Stable’s future inabled

Stable’s future inabled

Plans and negotiations are underway for the space where the Pelham Parkway Stables were once located.

The Pelham Parkway Stables, formerly on Pelham Parkway South and Stillwell Avenue, was shut down recently after a multi-agency raid seized the property discovered to have extended onto unmapped city streets belonging to the Department of Transportation.

With the help of Councilman James Vacca’s office and Community Board 11, the Department of Sanitation, DOT and Department of Parks and Recreation joined together to disable the stable.

“We started pushing for the clean up of that stable seven years ago because it a real mess,” said John Fratta, district manager of Community Board 11.  “We worked with the Mayor’s Office, more recently with George Torres, of the Community Affairs Unit, and we are happy the clean up finally took place.”

CB 11 is in the process of negotiating future use for the now vacant lot, originally hoping to turn the area into upscale condominiums.

“When we were rezoning Morris Park, we up-zoned that area so that we could put housing there, and we had a developer purchase the adjacent land who was willing to turn that whole site into a high-level condo housing,” said Fratta, “but unfortunately those plans fell through when he sold the property.”

A second option local residents and CB11 is hoping for is an additional school to reduce the school population of the overcrowded Bronx elementary schools, such as P.S. 105. 

“We know we need a school,” said Fratta.  “We have such a serious need for schools in this area, but with the current economic condition we have to keep all our options open.”

According to Fratta, the Mayor’s Office would like to transfer the vacant land over to Parks, to create a passive park.  Though this would not fill the community’s needs, Parks would continue with the beautification of the Pelham Parkway region.

“My concern with turning the land over to Parks, is they acquire the property and it becomes parkland forever and you have to alienate it to do anything else with the property,” stated Fratta.  “It is still early in the process so we are keeping all our options open.”