BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY October 27, 2019 12
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
A majority of Community
Board 10 members on Thursday,
October 17 approved a rezoning
application for 500 Baychester
Avenue, where Co-op City residents
up in arms over a large
electronic billboard that shines
into their apartments.
Following the NYC Planning
Department’s proposal to remedy
the issue, board members
voted 25-4 with one abstention to
change the zoning on a parcel of
land from C-7 to C8-2 for the land,
according to CB 10 district manager,
Matthew Cruz.
However the zoning change,
when approved, will only regulate
future projects.
It’s been two years since Co-op
City residents, elected offi cials
and CB 10 members have been
advocating for the removal of the
three advertising billboards, located
on a developed site owned
by Baychester Retail III LLC.
But the new ordinance will
not stop the current crop of billboards
that have already been
approved from preceeding, said
CPC.
One of monopoles is slated
to rise several hundred feet if it
conforms to NYC Department of
Buildings regulations.
“We’re pleased that the city is
doing its best to rectify the matter
and at least give the community
the opportunity to move on
from this matter,” Matt Cruz,
district manager of CB 10 said.
The property was formerly occupied
by a gas station and now
houses several retail tenants, including
a 7-Eleven convenience
store, a Sherwin-Williams paint
store and a still vacant spot.
While the corner property
is technically not in Co-op City,
it does border the complex. The
parcel has a high zoning since
it sits on the former grounds of
Freedomland, an amusement
park that closed in 1965.
Its C-7 zoning allows the construction
of monopoles without
any height or size lilitations to
be legally built. An adjacent site
occupied by a Men’s Warehouse
would also downsized.
“Fifty years ago, the city forgot
or neglected to downzone the
property. The current property
owner, two or three years ago,
fi led with the Department of
Buildings to erect these gigantic
advertisement or billboard platforms,”
Cruz added.
In March 2018, the Board of
Standards and Appeals halted
construction on the massive
monopole with a supersized LED
advertising sign that would have
joined two smaller signs already
built at the corner of Bartow and
Baychester avenues.
Residents have complained
about the disruptive bright
lights that keep some awake at
night, and the billboard’s liquor
advertisement, which shines
into Educational Park visible to
children.
A representative of the property
owner had urged Cruz to
encourage Co-op City residents
to get used to the new signage.
At the City Planning Commission
Special Meeting held
on Monday, September 23, an offi
cial said that the rezoning to
C8-2 will better serve community
needs.
“We looked at several things
in trying to identify an appropriate
commercial district that
doesn’t allow residential was a
part of our consideration,” the
offi cial said. “That’s how this district
was identifi ed, it matches
what’s there now.”
The rezoning application will
be sent to the Bronx borough
president’s offi ce for an offi cial
opinion.
CB 10 approves rezoning for
Bartow Avenue’s billboard problem
The monopole (on the right) has no height or size restrictions. File photo
St. Raymond H.S. coach to be remembered at charity b-ball event
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
A memorable coach and
athletic director of a Bronx
high school will be acknowledged
at an upcoming sporting
event.
On Saturday, November
2, the career of legendary
coach Ron Patnosh will be
celebrated with a series of
four middle school charity
basketball games at St. Raymond
High School for Boys,
titled ‘The Patnosh Classic.’
Presented by XYZ and
BlueChip Sports, the basketball
quadruple-header will
begin at noon, with St. Raymond
High School squaring
off against the Mount Vernon
Jr. Knights, followed by
a matchup between Mount
St. Michael and M.S. 72,
Catherine Count Basie at
1:45 p.m.
At 3:30 p.m., Success
Academy Bronx will face off
against Promise II, with the
fi nal game between Our Savior
Lutheran National Team
and Cornerstone Academy
Bronx taking place at 5:15
p.m.T
he games will be held
in the gymnasium at the
school’s location, 2151 St.
Raymond Avenue.
Along with remembering
the school’s legendary
coach and athletic director,
the mission of the Patnosh
Classic is to provide the next
generation of basketball
players with a platform to
compete against each other
and gain exposure in front
of high school coaches, basketball
personal and media
outlets.
Originally a Queens native,
Patnosh began his career
at St. Raymond in 1962,
after the high school had
opened just two years earlier.
He also served as an
assistant principal and a
teacher during his tenure.
He coached both the JV
baseball and varsity baseball
teams, as well as the
school’s basketball team for
over 45 years, winning over
1,000 games in both sports.
He also led the Ravens baseball
team to two city championships
in 1980 and 1989,
along with nine division
titles.
“He was not only a great
coach with a winning formula,
he was a leader who
taught life skills and character
integrity outside of
sports,” said Matt Augustin,
who played on the basketball
team under Patnosh in
the mid-1990s.
Nine of Patnosh’s former
players were drafted into the
MLB, while two of his players
made it to the NBA.
Patnosh retired as St.
Raymond’s baseball head
coach in spring 2010, after
his team won the city championship’s
semi fi nals that
year.
He received the Sportsmanship
Award by the Catholic
High School Athletic
Association, had a number
retirement ceremony and
was also inducted into the
St. Raymond’s Hall of Fame
in 2014, just four months before
his passing on September
19. He was 76.
A memorial service for
Patnosh was held in the St.
Raymond High School for
Boys gymnasium. A funeral
Mass was conducted the next
day, which was attended by
over 1,000 people who wanted
to pay their respects.
Less than a year after his
passing, St. Raymond’s gym
was offi cially renamed the
Ron Patnosh Gymnasium,
in honor of the late coach.
The Ronald Patnosh Scholarship
Fund dedicated to the
care of St. Raymond was also
started in his name.
As described by all who
played under him, Patnosh
was a genuine, humble, wellrespected
mentor who dedicated
his life to the boys at
St. Raymond.
Patnosh at his number retirement ceremony in May 2014.
Photo Courtesy of St. Raymond High School for Boys
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