The Week in Rewind spotlights some of the editorial work of the Bronx Times for the week of July 24- 28.
MTA chooses developer for borough’s first electric bus charging station at Gun Hill Road depot
The MTA has chosen a developer to construct the first electric bus charging station in the Bronx on unused land adjacent to the Gun Hill Road Bus Depot, though it’s unclear what else the site will be used for.
The 1910 Bartow Ave. site sits between East Gun Hill Road and Edson Avenue, right beside the New England Thruway.
The agency put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2022 to develop 550,000 square feet of the MTA-owned land and the agency announced Sunday that Madison Capital, a real estate investment and operating company, has been approved by the MTA Board to build the core and shell for the bus charging facility.
According to the MTA, Madison Capital will fund the construction of the MTA facility and pay “substantial” ground rent to the agency, which is when a leasee owns the building but not the property. The lease lasts 99 years, according to MTA spokesperson Eugene Resnick.
“We are honored to be chosen by the MTA for this transformative project,” said Jonathan Nachmani, managing director at Madison Capital. “Our team is excited to work alongside the MTA and local stakeholders to make a lasting positive impact, setting a model for future urban renewal initiatives across New York City.”
According to the MTA, Madison Capital will pay rent with revenue the company generates from the development. When asked where the revenue will come from, MTA spokesperson Meghan Keegan said the company will develop the site into an industrial facility “with uses complementary to MTA’s electric bus charging facility.”
It’s unclear what those uses are exactly, however.
When asked for elaboration on how Madison will use the site, Resnick similarly said the facility will be focused on “sustainable urban development with uses that will complement MTA’s electric vehicle charging facility.”Lg
Legal cannabis dispensary proposed for shuttered Pelham Bay 7-Eleven
A cannabis dispensary could replace the empty 7-Eleven near the top of the 6 train.
Dragan Ristovski and Edwin Ripoll want to open a recreational dispensary at the 3220 Westchester Ave. location of the shuttered convenience store, which is located between Westchester and Wilkinson avenues. The site has a parking lot and is a short walk from the Pelham Bay Park subway station.
The owners obtained their provisional license through the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program, for which applicants either had a prior cannabis conviction in New York state or are related to someone who had one, and have also owned a profitable business for at least two years. Nonprofits with a history of working with the formerly incarcerated are also eligible.
Edwin Ripoll, whose interaction with the justice system qualified the duo for the license, has owned ICU Mobile Detailing, a mobile car wash service, for two years. Ripoll and Dragan Ristovski know each other through a mutual friend and spoke about the opportunity to open a dispensary a couple of years ago, Dragan Ristovski said.
Dragan Ristovski and his wife Elena Ristovski live in Harlem and own restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn — Marlow Bistro in Morningside Heights, Cibo e Vino on the Upper West Side and Fandi Mata in Williamsburg, Dragan Ristovski told the Bronx Times.
Dragan Ristovski is overseeing the construction and contracts of their new cannabis venture, Elena Ristovski is overseeing the accounting and community engagement and Ripoll, a Bronxite who is currently on paternity leave as a first-time father, will oversee merchandise, Dragan Ristovski said.
The owners notified Bronx Community Board 10 of their plans on June 16, which is a required step to obtain a full license.
The community board typically would have just 30 days to issue an advisory opinion on the location, but was granted an extension, as the board chose to hold an optional public hearing before voting on the proposed Pelham Bay dispensary. The hearing will be held in-person on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Greek American Institute at 3573 Bruckner Boulevard South.
Proposed 34K-seat cricket stadium in Van Cortlandt Park could face crippling legal, legislative hurdles
Despite visions of grandeur from the Adams administration over a temporary 34,000-seat cricket stadium in Van Cortlandt Park, legislative obstacles could derail the project before it even begins.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), based out of Dubai, has tapped the Bronx to potentially host the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup – an ambitious proposition for the world’s second-most popular sport embraced by City Hall that has been met with tentative excitement, ardent opposition and legal worries.
If Van Cortlandt Park – New York City’s third-largest park at 1,146 acres – is selected as the location for the stadium, construction would begin in January 2024 and need to be completed in time for the bulk of cricket matches taking place that June, according to Community Board 8 Chair Julie Reyes. CB8 held a special meeting on July 20 to share plans for the project, which detail a 19.5-acre section in the southeast corner of Van Cortlandt Park including an area for concessions and a stage for entertainment.
But the timeline of Albany’s upcoming legislative session, which isn’t set to start until January 2024, could also throw a wrench in the ICC’s potential plans for a NYC location to be included in its host cities.
State Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz – a Riverdale Democrat whose district runs through Van Cortlandt Park – said he is excited about the idea of hosting such a tournament in the Bronx, but expressed opposition to it being held in Van Cortlandt Park. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Kingsbridge Democrat whose district also includes the park, has not yet voiced his opinion on the project.
Nonetheless, the need for support from Albany would come if the proposal required parkland alienation – and that seems likely.
According to the New York State Park Alienation Handbook, “Parkland alienation occurs when a municipality wishes to convey, sell or lease municipal parkland or discontinue its use as a park.” The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation determines whether or not the private project in question would alienate public parkland.
State Parks spokesperson John Craig told the Bronx Times that state Parks has not yet seen any proposal related to the possibility of ICC’s proposal for Van Cortlandt Park. Therefore, Craig said state Parks cannot yet determine whether or not the project would alienate parkland from the community.
In order to alienate parkland, legislation would need to be enacted by the state Legislature and approved by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
$1M Powerball ticket sold in the South Bronx still unclaimed after more than a week
Everyone knows someone who dreams of winning the lottery, so it might come as a surprise that a winning Powerball ticket sold in the Bronx more than one week ago still has yet to be claimed.
Fairfield Food Inc., inside of a gas station located at 2523 3rd Ave. in the South Bronx, was the fateful location that housed a lottery ticket that won $1 million in Powerball earnings — the New York Lottery announced on Tuesday, July 18.
Sunny Kumar — who has been the manager of Fairfield Food for several years — claimed to actually know the winner, and said the person is a deserving and loyal customer who has kids and works “multiple” jobs.
“We’re happy that we sold it to somebody who needed the money, for sure,” he said. “It’s going to make a big difference in their life.”
Kumar would not disclose the Powerball winner by name, however.
Other customers told the Bronx Times they were shocked to find out that the Powerball winner is from the South Bronx area. One man — who did not want to give his name — paying for gas on Thursday said he assumed the winner will move somewhere else.
“They’re outta here,” he said.
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