansion > Community Board 8 has rejected controversial plans to construct a new mansion in the heart of the Riverdale Historic District. Following fervent opposition, board members last week voted unanimously against a proposal to develop the vacant lot at 5241 Independence Avenue into a four-story, single-family house. Under preliminary plans, the house would boast seven bedrooms, eight and a half bathrooms, an indoor swimming pool, two laundries and a maid's room.
* MTA's Bus Time program will let you track your ride on your phone > Local straphangers can finally track the real-time location of every local and express bus in Riverdale after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority quietly launched its Bus Time program. MTA officials flicked the switch and activated GPS hardware on all 54 Bronx bus routes, inculding the Bx7, Bx9 and Bc10, on Saturday, October 27. However, with efforts underway to restore subway service and repair critical signal and switch components in the wake of superstorm Sandy, the launch has received little fanfare.
* New president a kindred spirit at Riverdale rabbinical school > Open-mindedness, outreach and independent thinking--along with broad-based textual study--will still be the basics at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah when its presidency transfers from Rabbi Avi Weiss to Rabbi Asher Lopatin this July.
* iPhone stolen from woman at gunpoint > The armed serial robbers terrorizing Riverdale have struck again. Police said the two men suspected of carrying out at least five local robberies nabbed yet another iPhone on Sunday.

The Fieldston Lofts apartment tower

* New Fieldston Lofts building on Riverdale Avenue hits market > Luxury condominiums at Fielston Lofts, a boutique apartment building in Riverdale, have been re-listed for a price tag of around $1 million each. The seven-story building, located at 3751 Riverdale Avenue, features 10 three- and four-bedroom units, ranging in size from 1,849 to 2,164 square feet. Each condo boasts high-end finishes including bamboo floors, granite countertops, towering ceilings, marble tiles, custom kitchen cabinets and modern appliances. But it's the asking price--between $899,000 and $1.059 million--that has courted controversy among locals.
* Paradise Theater set to become Creflo Dollar megachurch > The Paradise Theater, an 83-year-old Bronx institution, will soon be home to the World Changers Church of New York. Pastors Creflo and Taffi Dollar reportedly signed the lease on October 20.
* Community leaders get a glimpse of learning at RKA > There was an upbeat vibe at M.S/H.S 141 as community leaders were treated to snapshots of learning in progress as they took a tour of the school on Tuesday morning.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* Dominic Castore dies > Passionate Bronx resident and longtime Community Board 11 chairman Dominic Castore passed away last weekend.
* Veterans housing opens > At-risk war veterans now have a new, supportive place they can call home. Kingsbridge Terrace, the second of two state-of-the-art Bronx residences created by Jericho Project, will enable veterans to live in affordable, furnished housing.

EDC quiet on 230th Street mall while broker appears to announce winner (UPDATE)

This teaser story first appeared in the blockbuster issue of the Riverdale Review on March 22.

By Miawling Lam

City officials have seemingly rejected housing in favor of big-box retail stores for the long-awaited 230th Street Broadway Plaza development, the Riverdale Review can reveal.

Artist's rendering of the entrance at the proposed
230th Street Broadway Plaza. 

Documents show a two-story shopping mall appears to have been chosen as the winning project, beating four other proposals in the process.

While the city's Economic Development Corporation remains mum, preliminary signs suggest experienced national developer Equity One has been tapped to redevelop the 80,000-square-foot plot of city land.

According to a three-page brochure that briefly appeared on Ripco Realty’s website last week, tenants were being sought to occupy four spaces totaling a mammoth 115,063 square feet at the site. The available space was to be split evenly between two floors and range from 17,957 square feet to 38,691 square feet. The brochure, and the attached listing, has since been pulled down but a cached version can still be retrieved.

Under the plan, vehicular access would be made available from both West 230th Street and Verveelen Place, while pedestrians were slated to enter via a small plaza on Broadway. Undercover parking for 129 cars would also be provided, offering much-needed relief for motorists accustomed to scrambling for spots on the street.

When contacted earlier today, EDC spokesman Kyle Sklerov refused to confirm if Equity One had been chosen and simply said no winner had been announced. When asked why Ripco Realty appeared to single out one of the five submitted proposals, Sklerov said he did not know.

Intrigued? Want to know more? Read the full story in tomorrow's paper.

UPDATE: EDC confirmed yesterday (April 3) that Equity One's proposal had indeed been chosen. According to a press release, the experienced national developer would invest $54 million in the 80,000 square-foot site and seek four national big-box retailers to lease the available space. EDC estimates the project will create more than 250 new full-time and part-time jobs as well as 500 construction jobs. It is understood the developer will try to fill as many of these positions possible with Bronx residents.

New Poll! What would you like to see in a new development?

We just put up a new poll (left sidebar), which stems from the 230th Street development. The city is currently examining proposals, which you can read about here. Beyond voting, considering leaving comments as to what you'd like to see in the space (and why!) either at this post or at the story we've linked to.

230th Street shopping plans come into focus

Here is our headlining story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh 

The city’s Economic Development Corporation is choosing between five bids for the 230th Street development, ranging from a single supermarket to a 16-story mixed-use development with 200 units of housing. 

The development will rise near the corner of 230th Street and Broadway, sandwiched between the elevated No. 1 subway and the Major Deegan Expressway. 

A source close to the project laid out basic details of the plans and stressed that they were in no particular order. 

The first, which the source dubbed the “Foodtown murderer,” is a 72,000-square-foot supermarket with 300 parks spaces on the roof. Foodtown, which was recently renovated, is directly across the street. 

Another proposal is a 32,000-square-foot, two story building with a supermarket on the ground floor. The second floor would be office space, and 90 parking spots would be available at grade level. 

A third project has 133,000 square feet of retail space as a two-story building. It would be a mix of businesses, such as a specialty grocer and national chains. There would also be 130 parking spaces below grade. 

230th Street shopping plaza delayed

One last story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh 

The future shopping center at 230th Street and Broadway has gone through delay after delay over the past decade, and after being scrapped and restarted, has hit it’s first delay. 

The deadline for interested developers to submit proposals to the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been extended two weeks, from Monday, Oct. 24 to Nov. 7. 

However, this may be the first good delay the project has ever seen. According to EDC spokesperson Kyle Sklerov, “There is significant interest in the Broadway Plaza site and we have extended the deadline to allow respondents more time to finalize their proposals.” 

Sklerov added that developers requested the additional time because they needed more time to finalize their proposals on the 80,000 square foot lot that will include a pedestrian plaza where Kimberly Place currently is. 

Jump below for the full story.