Bronx CB #5 197-a Plan Background Report

In the early 2000s Community Board No. 5 in NYC’s borough of the Bronx and NYC’s Department of City Planning had prepared a 197-a Plan for the district. 197-a planning is the terminology for community focused master planning in the New York City charter. To support the implementation effort and further develop the 197-a plan Mr. Lynch prepared a document geared to development and fundraising professionals to be approached for funding and partnerships. The report summarized pertinent demographic and socioeconomic data, described planning and development projects and community resources, included a questionnaire prototype for a community visioning effort, and provided background and recommendations for specific additional tasks. Recommendations included a riverfront opportunities analysis, a district boundary study, a non-complying and non-conforming use analysis, a market analysis and commercial revitalization effort, a merchant canvassing and community visioning effort, streetscape improvements, a historic district recommendation and a light rail feasibility study.