The Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Planning Study aims to take a broad, comprehensive look at current and future community needs to identify a wide range of strategies and investments, including key land use and zoning changes, to support Jerome Avenue’s growth and vitality. This study looks at the two-mile stretch of Jerome Avenue, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods in Community District 4, 5 and 7 in the Bronx.
The Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Planning Study is a part of Housing New York, the Mayor’s housing plan to build and preserve affordable housing through community development initiatives and to foster a more equitable and livable New York City. Housing is considered “affordable” if a household spends no more than a third of its total income on housing costs.
The area has many assets, and many community stakeholders have suggested that Jerome Avenue be studied to look at how we can build upon these assets to meet the existing needs of residents and businesses and plan for future growth.
For example, the study area is well-served by mass transit. There are six stations on the elevated 4 train. The B and D trains run along the Grand Concourse, three blocks to the east, and several bus lines provide connections to other parts of the Bronx and Manhattan. However, parts of the area experience congestion and lack pedestrian amenities such as adequate sidewalks, street trees, and benches. Further, the study area includes primarily low-scale commercial, industrial, and auto-related uses, but it also has more than 2,800 residential units. However, in most of the study area, existing zoning only allows for heavy commercial and light industrial uses and does not permit residential development, although vacancy rates in the area are significantly lower than the Bronx and NYC as a whole. Further, the study area disconnects the residential neighborhood of Highbridge to the west from local services/retail and transit access to the east.
In an on-going effort to effectively engage community members, DCP is organizing a range of events including: walking tours, visioning sessions, surveys, small group discussions, mobile office hours, workshops and focus groups.
Partnering with DCP on this study are the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Department of Small Business Services (SBS), Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), School Construction Authority (SCA), NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (MOER), and the New York City Department of Transportation (CDOT), Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA).
Learn more about recent meetings held and what we’ve learned from the community
For more information, contact the DCP Bronx Office at 1-718-220-8500.