>>> THE BRONX IS JEROME'S AVENUE

IS HOME A BUSTLING COLLECTION OF

AUTO BODY SHOPS SLAUGHTERHOUSES

AND VARIETY OF OTHER SMALL

BUSINESSES.

AND MARCH 22nd THE CITY COUNCIL

APPROVED A REZONING MEASURE FOR

THE NEIGHBORHOOD AFFECTING 92

BLOCKS OF THE AVENUE.

THE PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGES

THIS PLAN BRINGS ARE AROUND THE

CORNER.

BUT WHAT CAN LOCALS EXPECT?

CURBED NEW YORK'S RECENT ESSAY

WHAT HAPPENS TO JEROME AVENUE

AFTER THE REZONING VISUALLY

DOCUMENTS THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE

OF THE COMMUNITY AND DISCUSSING

GROWING CONCERN OF THE IMPENDING

GENTRIFICATION.

THE THE EE IS A SAY AUTHOR AND

PHOTOGRAPHER JOINS US TO DISCUSS

THIS.

NATHAN WELCOME TO YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> FOR FOLKS THAT MIGHT NOT BE

AS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA HERE,

MIGHT HAVE HEARD ME SAY SHOPS,

SLAUGHTERHOUSES.

>> YES.

>> AND OTHER TYPES OF

BUSINESSES.

GIVE US A BETTER SENSE OF

EXACTLY WHAT -- WHAT THAT

STRETCH LOOKS LIKE NOW.

>> YEAH, SO BASICALLY WHAT THE

CITY HAS DONE IS REZONED ABOUT

92 BLOCKS OF LAND AROUND JEROME

AVENUE.

AND ALONG JEROME AVENUE ITSELF

YOU HAVE FOUR TRAINS RIGHT ABOVE

A LITTLE AVENUE MAINLY ONE AND

TWO STORY WAREHOUSES, LOW

BUILDING, MOSTLY AUTO BODY

SHOPS.

ABOUT 200 AUTO BODY SHOPS THERE.

AND A WHOLE COLLECTION OF KIND

OF SIDE STREET BUSINESS NAS

INCLUDE LIKE CHURCHES, MOSQUES,

RESTAURANTS, SLAUGHTERHOUSES,

LIVE CHICKEN SLAUGHTERHOUSES.

>> WAS THERE SIGNIFICANT

OBJECTION TO THIS?

THE ZONING PROCESS CAN BE VERY

CUMBERSOME.

HOW DID THIS PAY PLAY OUT.

>> THIS LIKE A LOT OF REZONING

IN THE CITY HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE

CONCERNED ABOUT IT, A LOT OF

PROTESTS THAT HAPPENED AROUND

THE JEROME AVENUE REZBL.

>> WHAT WERE THE CONCERNING.

>> YOU ARE LOOKING AT

NEIGHBORHOOD WITH MALL SBISS,

LITERALLY MALL BUSINESSES AND

WORRIED ABOUT LOSING THAT, THE

LITTLE AUTO BODY SHOPS BUT LOSE

THE FABRIC OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

>> WHAT IS THAT?

FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE THERE?

>> YEAH.

>> WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE

NOTION OF THE FEAR OF

GENTRIFICATION.

>> UM-HUM.

>> HOW DOES THAT APPLY HERE DO

YOU THINK?

>> WELL, I MEAN YOU LOOK AT THIS

NEIGHBORHOOD.

IT'S AN EXTREMELY DIVERSE

NEIGHBORHOOD.

IT'S VERY WORKING CLASS

NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND IF YOU GO IN THERE AND YOU

REMOVE, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF

JOBS, HUNDREDS OF BUSINESSES AND

REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE

THAT'S REALLY GOING TO CHANGE

THE ECONOMIC MAKEUP OF THE

NEIGHBORHOOD?

>> IS THIS A COMMERCIAL

DARWINISM WE MIGHT SEE PLAYING

OUT.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT TERM

REPLIES.

>> I THINK IT IS.

>> WHERE YOU HAVE BIGGER BETTER

BUSINESSES SAYING WE MIGHT TAKE

OVER AND PUT THE SMALL ARE NOT

SO GOOD BUSINESS -- YOU SAID

HUNDREDS OF BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT

SHOPS.

WAY DO WE NEED HUNDREDS OF BODY

SHOPS HERE?

HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WILL PLAY

OUT.

>> I MEAN, I THINK IT'S IN THE

BIGGER SENSE IT'S LIKE A

DIFFERENT VISION FOR WHAT NEW

YORK CITY SHOULD BE IN THE

FUTURE.

WE HAVE THIS CITY THAT, YOU KNOW

IS EXTREMELY DIVERSE, TONS OF

SMALL BUSINESSES, HAS

NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE DEDICATED

TO YOU KNOW AUTO BODY SHOPS OR

SLAUGHTERHOUSES OR INDUSTRY.

AND WE'RE LOSING THAT.

WE'RE LOSING THAT ACROSS THE

CITY.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS AREA

IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE SHORTLY.

>> IT HAS PROMISED MORE

AFFORDABLE HOUSING, NEW PARKS,

BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE.

>> ALL OF WHICH SOUNDS GREAT.

>> SOUNDS GREAT.

BUT I'M MORE INTERESTED IN WHAT

WE ARE LOSING IN NEW YORK WHAT

WE'RE LOSING IN THIS

NEIGHBORHOOD.

THAT'S -- I REALLY THINK WHAT WE

LOSE THERE IS THIS DIVERSITY

MAKING NEW YORK CITY GREAT.

DIVERSITY OF SMALL BUSINESSES,

DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE, DIVERSITY

OF, YOU KNOW, INSTITUTIONS,

NEIGHBORHOOD INSTITUTIONS.

SO IT'S HARD TO SAY HOW EXACTLY

THIS REZONING IS PLAYING OUT.

IT'S TAKING YEARS AND YEARS FOR

THIS TO KIND OF COME TO

FRUITION.

BUT I THINK PEOPLE'S FEARS ABOUT

LOSING SOME ASPECT OF THE

NEIGHBORHOOD ARE WELL-FOUNDED.

>> WELL I THINK IT'S ANOTHER

REPLAYING OF THIS KIND OF SOCIAL

AND ECONOMIC DRAMA THAT WE SEE

PLAYING OUT IN THE STREETS OF

NEW YORK CITY.

AND THIS WILL BE AN INTERESTING

THING TO KEEP AND EYE ON WITH.

.

NATHAN THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR

THOUGHTS ON THIS.

IT'S COMPELLING TO SEE THE

LANDSCAPE CHANGE.

WE'LL SEE WHETHER IT'S A GOOD

THING OR A BAD THING.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR ASPEN BEING

TIME WITH US.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> TAKE CARE.