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Saturday, February 18, 2023
Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use
Housing Lottery Launches For The Bronx Grove At 261 East 202nd Street And 207 East 203rd Street In Bedford Park, The Bronx
The affordable housing lottery has launched for The Bronx Grove, two 11-story buildings at 261 East 202nd Street and 207 East 203rd Street in Bedford Park, The Bronx. Designed by Aufgang Architects and developed by Peter Fine, the structures yield 127 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 127 units for residents at 30 to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $0 to $132,400.
Amenities include a landscaped courtyard, 24/7 front desk security, elevators, computer room, resident teaching kitchen, a shared laundry room, and gyms. Residences come with air conditioning and energy-efficient light fixtures and appliances. Tenants are responsible for electricity.
At 30 percent of the AMI, there are 32 units with a monthly rent of $0 to $569 for incomes ranging from $0 to $43,230. At 40 percent of the AMI, there are 32 units with a monthly rent of $0 to $809 for incomes ranging from $0 to $57,640. At 50 percent of the AMI, there are 32 units with a monthly rent of $683 to $1,205 for incomes ranging from $26,366 to $82,750. At 70 percent of the AMI, there are 16 units with a monthly rent of $1,003 to $1,760 for incomes ranging from $37,338 to $115,850. At 80 percent of the AMI, there are 15 units with a monthly rent of $1,163 to $2,037 for incomes ranging from $42,823 to $132,400.
Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than April 11, 2023.
Permits Filed For 1665 Davidson Avenue In Morris Heights, The Bronx
Permits have been filed to expand a three-story residential building at 1665 Davidson Avenue in Morris Heights, The Bronx. Located at the intersection of West 174th Street and Davidson Avenue, the lot is near the Mount Eden Avenue subway station, serviced by the 4 train. Sam Lebovits is listed as the owner behind the applications.
The proposed 39-foot-tall development will yield 5,226 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have ten residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 522 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a basement and five enclosed parking spaces.
Sander Williams Architect is listed as the architect of record.
Demolition permits will likely not be needed as the project calls for an expansion. An estimated completion date has not been announced.
Renderings Revealed For 4427 White Plains Road In Wakefield, The Bronx
SKF Development has revealed the first renderings of 4427 White Plains Road, a seven-story residential building in the Wakefield section of The Bronx. Designed by Badaly Architects, the building will comprise just under 40,000 square feet of residential space, 1,383 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and a 188-square-foot community facility.
Renderings of the building depict a simple brick façade that transitions from dark gray to red with decorative white cornices. The residential component will yield 59 rental units and unspecified amenity spaces.
The project is expected to debut by September 2023.
View of the site surrounding 4427 White Plains Road – RM Friedland.
MAYOR ADAMS, COMPTROLLER LANDER HAIL FITCH RATINGS UPGRADING NEW YORK CITY’S GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND RATING TO AA
Upgrade Affirms the Administration’s Strong Fiscal Management, City’s Strong Job Growth, Budget Oversight and Transparency, and Increased Ability to Withstand Economic and Fiscal Headwinds
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander today hailed Fitch Ratings for upgrading the city’s bond rating to AA from AA-. The upward revision comes just one year into their terms and reflects the administration’s strong fiscal management, which has placed the city in a significantly stronger position to weather future economic storms. The rating agency also highlighted that the city has now recovered 90 percent of jobs lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by substantial growth in 2022, and that the city has resumed its role as a leading international and domestic tourist destination.
“Since day one, fiscal discipline has been a hallmark of our administration,” said Mayor Adams. “Last year, Fitch Ratings raised our General Obligation Bond credit outlook in recognition of our strong fiscal management and the record reserves we have set aside, and, today, we’re proud to be announcing that they’re raising the rating because of the hard, but necessary choices this administration was willing to make. We will continue to build an equitable recovery and use taxpayer dollars wisely as we continue to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers across the city.”
“New York City stands on solid financial footing coming out of the pandemic, thanks to the vibrancy and resiliency of our economy and the support of federal aid. Fitch Ratings’ upgrade of their credit rating on our General Obligation bonds recognizes the strong steps the City of New York has taken to shore up our reserves with the largest deposit yet in our rainy day fund, as well as our ‘exceptionally strong’ budget oversight and fiscal management. As we face uncertainty in the global economy in the coming months, the City of New York is well positioned to sustain services, invest in our infrastructure, and foster better shared economic opportunity for New Yorkers,” said Comptroller Lander.
Fitch praised the administration’s fiscal management, noting actions to increase reserves and achieve savings. Budget reserves are now a record $8.3 billion. Achieving savings is a priority of this administration, which is why the mayor implemented Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) initiatives in Fiscal Years 2022 (FY22) and 2023 (FY23), including a PEG initiative in the FY23 November Plan. Most recently, the Adams administration implemented savings measures in January’s Preliminary Budget which streamlined city operations and increased citywide savings since last June to more than $3 billion over FY23 and Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Fitch also commended the city’s success in controlling employee headcount as means of managing spending and achieving savings.
Further, as rating agencies continue to elevate the importance of environmental sustainability and resiliency, Fitch noted the city’s substantial investment in environmental resiliency efforts, and having gone further than most coastal communities in its efforts to fight the impact of climate change. The Adams administration will reveal the expansion of its sustainability agenda in April 2023’s update to PlaNYC, which will include a new, first-of-its-kind climate budgeting process.
In January, Mayor Eric Adams released New York City’s $102.7 billion Preliminary Budget for FY24. The budget reflects the mayor’s ongoing commitment to promoting an equitable recovery by making investments in affordable housing, keeping city streets clean, ensuring the safety of communities, and promoting a greener, healthier city. The Preliminary Budget also doubles down on Mayor Adams’ commitment to fiscal responsibility by spending limited city resources wisely amid the ongoing economic and fiscal challenges facing the city, state, and nation, and maintaining the city’s budget reserves at a record level of $8.3 billion.
The Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Comptroller’s Office jointly issue bonds to finance city infrastructure including the city’s roads and bridges, schools, water and sewer infrastructure, parks, libraries, and climate resiliency infrastructure. Since January 1, 2022, the city has sold $6.14 billion in refunding bonds, achieving $917 million in debt service savings in challenging bond markets. In October 2022, OMB and the Comptroller’s Office collaborated to issue New York City’s first social bonds, securing $400 million in financing for over 3,000 units of deeply affordable housing.
Friday, February 17, 2023
BRONX BROTHERS SENTENCED FOR FATALLY SHOOTING MAN IN NYCHA HOUSING COMPLEX
Jury Found Defendants Guilty of Second-Degree Murder
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that two Bronx men have been sentenced to prison for the 2017 fatal shooting of a man in the NYCHA Pelham Parkway Houses.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendants, acting in concert with each other, chased the 41-year-old victim and fired shots at him multiple times, causing his death. The incident happened in the NYCHA Pelham Parkway Houses, terrorizing the residents. We will not tolerate gun violence that harms our community.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Nydrique Jones, 30, and Kameke Jones, 33, both last of 2455 Williamsbridge Road, were sentenced on February 10, 2023 by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Laurence Busching. Kameke Jones was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison and Nydrique Jones was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The defendants were found guilty of second-degree Murder on October 5, 2022, after a jury trial.
According to the investigation, on October 1, 2017 at approximately 10:52 p.m., in the vicinity of Waring Avenue and Williamsbridge Road, the defendants chased Gregory Washington, 41. As they chased the victim, Nydrique Jones shot at him four times, striking him once in the torso. The brothers then split up and returned to their building a block away from the shooting location. Washington died in surgery at Jacobi Hospital a few hours after the incident.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Michael Gersch of the 49th Precinct and NYPD Detective Chris Giannioudis of the Firearms Analysis Section for their work in the investigation.
Former NBA Players Keyon Dooling And Alan Anderson Sentenced To 30 And 24 Months In Prison For Defrauding NBA Players’ Health And Welfare Benefit Plan
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that KEYON DOOLING and ALAN ANDERSON were sentenced to 30 months and 24 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in a scheme to defraud the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan (the “Plan”). U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni sentenced DOOLING today and previously sentenced ANDERSON on February 10, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “These former players recruited others to take part in this widespread fraud scheme and went to great lengths to keep the scheme running smoothly, facilitating hundreds of thousands of dollars of fraudulent claims. This Office will continue to aggressively prosecute those engaged in health care fraud schemes, no matter what their profession. Those considering submitting false claims to health care plans should recognize that they will be subject to serious penalties.”
According to the Indictments, public court filings, and statements made in court:
The Plan is a health care plan providing benefits to eligible active and former players of the NBA. DOOLING and ANDERSON both played in the NBA and were eligible to receive reimbursements from the Plan for legitimate, qualifying medical expenses.
Co-defendant TERRENCE WILLIAMS orchestrated the scheme to defraud the Plan.[1] DOOLING and ANDERSON also occupied managerial roles in the scheme.
WILLIAMS, DOOLING, and ANDERSON recruited other former NBA players to defraud the Plan, including by offering to provide them with false invoices to support their fraudulent claims.
WILLIAMS provided the other former NBA players fake invoices from a particular chiropractic office in California, run by co-defendant PATRICK KHAZIRAN,[2] which were created by individuals working with WILLIAMS. In addition, WILLIAMS obtained fraudulent invoices from a dentist affiliated with dental offices in Beverly Hills, California, run by co-defendant AAMIR WAHAB, and from a doctor at a wellness office in Washington State. The fraudulent invoices purported to document that ANDERSON, other co-defendants, and, in some cases, members of their families, had been recipients of expensive medical and dental services, but the defendants had not received the medical or dental services described in the invoices WILLIAMS provided them. In many instances, the defendants were not even located in the vicinity of the service providers on the dates the invoices stated they received medical or dental services. In particular, GPS location information and documentary evidence, such as flight records, show that the defendants were in locations other than the vicinity of the medical or dental offices falsely claimed as the providers of services.
DOOLING participated in the scheme from at least in or about 2017 through in or about 2019. DOOLING traded on his reputation among current and former NBA players to refer other former NBA players to co-defendant KHAZIRAN and WAHAB. DOOLING also recruited and attempted to recruit additional Plan-participants and medical professionals into the fraud scheme. DOOLING himself submitted fraudulent invoices to the Plan, relating to services purportedly performed by co-defendants KHAZIRAN and WAHAB. DOOLING received approximately $363,000 in fraudulent reimbursements, and he is responsible for facilitating the fraudulent claims filed by other defendants, who received approximately $194,295 in fraudulent proceeds from the plan.
ANDERSON also recruited multiple former NBA players to the fraud scheme. When co-conspirators encountered difficulties in obtaining reimbursements for fraudulent claims, ANDERSON encouraged them to submit forged letters of medical necessity to substantiate those claims. When those letters were unsuccessful, ANDERSON arranged for the co-conspirators to visit a Las Vegas doctor, after-hours, to further attempt to justify the fraudulent claims. ANDERSON himself submitted approximately $121,000 in fraudulent claims to the Plan. ANDERSON is also responsible for recruiting and facilitating the fraud of additional defendants who sought approximately $710,000 in fraudulent claims.
In addition to their prison terms, DOOLING, 42, of Orlando, Florida, was ordered to forfeit $449,250.50 and pay restitution of $547,495; and ANDERSON, 40, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was ordered to forfeit $121,000 and pay restitution of $121,000.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.