Neighbors walk to share ideas with Cohen, KRVC

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A walk through Kingsbridge on a sunny Thursday afternoon was more than just a stroll through the neighborhood for local residents, it was an opportunity to have their voices heard.  

Councilman Andrew Cohen teamed up with the Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corporation, or KRVC, to invite local residents for a walk along Broadway on Nov. 17 and to get the community’s feedback on ways to improve the thoroughfare’s aesthetic appearance.

Mr. Cohen announced in later October that he was allocating close to $40,000 to the KRVC to start making developmental changes to the area. The funds come from two City Council initiatives: the NYC Clean-up Initiative and the Neighborhood Development Grant Initiative.

Changes that Mr. Cohen and KRVC want to implement include adding art in the neighborhood, installing community bulletin boards, enhancing tree pits, and modernizing trash receptacles. Some of the changes were suggested by a group of people who took part in a study Mr. Cohen, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. conducted in 2014.

 During the Kingsbridge Community Walk on Nov. 17, a group of about 15 people met in front of Mr. Cohen’s office on 277 W. 231 St., before making their way to Broadway and walking along it from W. 231st Street to W. 238th Street. The group included Mr. Dinowitz for a bit.

Before their departure, Mr. Cohen spoke to the group to encourage their feedback and said this was his first such initiative with KRVC.   

“Today is starting to define what that [relationship] means,” he said.

Residents were given pens and notepads to take notes of what they saw and jot down ideas they had along the way. They sifted in and out of small groups, discussing the neighborhood. As one resident tried to cross the street next to the IHOP on 5645 Broadway, she said, “They should add a stop sign here.”

Elizabeth Alicea, one of the residents taking part in the walk, just moved to the Riverdale area and was excited she had time to take part in the Community Walk.

“I love how diverse the community is,” she said. “I said to myself, ‘Here’s an opportunity to get involved and to beautify [Kingsbridge.]”

When Ms. Alicea found out that Mr. Cohen and KRVC plans included adding more trash receptacles, she said she was glad because that was something she wanted to bring up. 

Sergio Villaverde, the chair of Community Board 8’s economic development committee, said that the community walk was a beneficial way to get everyone from residents to local merchants involved. 

“I’m glad that the councilman is organizing something like this because we need a holistic view of what happens in the corridors now as opposed to sort of a patchwork of what the city’s been doing,” he said. “We [should] just make [the area] aesthetically better, which makes people feel better about the place they live in.” 

The walk ended in front of the Bronx Alehouse on 216 W. 238 St. for a small reception and a chat led by KRVC’s executive director Tracy Shelton.

Residents brought up ideas such as encouraging merchants to use dropdown gates with rods to prevent further graffiti, repainting elevated trains and fixing any hanging wires, and having a street fair somewhere along Broadway.

During a brief discussion about the possibility of getting rid of recycling bins due to the overflow of garbage, Mr. Cohen made sure to voice his opinion on the matter.

“I’d rather educate people about recycling than give up on it,” he said.

Amy Joy Robateau, a native resident, said that the walk will help to keep inspiring members of the community to beautify what is already in the neighborhood.

“I grew up in the neighborhood so I’ve seen so many wonderful things,” she said. “You can tell it’s thriving. People are living. The beauty of the Bronx is showing through them.”

KRVC, Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corporation, Andrew Cohen, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Tiffany Moustakas

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