Stagg builds first residence in rezoned Webster Ave.

Stagg builds first residence in rezoned Webster Ave.
Photo courtesy of the Stagg Group

A recently developed residential building in Norwood is receiving positive feedback from the community and local electeds.

On Tuesday, April 14, the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held at 2987 Webster Avenue for the Stagg Group’s new Bedford Park Manor, Webster Avenue’s first residential building to open since the corridor was rezoned a R7-D as a result of the Webster Avenue Vision Plan.

The eight-floor residential building, which includes 97 market-rate units and 25 affordable units (122 units total) for rent, opened in February and is already almost 80% occupied in two months, with 90% of the occupants having already lived in the Bronx prior to moving into units and 70% of the occupants having employment.

The new residence, which also occupies addresses 2985 and 2999 Webster Avenue, consists of 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, a courtyard area and laundry rooms.

Although there is no on-site parking, there is a 875-space parking garage directly across the street from the building that was constructed by New York Botanical Garden.

Opened in 2012 as the first infrastructure component to Webster Avenue’s rezoning, the garage itself is large enough to service the Botanical Garden’s workers, weekend visitors and the neighborhood’s residents.

The project is the Stagg Group’s largest development to date.

The developer credited the early success of the project to Webster Avenue stakeholders.

“As developers and visionaries, we are responsible for building a great city – the best city in the world – one block, one site, one unit, one brick at a time,” said Adolfo Carrion, executive vice president of the Stagg Group.

“However, a developer can’t envision all of the appropriate projects for each neighborhood, especially when they aren’t originally from the area. That is why I’m thanking every group and organization who worked with us, from NYC Housing Preservation and Development, Botanical Garden, Bronx Zoo, Fordham University – they gave us an idea of what their vision for the community was,” he concluded.

“When I sat in on a Community Board 7 meeting, I felt the board’s passion and that’s when I realized how much the members cared about this project,” said Mark Stagg, CEO and founder of the Stagg Group. “The board had a vision, the Stagg Group brought it to life, and the entire community will now benefit as a result of this execution which stemmed from a great partnership.”

Political leaders also showed their support of the new building and its current residents, as well as its potential residents in the future.

“These residential units are intended for those who have loved the Bronx, worked hard their entire lives and did everything that society asked them,” said Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. “The people that live in these units don’t want to leave. Just as these residents are committed to the Bronx, so is the Stagg Group – and I would like to thank them for helping rebuild our borough.”

The Webster Avenue Vision Plan was created in 2011 at the request of Botanical Garden, the Bronx Zoo, Fordham University and Montefiore Medical Center, who worked with Community Board 7 in an attempt to transform the Webster Avenue corridor into a vibrant mixed-use district.

Reach Reporter Steven Goodstein at (718) 742–3384. E-mail him at sgoodstein@cnglocal.com.