This is a column call to action. I am personally inviting you to attend two important community input sessions I am hosting this May.
Parkchester and Soundview have two major capital investments coming to them with the Bronx Metro-North developments and the Soundview Skatepark. Community input is critical to big projects like these to ensure the multi-million dollar investments being made in neighborhoods truly serve us and our future.
The first meeting will be a Parkchester Community Engagement Session focused on the new developments coming to East Tremont Avenue, which include affordable housing, a parking garage, street improvements and more. This session will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, at P.S 106, the Parkchester School.
As you know, our community is in the beginning stages of bringing a brand new Metro-North station to Parkchester/Van Nest. The Metro-North project is not only about an additional transit option, it is an opportunity to transform our neighborhood to match our needs. We have the potential to employ thousands of Bronxites locally, create a new commuting option that will significantly decrease travel times with direct access to Penn Station, provide more community and green spaces, bolster economic development and small businesses and, most importantly, build new housing.
The Bronx Metro-North project will have a long and lasting impact on our borough and I need you and our community to show up during these planning stages to ensure this plan meets the needs and expectations of Council District 18.
The Soundview Skatepark will also be bringing a much needed investment to our community. I worked alongside Mayor Eric Adams, the NYCEDC, NYC Parks and Tony Hawk’s nonprofit, The Skatepark Project, to make this huge project a reality in our community. This project will soon make Soundview the home to a state-of-the-art skatepark, which will revitalize an unused dilapidated section of our park, bring a necessary outlet for young people and create recreation alongside all our green space. We are taking a former roller rink in disrepair, and reimagining that space for the future of our youth.
Skateparks are a gathering place for dedicated, athletic youth, and provides a forum for visitors young and old, beginning and skilled, to meet and share experiences. More than anyone, young people need to feel like they are recognized and appreciated by their communities. Every skatepark supports hundreds of kids that might otherwise have nowhere to go, pushes our kids to spend more time outside, and may even spark a lifelong passion like it did for our homegrown pro- Thrasher’s Skater of the Year Tyshawn Jones.
The process of building and designing this park will take 3-4 years, and we cannot do that without you! I hope you will join us at our first Community Input Meeting at 6 p.m. on May 29 at P.S. 107 to discuss your vision for the park and learn about the design and construction plans.
Make sure to RSVP for the Metro-North meeting at bit.ly/ParkchesterMay2 and the Skatepark community input meeting at nyc.gov/parks/input and share this information with your friends, family and neighbors.
Amanda Farías serves as the Majority Leader of the City Council and is in her second term as the Council Member for the 18th District, representing the neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Clason Point, Harding Park, Parkchester, Unionport, Soundview and Westchester Square.
