As the as-of-right property owner, BRC has no obligation to seek the community board\u2019s approval or even engage in discussion and the board has no formal role in the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, the nonprofit has held multiple sessions with elected officials and the board to convey their plans \u2014 and try to dispel misinformation \u2014 as the project faces stiff opposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CB11, which covers Pelham Parkway section, plus Allerton, Van Nest, Morris Park and more, has been no stranger to controversy<\/a> over the years, and tensions again spilled over during a March 19 public session with the Housing and Land Use Committee regarding the BRC proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the session, opponents of the project implied, or outright stated, that people who are formerly homeless or have mental illness necessarily present a safety threat to the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kyle Jeremiah, BRC\u2019s director of external affairs, was on hand to answer questions and address concerns from board members and the public. He also presented<\/a> to committee members on Jan. 15, has engaged with elected officials and will become a familiar face on both sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n While most of the CB11 event remained civil, emotions heated up towards the end, and Committee Chair Richard Reynoso threatened at least once to shut down the meeting, which hosted close to 20 residents in person at the CB11 office and 16 to 20 more online.\u00a0<\/p>\n But several people on both sides wanted the last word \u2014 and continued arguing outside on the sidewalk well after the meeting ended. During the session, it became apparent that misconceptions about the project have already been circulating.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n For instance, some believed that the units will have no windows, that it will provide only transitional housing and that BRC could at any point decide to turn the building from permanent housing into a shelter \u2014 none of which are true, according to Jeremiah.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why Pelham Parkway? \u00a0<\/p>\n At the CB11 public event, Jeremiah repeatedly explained that the development will only accept those leaving shelters whom city agencies have deemed capable of independent living.<\/p>\n He also explained plans for the property, which will have onsite support staff, a courtyard, community space and a 24\/7 staffed front desk.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Each unit of less than 300 square feet will have its own bathroom, microwave, mini-fridge\/freezer and countertop, and each floor will share laundry facilities and a kitchen with two sinks, two ranges, and full-size fridge and freezer.<\/p>\n Jeremiah pointed to BRC\u2019s track record among similar developments throughout NYC and said that 94% of residents remained stably housed with them after leaving shelters.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also discussed important reasons for putting the supportive housing project in this location.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n For one, the vacant building is right next to the 2\/5 train station with buses, parks, shopping and other community amenities nearby.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n But Pelham Parkway was also selected because Council District 13 ranks 38 out of 51 in affordable housing production, having built just 369 new units from 2014 to 2024, according to a report<\/a> by the New York Housing Conference.<\/p>\n Other Bronx districts have carried a much heavier share. For instance, District 15 and District 17 rank number 1 and 2 citywide, with 13,552 total units created between 2014 and 2024.<\/p>\n Jeremiah also addressed why BRC opted to build micro units. He said the tiny units are the most deeply affordable option and will be aimed at reducing isolation among seniors living in poverty.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some CB11 attendees said they would have preferred family-sized units in the building, but Jeremiah said that more single units must be created for individuals in order to free up larger apartments for families.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the Pelham Parkway building, BRC opted to build the 106 micro units, as opposed to only 64 traditional studios, according to Jeremiah.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u2018Dignity and a starting point\u2019 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n During the meeting, a few residents expressed wholehearted enthusiasm for the project.<\/p>\n Miguel Dyer, a former<\/a> CB11 member, testified that he previously experienced homelessness and spent time in city shelters.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy experience taught me something very simple: housing matters more than anything else when someone is trying to rebuild their life,\u201d he said. \u201cStability, even in a small space, gives people dignity and a starting point.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Morris Park resident Michael Kaess spoke in support via video, saying he wished the development could be even larger.\n<\/p>\n Given the city\u2019s housing crisis, \u201cMicro units have to be part of the mix,\u201d Kaess said. \u201cIt\u2019s another option, and we have to give people options.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n However, more than a dozen participants opposed the development, sometimes while expressing misconceptions or assumptions about the population that will live there.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Some said that the units\u2019 tiny size \u2014approximately 270 square feet\u2014 and lack of full kitchens make them substandard housing. At least two referred to the development as \u201ctransitional housing,\u201d which it is not.\u00a0<\/p>\n Others expressed concern that tenants with mental illness may live for free using city vouchers with no employment or attachment to the community and may not take advantage of onsite support services.<\/p>\n Some residents asked for a measure of community control over the private project.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n For instance, Gina Caliendo testified online that a building with micro units \u201cfurther denigrates these individuals \u201c and asked, \u201cWill they be a positive influence or a negative influence?\u201d<\/p>\n She later wrote in the chat, \u201cWe need to have a reciprocal social contract. If you are given a place to live, you must agree to follow common sense rules that respect the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Upping the opposition\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Those against the BRC project are led at least in part by Roxanne Delgado, founder of the community group Friends of Pelham Parkway<\/a>.<\/p>\n Delgado has previously criticized<\/a> new \u201caffordable\u201d buildings in the area for charging rents well above most residents\u2019 actual incomes. But even though the BRC development would contain 41 deeply affordable units at 30% AMI \u2014$34,020<\/a> for a single person\u2014 she still maintains that it is a \u201cwaste of taxpayer money,\u201d if it receives public funds.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Like-minded neighbors held a demonstration on March 7 outside the former bank building.\u00a0 Speakers at the rally said they supported new affordable housing in Pelham Parkway but opposed a single-room occupancy-type development.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just not for this neighborhood,\u201d said Sharlene, a resident at the March 7 rally. \u201cSROs create slums. We\u2019re not a slum neighborhood.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Delgado said at the rally the BRC plan would create \u201ca revolving door\u201d of residents who would not want to remain there long-term, despite having brand-new apartments and rent-stabilized leases.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re living in basically a warehouse,\u201d she said at the rally. \u201cWhy are we spending public money to have not real apartments, especially for the most marginalized?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to concerns about the housing type and population, Delgado has also questioned BRC\u2019s track record as a provider.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n In an email to the Bronx Times, she shared a 2020 audit<\/a> by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli that accused BRC of failing to conduct proper outreach to assist homeless people staying in the transit system, effectively wasting taxpayer dollars.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not good neighbors,\u201d Delgado said at the rally, adding that her concerns are \u201cNot based on fear, opinion, ignorance.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n When she and others raised concerns about BRC\u2019s performance at the CB11 meeting, Jeremiah said all past issues were resolved and contracts were renewed, showing the city\u2019s ongoing faith in the nonprofit.\u00a0<\/p>\n But longtime residents are not giving up without a fight.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Another rally attendee, Francis Lui, said she has lived in the area for 77 years and carried a collection of black-and-white photos of the neighborhood when she was a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the decades, \u201cI don\u2019t see Pelham Parkway and White Plains Road getting better,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lui said Pelham Parkway has become \u201ctoo congested,\u201d especially on trains and buses, and that the proposed development would bring more problems.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Jenny, another resident who has lived next to the bank building since 2001, was among those who expressed concern about the population who will live in the new development.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome of these people don\u2019t care for themselves,\u201d she said. \u201cThis neighborhood is constantly trying to protect itself from people coming in to just destroy it. And they\u2019re going to mix them up with our teenagers and elderly?\u201d<\/p>\n Having said their part at the rally and directly to BRC leaders, the group is preparing to take their effort to the next level.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the start of a big campaign,\u201d Delgado said. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna have to keep fighting.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n She scheduled an April 10 rally<\/a> on the City Hall steps aimed at convincing Council Member Shirley Aldebol, Borough President Vanessa Gibson and other elected officials to deny funding. Gibson and Aldebol did not respond to request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Jeremiah said that the BRC project will proceed with or without funds allocated by elected officials, which make up a small component of the overall financing. The organization plans to start demolition and construction in fall 2027 and welcome residents in fall 2029.<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t
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The CB11 public session got heated, with several residents raising their voices and continuing to argue outside afterwards. Photo by Emily Swanson.\n<\/p>\n
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Opponents of the project rallied on March 7 and plan another rally at City Hall. Photo by Emily Swanson.\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260307_101048-rotated.jpg\")
Longtime Pelham Parkway resident Francis Lui said she believes the neighborhood has declined over the decades. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n