Added public space that was part of the 2004 Hunts Point Vision Plan. Public feedback is now being requested to update the plan. Image Credit: NYCEDC
The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) selected a team at the Pratt Center for Community Development to facilitate community outreach for a plan to redevelop Hunts Point. Starting this spring, NYCEDC and the Pratt Center for Community Development will host public workshops and meetings for the Hunts Point community as part of its engagement plan. Over the next 18 months, residents and businesses will share their opinions on the current state of Hunts Point and where they want improvements, which will help to inform City investments in parks, street safety, pollution reduction and job opportunities. The Pratt Center has 30 years of experience working in the South Bronx, facilitating workshops with local stakeholders to identify community needs including affordable housing, commercial corridors infrastructure, public health and environmental sustainability.
Hunts Point is a peninsula located between the Bronx River and the East River. It is one of the largest food distribution centers in the world. This initiative will serve as an update to the 2004 Hunts Point Vision Plan, a plan designed to improve the quality of life for over 12,000 residents and 18,000 workers through land development, job creation and environmental improvements.
Local elected officials, including City Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr., and community organizations including the Hunts Point and Longwood Community Coalition are also participating.
NYCEDC and City agencies are currently working on a number of projects in Hunts Point including:
- The Peninsula, a five building, five-acre mixed-use development and the former home of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center to be completed in 2024. The Peninsula will feature over 700 affordable homes, open public spaces, commercial and community facilities. (For CityLand’s prior coverage of the Peninsula, click here.)
- Planning for a new Hunts Point Metro-North Railroad station that will connect riders to destinations in Manhattan and the Hudson Valley.
- Committing $67 million in upgrades to the Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- Providing back-up power facilitates for the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, which is compromised of over 155 public and private food wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers.
- Implementing solar energy and storage at two local schools.
- Planning for a new marine barge terminal
To see highlights of the 2004 plan, and projects in progress in Hunts Point, click here.
Assembly Member Marcos A. Crespo stated, “I commend NYCEDC, Councilmember Salamanca and Pratt for spearheading this important conversation about the future of our community. The first Hunts Point Vision Plan invested and developed in key infrastructure upgrades throughout the neighborhood. However, so much more must be done to improve the lives of our residents and protect them from the increasing threats of climate change. [The] key to the success of the next phase of the plan is the role of local residents and community-based organizations leading the conversation and determining future priorities.”
Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. stated, “Together, community stakeholders and NYCEDC have laid the foundation for projects that have reinvigorated the peninsula – new parks and green spaces, affordable housing, employment growth, and waterfront and environmental resiliency measures. While much has been accomplished, it is important to revisit the objectives of the Vision Plan and build on it as we enter a new decade. The Vision Plan Update will do just that. Furthermore, with the announcement that a partnership of Pratt Center and Hunts Point & Longwood Community Coalition will serve as engagement facilitators, the process will continue to be driven by Bronxites who have the best interests of the community at heart.”
By: Anna Kovalevska (Anna is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, class of 2020.)