Politics
A Fresh Look at the Bronx
The Bronx has gone through considerable transformative change since I was first elected borough president in 2009. We have a bright future ahead of us, and the foundation of that future is being laid down in the here and now.
Since 2009, our borough has seen more than $7 billion in new development. We have created over 16,000 units of housing of all types, and more than 15,000 new jobs.
New development opportunities are driving our future success. At the Harlem River waterfront, we have put forward a vision for thousands of housing units of all kinds, new waterfront access and park space from just south of the Third Avenue Bridge all the way to 149th Street. At Fordham Landing, we are looking at ways to add mixed-use developmen—including housing of all types, community space and additional waterfront and park amenities—to this long-dormant slice of waterfront.
In every corner of the borough, there is new opportunity. We are leveraging those assets to make our borough grow and prosper for everyone. Our efforts are bearing considerable fruit. In April, statistics from the state Department of Labor showed that the Bronx no longer had the highest unemployment rate of any county in New York State. In fact, our unemployment rate has dropped a full five points since 2009.
We are living in safer times, with homicides in the borough dropping below 100 for two straight years for the first time since the 1960s.
Our infrastructure is improving with upcoming projects such as the four new Metro-North stations set for the East Bronx—at Co-op City, Parkchester, Morris Park and Hunts Point—that will open our borough up to new economic development and housing opportunities, creating new jobs and stimulating more growth.
Every single day we see something new in the Bronx, something that may have been considered unthinkable just years ago.
We have projects like the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, like the Kingsbridge National Ice Center—which has attracted the attention of NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier and Olympic champion Sarah Hughes—and the TV studio in Soundview that will break ground later this year, the largest television and film studio in the state.
Who would have ever thought that the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop and salsa, would also be the future home of the greatest ice hockey and figure skating complex in the world? We have our coffee shops, gourmet restaurants, food producers and cocktail bars—just like our neighbors in Brooklyn and Queens.
And we intend to build on our current achievements. It has not been easy, but our community is on the rise, thanks in no small part to the work of those committed Bronx activists who have persevered through our most troubling times, right up to those who are working for a better Bronx today. We are continuing to transform our borough, making it an even greater place to live, work and raise a family. Nothing is perfect, of course. But what we are doing is working.
Great things are happening in our borough, and there is so much to celebrate as our borough continues to grow. It is time for the world to take a fresh look at the Bronx.
NEXT STORY: Talking the Bronx: A Q&A with Gary Axelbank