Simone Development continues its vigorous acquisition of Bronx commercial real estate with the purchase of the former Verizon Building in Westchester Square, and plans to completely remodel the building.
The 60,000 square-foot property located at 2510 Westchester Avenue will be renovated as office, retail, and professional medical space. It was formerly a call center for Verizon’s customer service development
The façade will be updated. It will be a mixed-use property well suited for office and retail space, as well as professional medical space. It will include an on-site parking garage and state-of-the-art telecommunications and data infrastructure. Simone hopes that the buildings proximity to nearby hospitals will help tap the fast growing medical sector.
“We are very pleased with the acquisition of this prime commercial property which is well positioned for a wide range of uses from office to retail to medical,” said Joseph Simone, president of Simone Development Companies. “The health care sector is hot right now. This property is particularly attractive for medical practices which are looking to gain access to a large and growing patient base.”
Simone said that 2510 Westchester Avenue is located less than a mile from four major hospitals – Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Jacobi Medical Center, and Calvary Hospital.
“The easy access to the Westchester Square #6 train station is another major to benefit medical practices whose patients use mass transportation,” Simone said. “Medical practices are growing to meet the needs of our region’s aging demographic. With its large and growing patient base, the Bronx is a particularly strong market for health care services.”
Not leaving out the fact that Westchester Square is a hub of commercial and retail activity, it’s mixed-use nature and proximity to the subway may be very attractive and bring new customers to the Square. Merchants nearby were cautiously optimistic about what the new building will bring to the area. The Square’s merchants are currently in the process of forming a Business Improvement District.
“If it brings people into the area who are in keeping with the future plans of Westchester Square, we don’t have any problem with it,” said John Bonizio, president of the Association of Merchants and Professionals of Westchester Square. “It depends largely with the image that the facility brings to the neighborhood. Simone Development has a very large investment in the Square and the merchants association is confident that Simone will protect their investment by signing up tenants who will be in keeping with the future plans of the Square.”
