Newly formed TNBID names Jaen as director
Concourse Village traffi c study will not fi x all
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR MARCH13-19, 2020 3
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
A newly formed business organization
is set to ‘hit the road running’
with the selection of its fi rst-ever director.
Former Throggs Neck Merchants
Association president and longtime
Throggs Neck resident Bobby Jaen
has a lot of plans for the vibrant East
Tremont Avenue commercial strip,
after being appointed as the director
of the Throggs Neck Business Improvement
District last month.
Jaen’s goals include improving
neighborhood safety by installing
security cameras and antique lighting
for street illumination as well as
cleaning the East Tremont Avenue
corridor through a series of beautifi -
cation programs.
Another goal is to initiate free
consumer bus shuttle service, which
would run from Westchester Square
to Throggs Neck as well as the NYC
ferry access point in Ferry Point
Park, which is expected to open in
2021.
For this particular project, he has
been working with John Bonizio,
Westchester Square BID executive
director Yasmine Cruz and Bronx
Chamber of Commerce president
Lisa Sorin.
As director of the TNBID, Jaen
will also be working with the NYC
Department of Transporation along
with elected offi cials Councilman
Mark Gjonaj, Senator Alessandra
Biaggi and Assemblyman Michael
Benedetto. A second TNBID hiring,
associate Frank Vernuccio, along
with Throggs Neck activists John
Marano will tackle graffi ti removal.
“I am honored to be the director
of this organization – and I will work
as dilligently as I can to bring quality
businesses to this neighborhood
without confl icting with any other
existing businesses,” Jaen said.
Jaen said that last year, there
were a total of 43 vacanct storefronts
in the BID’s corridor. In less than a
year, the TNBID has already cut the
number of vacancies on East Tremont
Avenue in half.
The TNBID covers all commercial
businesses on East Tremont Avenue
from Bruckner Boulevard to Miles
Avenue, as well as several stores located
on the avenue’s side streets.
Jaen, who was the TNMA president
for the last three years, previously
owned of Anthony’s Flower
Farm located at 3240 E. Tremont Avenue
for eight years as well as Health
Quest in Pelham Bay. Additionally,
he was a service technician at Verizon
for many years. The new president
of the TNMA is Richard Rosario.
Along with Jaen as director, TNBID
executive board offi cers are:
chairman Anthony Basso, vice president
John Sisto, treasurer Billy Tsibidis,
secretary Robert Velazquez
and legal counsel Stephen Kaufman.
Other members of the TNBID executive
board are Ed Angelino, Elizabeth
Engeldrum, Jim McQuade and
Wayne Baker along with representatives
from Small Business Services,
the Borough President’s offi ce, the
comptroller’s offi ce and the offi ce of
Councilman Mark Gjonaj.
“The purpose of the Throggs Neck
BID is not just to serve and support
businesses, but also serving and
supporting a community that has
so much to offer,” Jaen added. “This
is a strong, blue collar, middle class
neighborhood with a historical background
– and people from other communities
will soon see what Throggs
Neck has to offer. This is an exciting
time for the Throggs Neck neighborhood.”
BY JASON COHEN
A traffic plan that is attempting
to resolve congestion in Concourse
Village was not received well by
residents, with some claiming it
would be like putting ‘lipstick on a
pig.’
On Thursday, March 5, elected
officials Councilwoman Vanessa
Gibson, Senator Luis Sepulveda and
Assemblyman Michael Blake held a
town hall at 777 Concourse Village
East, where residents expressed
concerns about the NYC Department
of Transportation’s study that
would mitigate traffic and congestion
in the Concourse Village West
corridor, between East 153rd Street
and East 161st Street.
The mixed-use area includes
residential and commercial properties,
and six schools along Concourse
Village West.
The schools are: P.S. 359 Concourse
Village Elementary School,
P.S. 156 Benjamin Banneker
School, P.S./M.S. 31 The William
Lloyd Garrison School, KIPP Academy
Elementary School, Cardinal
Hayes High School, High School for
Careers in Sports and in September,
a school will open at the corner
of East 156th Street/Concourse Vil-
lage West.
In January the study received
full support from Community
Board 4. If the plan is approved, it
will be implemented in the summer.
DOT Borough Commissioner Nivardo
Lopez explained that many
vehicles travel north on Concourse
Village West that need to go all the
way to 161st, however the DOT prefers
cars come off Concourse West
and make the left turn on 156th.
Additionally, new housing is
coming to 701 Grand Concourse, 156
Concourse Village West and Grand
Concourse Village.
The consensus throughout the
evening was that most drivers in
the area do not obey traffic laws,
double park, idle, park illegally and
make illegal turns.
One resident named Sarah said
people don’t care where or how they
park. She stressed, if the DOT does
the improvements and people still
double or triple park nothing will
have changed.
She’s convinced that making
158th Street a two-way street will
not help. She explained there is a
walkway at Grand Concourse and
158th, but in order to get across
they have to wave down cars.
“You have to really look at this
because it will not work,” she said.
“I’m 87-years-old, if I have to cross
158th Street with my walker I can
never get across the Grand Concourse.”
Another attendee Beverly Bovinn
said the police are another
issue. She explained that between
159th and 161st traffic is very bad
and the turn lane onto 161st is often
filled with cop cars that are clogging
up the road.
“We need to get that parking lot
open underneath the courthouse so
the court officers, the police and
anybody else can park,” she said.
“They are triple parking. They are
the ones that are the problem in the
neighborhood.”
Teacher and parent Awilda Santos
noted that many people don’t
obey turn signs near schools during
drop off and pick up hours. Santos
was quite emotional and fears
for the kids.
She said rarely are these drivers
ticketed or pulled over.
“This is so disrespectful,” Santos
exclaimed. “I’m really frustrated.
Attendee at the Town Hall meeting about the
proposed Traffi c Study in Concourse Village
Thursday, March 5. Photo By Jason Cohen
Jaen (c) had an introductory TNBID meeting with Councilman Mark Gjonaj, Frank Vernuccio
and TNBID treasurer Billy Tsibidis last week. Photo courtesy of Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s offi ce