NYC Approves Metro-North Rezoning Expected to Bring 7,000 Homes to the Bronx

New York City has paved the way for construction to start on 7,000 homes in the East Bronx.

Members of the New York City Council unanimously voted on Thursday afternoon to approve the plan to rezone a 46-block swath near future Metro-North Railroad stations in the Bronx’s Parkchester and Morris Park neighborhoods.

“Certainly, this is going to address the larger-scale need for housing and more housing in the city of New York, particularly in those districts in the Bronx,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said during a press conference before the vote on Thursday. “But it’s something that certainly doesn’t happen overnight.”

Amid a worsening housing crisis and still-rising inflation, the new transit-oriented developments will “revitalize the local economy and activate key corridors surrounding forthcoming Metro-North stations to be built in the East Bronx,” Speaker Adams said.

A spokesperson for the City Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The proposal faced some pushback from locals, concerned about the potential strain the new housing could put on the neighborhoods, but got key support from local Councilmember Kristy Marmorato after Mayor Eric Adams agreed to pump $498.5 million into the neighborhood.

The funds include approximately $119 million for renovations to parks, $12 million for school upgrades, $189 million for street improvements, $170 million for sewer and water line investments, and $10 million for upgrades to the New York City Police Department’s 49th Precinct station, the council said.

“The Bronx Metro-North rezoning proposal represents a once-in-a-generation chance to deliver essential housing, enhanced transit options, job access and safer streets,” Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías, who championed the project, said in a past statement. “This rezoning’s success reflects our collaborative efforts and dedication to our home borough.”

Farías worked to secure Adams’s capital investments in the project along with Bronx councilmembers Marmorato, Kevin Riley and Rafael Salamanca Jr.

New mid- and high-rise residential developments can be built as of right near the Metro-North stations as part of the zoning plan, as well as new retail space and life sciences labs, according to the Department of City Planning, which first proposed the plan two years ago. About 25 percent of the 7,000 units will be affordable, CO previously reported.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has previously said that four new Metro-North stations will be built in the Bronx by 2027 and significantly reduce commute times into Manhattan.

The rezoning will now go to Mayor Adams’s desk for a final stamp of approval.

“Today, the Bronx bought a ticket to the future, creating thousands of new jobs and affordable homes while embracing mass transit, all by saying ‘yes,’” Mayor Adams said in a celebratory statement on Thursday. “The Bronx is saying ‘yes’ to more housing in our backyards, communities, and neighborhoods, and serving as a model to the rest of our city on how to lead from the front.”

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.