Metro North Parkchester/Van Nest Station Info Meeting

Metro North Parkchester/Van Nest Station Info Meeting

By Robert Press

Tuesday October 3rd was the Parkchester/Van Nest new Metro North information session. It seemed to be deja vu to me as I could recall meetings like this in the past, as the four Eastside Metro North stations have been slated to be built for over twenty years. 

It seemed every ten years there were similar information sessions where people have been asked what would you like to see at the new station, what upgrades do you think the community might need, and where do you think the new stations should go? When I asked one of the Metro North people didn’t we do this several times before. The answer I received was originally it was a Metro North project where Metro North gathered the information. Then the project was turned over to the MTA who started the process from the beginning, and the project was given back to the Metro North so we have to do the same thing again. 

Councilwoman Amanda Farias and Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson both were at this information session, and both spoke about the advantages of the four new Metro North stations. I was able to ask Borough President Gibson about the proposal to put six thousand affordable housing units total at the Parkchester/Van Nest and Morris Park stations only, and the no parking at all. That Community Board 11 would be getting over five thousand new units of affordable housing with the over five hundred units already being built. I mentioned Mayor Adams City of Yes plan to build 100,0000 new units of affordable housing split across the fifty-nine community boards which would be less than two thousand per board. I also told the BP of the Harrison station up the line where Governor Hochul announced one hundred-forty-three new affordable units of housing, a shopping center with over seven hundred total parking spaces for the affordable housing, Metro North station, and shopping center. Borough President Gibson agreed that it would be too much housing for Community Board 11, and that parking would be needed. 

The next Metro North information session is on Wednesday October 18th for the Coop-City station, and will be held from 6 – 8 PM at Section  5 135 Einstein Loop.

 

A map of the Parkchester/Van Nest area with where the new Metro North station will be going.

 

 

Where on the tracks, and a conceptual site plan of the Parkchester/Van Nest station.

 

It looks like it is back to step one, where people are given yellow sticky papers to stick on the matching category they are writing what they want at the Metro North station.

One of the many places to stick the paper with your suggestion.