‘Wakefi eld Village’ proposed near Metro-North
BY ALIYA SCHNEIDER
A massive mixed-use development
proposal could transform
the Wakefi eld area, but
it wouldn’t be completed for
more than a decade.
The 4.65-acre project site –
a current parking lot – would
bring more than 1,200 incomerestricted
apartments across
six towers sandwiched between
the Harlem and New
Haven Metro-North lines in
Wakefi eld, just south of East
241st Street and Wakefi eld Avenue.
But the project requires
rezoning and special permits
and has not yet been reviewed
by the city Planning Commission,
community board, borough
board or City Council.
New York State Assemblyman
Jeffrey Dinowitz, a Democrat
who represents District 81,
said that the scale of the project
raises concerns. He was
also surprised by the 10-year
construction period, saying he
thought the project would be
built sooner.
“There’s a tremendous need
for housing,” Dinowitz said. “I
always get a little concerned
when something that big is
being proposed, because it is
huge.”
Residents get worried when
they hear about buildings with
80 units, Dinowitz added.
The lawmaker is concerned
about an increase in traffi c,
potential infrastructure issues
like sewage capacity and
whether there will be enough
spots at local schools for the
new wave of residents that the
project would attract.
The apartments would all
be affordable for households
earning between 30% and
100% of the area median income
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,10 AUG. 20-26, 2021 BTR
and there would be commercial
space and a park onsite,
according to the scope of
work draft submitted to the
city Planning Commission.
The buildings would have studio,
one-, two- and three-bedroom
options, according to
Newman Architects, the New
Haven- and Washington D.C.-
based fi rm designing the project.
The six buildings would be
built in three phases over 10
years, with construction projected
to start in 2023.
“If this project is something
that the community feels good
about, then I would feel very
comfortable, and providing
that much housing at a time
when we desperately need
housing is good,” Dinowitz
said. “But we always have to
look at all the potential downsides
before we jump on a bandwagon.”
The site currently houses
a 400 space-parking lot that
the NYPD leases from Webster
Leasing, LLC. The leasing
company owns most of the proposed
project site, but a portion
of an MTA-owned parcel south
of the site juts in between Webster’s
two lots, which the company
wants to acquire.
The project site is in a zoning
district meant for one-story
manufacturing and storage
buildings, so Webster Leasing
needs a zoning map amendment
along with special permits
for the building heights
and a two-level parking garage
with 617 spaces.
Webster Leasing, LLC,
would develop the project
along with Joy Construction
Corp., and Best Development
Group, LLC.
The developers expect to
utilize public funding, according
to the scope of work draft.
They say in the document
draft that the project would
create about 750 construction
jobs across the 10-year period,
as well as 375 permanent jobs.
A public scoping session of
the proposal is scheduled for
Aug. 23.
The proposal “Wakefi eld Village” would alter the landscape of an area that is primarily home to one-fl oor
manufacturing plants and public storage facilities. Rendering courtesy Newman Architects
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