News, updates and more from NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

BACK TO SCHOOL 2024!

 

 Team Salamanca continued our Back to School school supply kit distributions. 

Congratulations Pastor Frederick Crawford, Joseph Alston & Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church’s team of volunteers on the success of your Annual Back 2 School Health & Community Awareness Fair 

Thank you Bronx Community Board 2 for your commitment to helping South Bronx families with your annual Back to School Giveaway

Bronx parents should never have to struggle providing their kids the necessary supplies they need for school. I will continue partnering with community organizations to help fill this gap for families who are forced to choose between paying bills and getting their kids ready for the new school year. 

IN THE NEWS

BRONX TIMES — URBAN HEALTH PLAN WAY

 

“Urban Health Plan, Inc. has been an important staple in the Borough of the Bronx for 50 years. It is the biggest economic engine that we have in the South Bronx, employing over 1,000 employees,” Salamanca said. 

“And on a personal note, today’s ceremony is very meaningful to me as I not only started my career here, but my mother also worked for Urban Health Plan. So, to see it grow into what it has become today brings me great joy. I am incredibly proud that the corner of Westchester Avenue and West Farms Road will now be forever known as Urban Health Plan Way.”

BRONX TIMES — P.S. 487

 

“As the South Bronx continues to experience growth with the infusion of much needed affordable housing, it is vital that our constituents also have sufficient city resources and infrastructure to ensure the best quality of life,” said Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr. at the 2021 groundbreaking ceremony for P.S. 487.

“Once open, the school will be a beacon of education for countless generations of Bronxites.”

NEWS 12 — P.S. 487

 

“Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca, Jr. was there when the city broke ground on P.S. 487 back in 2021, and told News 12, ‘It's about time. I'm really excited and I'm happy with this new school building that the Bronx, the Melrose section of the District is getting.’”

“We've seen that in the past… the amount of students in these classrooms makes it difficult for students to learn. Having smaller class sizes gives students the opportunity to have that extra education one-on-one with their educator.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

We’re Back!  Salsa Concert Series 2024  Ocho y Mas Al Quinones Playground (52 Playground - Beck Street & Avenue St. John)  Wednesday, August 28, 2024  7 PM Visit our District Office at:  1070 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York 10459 (718) 402-6130 salamanca@council.nyc.gov

Executive Order 43 - Prioritizing Housing Production and Accelerating the Production of Housing on City Sites

 

WHEREAS, New York City is experiencing a housing shortage that must be addressed through the production of additional housing at all levels of affordability; and

WHEREAS, the Department of City Planning projects that the City must add at least 500,000 new housing units this decade to address unmet housing needs; and

WHEREAS, the New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey recently found that the city's vacancy rate – a measure of the city's housing stock available for rent – has dropped to a mere 1.4%, the lowest this measure has been since 1968; and

WHEREAS, New York City and its agencies own and control land throughout the five boroughs that could support additional production of housing; and

WHEREAS, decisions across City government – from regulation, to administration, to planning – have consequences for housing production and thereby affect the health, safety, and welfare of New Yorkers;

NOW, THEREFORE, by the power vested in me as Mayor of the City of New York, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Establishment of the Taskforce.  There is hereby established an interagency City Housing Activation Taskforce (the "Task Force").

1. The Task Force shall be chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce or such Deputy Mayor's designee (the "Chair"), or the successor to such Deputy Mayor or their designee;
2. The Task Force shall consist of representatives from Mayoral agencies and offices, including the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Sanitation, the Department of Transportation, the Fire Department, the Police Department, and the Office of Management and Budget, and representatives from other agencies or entities designated by the Chair;
3. The Task Force shall also seek the participation and cooperation of additional public and other entities as the Chair deems appropriate, provided that such entities shall include the New York Public Library, the Queens Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York City Department of Education, the New York City Housing Authority, and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.  The Chair may invite any of these or other entities as designated by the Chair to participate on the Task Force in accordance with subdivision (b) of this Section.

§ 2. Duties of the Task Force.

1. The Task Force shall:
   1. Review all land under the ownership and control of the City or of other participating and cooperating agencies and entities, and enlist the collaboration of City agencies and such other agencies and entities, to identify potential sites for housing development and to determine if such sites could be used to further housing production on such sites or on adjacent or nearby sites without disruption to critical operations;
   2. Develop guidelines to ensure that all designated City agencies and other participating and cooperating agencies and entities consider, to the extent practicable, the effect of agency policies and practices on housing production and strive to update policies and practices to promote housing production.

§ 3. This Order shall take effect immediately, and shall expire and be deemed revoked on December 31, 2025. 

Eric Adams

Mayor

Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association Backpack/School Supply Giveaway.

 

The line was up White Plains Road and around the corner along Bronxdale Avenue to get into the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association Backpack/School Supply Giveaway.  Tables were set up inside Urban Luxe located at 2028 White Plains Road, with Backpacks, school supplies, drinks and snacks, and information tables. 

Assemblyman John Zaccaro was the main sponsor of the event with Congressman Ritchie Torres, Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato, State Senator Gutavo Rivera, Metro Plus Health care, and Tribeca Pediatrics. Over two-hundred backpacks were given away with various school supplies and information. 

The line went around the corner from White Plains Road down Bronxdale Avenue.

Hundreds of backpacks were piled on tables waiting for children to pick out the one they wanted.

After choosing a backpack it was then filled with a folder and notebooks.

Then there were surprises from Metro Plus Health. 

More school supplies were added to the children's backpack. 

Then it was to see Troy of Tribeca Pediatrics, and for parents information from Congressman Ritchie Torres. The last table was Assemblyman John Zaccaro where drinks and snacks were available. 

Male District Leader Ardhmir Dula brought some Yankee backpacks with him that were wanted by every child.