Council Member Andrew Cohen is putting his money where his mouth is.
A long-time advocate of improvements in the look of the Kingsbridge/Broadway business corridor, he has now obtained close to $40,000 for just such a spruce-up. He is allocating the funding to the Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation (KRVC) through two City Council initiatives; the NYC Clean-up Initiative and the Neighborhood Development Grant Initiative.
“I am proud to be partnering with KRVC as we accomplish our long-sought goal of improving the look of this shopping corridor,” said Cohen. “It took years of hard work and collaboration by the elected officials and community organizations to support development of Kingsbridge/Broadway as a destination for shoppers. We will now be able to make a number of improvements to our growing retail district with this funding.”
“The Kingsbridge-Riverdale- Van Cortlandt Development Corp./KRVC is honored and excited to work with our community leaders, business owners and elected officials on improvements and the betterment of our Kingsbridge Commercial Corridor," added Tracy Shelton, Executive Director, KRVC.
Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Council Member Cohen and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz convened a working group back in 2014 to study the corridor and suggest recommendations. The group completed its work and issued a report in September 2015 summarizing their recommendations. The report sought to improve the aesthetic of Broadway and these funds will be used to beautify the corridor by standardizing and modernizing trash receptacles and street furniture, install community bulletin boards, as well as beautifying tree pits.
Commenting on the funding, Borough President Diaz said: “Last year, my office partnered with Council Member Cohen and numerous other elected officials and community organizations to issue a report on the future health of the Kingsbridge/Broadway Retail Corridor, especially in light of the opening of several major retail hubs at its north and south ends. This funding will help implement some of the improvements we recommended for the strip, such as improved street furniture and graffiti removal, and I thank Council Member Cohen for his commitment to the continued betterment of this important commercial strip.”
Members of the public with ideas for improvements are invited to participate in a walk-through of the corridor with Council Member Cohen and KRVC, set for Thursday, November 17 at 2:00 pm. Meet at the Council Member’s Office at 277 West 231st Street if you’d like to join in for the walk.
