About BXCB4

Community Board Four plays a critical role in managing the Capitol District, which is comprised up of the following neighborhoods: Mt. Eden, Highbridge, West Concourse, East Concourse, Morrisania and Concourse Village. The district is bounded by East 174th Street to the north, East 149th Street to the south, Webster and Park Avenue to the east and the Harlem River to the west. The district is easily accessible via the NYC public transit system, regional rail and highway access facilitating easy connections to midtown Manhattan, New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester. More than 144,000 people call Community District Four home.

The district is fortunate to host the world renowned Yankee Organization, more than 176 acres of parkland including Mill Pond Park and Macombs Dam Park, The Bronx Terminal Market, the Borough’s Court System, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the future Bronx Children’s Museum and the Grand Concourse Historic District which includes many beautiful Art Deco buildings.

The future is bright for Community District four as we look ahead to the completion of the reconstruction of the Grand Concourse, new Select Bus Service (SBS) along the 161st Street corridor and activation of our waterfront area.
 
The district has become an even more viable place to live, work and play and we look forward to working on behalf of Community District Four residents to ensure that quality of life is maintained throughout the district.

City Budget

Community Boards assess the needs of their own neighborhoods, meet with City agencies and make recommendations in the City's budget process to address them.

Other Community Concerns

Any issue which affects the quality of life of part or all of the community, from a traffic problem to deteriorating housing, is a proper concern of a Community Board.

Limitations

The Community Board, its District Manager, and its office staff serve as advocates and service coordinators for the community and its residents. They cannot mandate any City agency or official to perform any task, but Boards are usually successful in resolving the problems they address.

Membership

Community Boards are local representative bodies. There are 59 throughout the City. Each Board consists of up to 50 unsalaried members appointed by the Borough President, with half nominated by the City Council members who represent the community district. Board members are selected by the City Council person and Borough Presidents from among active, involved people of each community, with an effort made to assure that every neighborhood is represented. Board members must reside, work, or have some other significant interest in the community.

Meetings

Boards meet once each month. At these meetings, members address items of concern to the community. Board meetings are open to the public, and a portion of each meeting is reserved for the Board to hear from members of the public. If anyone would like to speak at the Public Session of the General Board Meeting participants are required to Register in Advance of the meeting. All speakers are limited to a maximum of two (2) minutes unless otherwise acknowledged by the Board Chair. In addition, Boards regularly conduct public hearings - on the City's budget, on land use matters, and on other major issues - to give the community the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns.

Committees

Board committees do most of the planning and evaluate the items that are considered at General Board meetings. Each Board establishes the committee structure and procedures it feels will best meet the needs of its district. Non-Board members may apply to join or work on Board committees.

Bronx Community Board Four has six committees that meet regularly. The committees are: Housing & Land Use, Economic Development, Parks, Health & Human Services, Municipal Services and Youth & Education.

The Board Office

The District Manager and the Board staff are hired by a Community Board and serve at the Board's pleasure. The District Manager establishes an office, hires staff, and implements procedures to improve the delivery of City services to the district. District Managers play many different roles. They are complaint takers, municipal mangers, information sources, community organizers, mediators, advocates, and much more. The main responsibility of the District office is to receive and resolve complaints from community residents. Many Board offices have assumed the responsibility of providing additional services which may include processing street activity permits for block parties, street fairs, etc. In addition, some offices may handle special projects, including hosting seminars and workshops, working with merchants associations, coordinating neighborhood cleanup programs and publicizing special events.