Construction on 2505 Bruckner ‘last mile’ facility to start
A back view of 2505 Bruckner. 2505bruckner.com
ect that would attract an ecommerce
giant to ink a deal
with 2505 Bruckner is what
Kossar called its “unique nature
with so much scale.”
Some of that scale is demonstrated
in the ultra high
ceilings that range from 28-
32 feet in height that are
designed to accommodate
Councilman King protests vacant Gun Hill Road golf range
Councilman Andy King rallies with community memebers outside of the old Baychester driving range.
Andy King’s Offi ce
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR UNE 7-13, 2019 3
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The northeast Bronx is sick
and tired of an abandoned golf
driving range off I-95 and the
Hutchinson River parkway being
an eyesore for much of the
Baychester community.
Councilman Andy King
demonstrated his own frustration
along with supporters
outside the massive, vacant
property at 1825 E. Gun Hill
Road on Wednesday, May 29.
“It’s been abandoned for
nearly two decades,” King said
outside the lot with enough
overgrown ivy to rival Wrigley
Field.
“Ever since the (abandonment)
the grass has grown,”
he indicated. The councilman
continued airing gripes with
the underutilized land, calling
it an eyesore , while mentioning
that it’s current function
is essentially as an illegal
dumping ground.
The land is currently under
the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority’s control.
King is calling on the MTA
to respond to his request for a
sit down meeting that would
discuss the property’s future.
“It is a total disrespect to
think that it is okay to let a
property be overgrown with
this much garbage and debris,”
the councilman said.
There was a plan to develop
the parcel into a 400,000 square
foot shopping center and housing
complex called Baychester
Square in early 2017, which
King opposed.
He, along with Speak Up
for a Better Bronx, an organization
that also joined the recent
protest, cited additional
traffi c as the main reason
King for blocking the project.
Even though the proposal
was killed at the City Council
level it did have some local
support.
“Community Board 12
is still in favor of the Baychester
Square project,” said
the board’s district manager,
George Torres, who called the
mall project “the fi rst viable
option for the land.”
He explained that his board
had voted to support the mall
in an overwhelming majority
vote when the project was fi rst
proposed.
“It was a missed opportunity,”
Torres continued while
mentioning that board members
who were appointed by
King also voted in favor of the
mall.
The chairman has lived in
Co-op City for 22 years and expressed
his own personal frustration
with the quality of life
issues that is associated with
the lack of maintenance at the
property.
He, along with other CB12
and CB 11 members, conducted
a site survey on the old,
dilapidated golf driving range
over a year ago.
Continued on page 81
BY ALEX MITCHELL
A vacant property that
was once occupied by the
family-oriented Whitestone
Multiplex Cinemas, adjacent
to the Unionport Bridge,will
undergo the start of major
development this summer,
according to the property’s
owner .
The former drive-in theater
property will soon boast
the largest fulfi llment, last
mile delivery, delivery center
under construction in New
York City at 2505 Bruckner
Boulevard.
The two story,
968,000-square foot warehouse
facility will break
ground between July and
September, according to Rob
Kossar, who handles leasing
for the facility along with
developers Innovo Property
Group and Square Mile Capital.
Currently the site doesn’t
have committed tenants for
the 111 loading docks split between
the two fl oors, according
to Kossar.
“We’ll be closer to reaching
tenant agreements as the
project gets underway this
summer,” he said. “What we
are very excited about is creating
jobs for the Bronx in
both construction and afterwards,”
Kossar explained.
The leasing agent also indicated
that if the facility secures
e-commerce tenants,
then as many as three to ten
times more jobs will likely be
created as opposed to the average
tenant.
One aspect of the proj- Continued on page 81
/2505bruckner.com