For over 6 years residents in Bedford Park, which lies in Community District 7, have heard buzz about the future of 150 Van Cortlandt Avenue East/186 St. George Crescent, a small curved street that currently has just 5 buildings on it. The block is a local gem hidden in plain sight, just off of Grand Concourse and Mosholu Pkwy, yet quiet and serene away from the bustle. Residents say that this is exactly how they like it and want it to stay.

But this could all change very soon. 

Just over a month ago this lot was sold to the Stagg Group for $7.1 million, who plans to turn the property into a tower up to 17 stories high boasting 259 apartment units. 

The address, shared with 150 Van Cortlandt Avenue East, the site of a now-defunct autobody shop, is on a 19,811-square-foot on typical West Bronx hilly topography. The lot once had thick brush and trees, though most were removed after several storms had caused several to fall over. Since then the lot has been a place of illegal dumping, including box springs, Christmas trees, construction waste, food, and household refuse. Despite several calls to 311 from concerned neighbors, garbage continues to collect.

This lot has historical significance and development delayed by the last Community Board 7 board. Known as Negro Fort, this hill was prominent in American history as the place where African-American soldiers fought for our country's independence during the Revolutionary War. The late Bronx historian and activist Morgan Powell was a very staunch advocate of the preservation of its history. Powell, who passed away suddenly in September 2014, was known for his views on the overdevelopment and gentrification of NYC neighborhoods. He incorporated this site into his tours. 

In recent years parts of Bedford Park have been rezoned- and upzoned-, most notably the Webster Avenue corridor, for residential development. Such projects in the neighborhood include the corner of Grand Concourse and Bedford Park Blvd., where a supportive housing apartment building was built on the former site of the Grace Lutheran School, an affordable housing building on Villa Ave. and East 204th Street​, The Lisbon, a 9-story market rate building on Lisbon Place and Mosholu Pkwy South, and another large building that is near completion on the former site of an empty lot on the corner of Villa Ave. and East 204th St., across the street from the aforementioned building. Cluster-site homeless shelters have also been an issue. This is not counting the numerous low-rise projects over the years, most of which include small one and multiple-family dwellings that were demolished to be construct much higher-density housing on the same lot.  There are various other large-scale buildings have been built or are in-process within the bounds of Community District 7.

Affordable housing is arguably Mayor deBlasio's biggest initiative. There is no doubt that housing is needed for New Yorkers. However, with new buildings comes an increase in population. The Stagg Group is planning 259 units. Do the math. That can potentially add over 1,000 people to that tiny plot of land. What isn't being added is larger schools, more public transportation, and more services to accommodate this sudden influx of residents who have and will be moving into our community. What's more is that these will be renters, not property owners, thus more people will be using our already subpar services yet will not be paying any property taxes into this community. With increased people we have increased traffic and less green space. The Bronx has the highest asthma rates in New York City and the country. 

Despite affordable housing being added, what is not taken into consideration is the adverse effects of gentrification when new housing is built. In a December 2014 report by The New York Daily News, it was revealed that the Bronx is ​the least affordable county in the United States where Bronxites are spending 68% of their income on housing, paired with one of the lowest national median incomes. 30% of our population lives at or below poverty rate. We are also the poorest county in New York State and are adjacent to one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. 

The 2007 the popular real estate, The Real Deal called Bedford Park "hidden in plain view" with "...handsome buildings, an abundance of greenery" and that "streets are quiet, clean." That is changing and not necessarily any longer the case. As a person with 17 years of history in this neighborhood, streets are dirtier and have more garbage than I can ever remember, more building are in foreclosure, vacant, or damaged by fire, and our quiet streets are rapidly disappearing. 

After carefully considering all of these factors, so does it make sense to add a building to a vacant lot, one that may potentially be 17 stories high and over 1,000 new residents? Should we really continue to be adding more buildings at such a dizzying pace? 

*Map courtesy of MapQuest and Morgan Powell/Bronx Sankofa