Vol. 76, No. 20
What’s inside?
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Sewage leak raises capacity concerns By Olivia Young oyoung@riverdalepress.com
Tech literacy Local workshops on AI and more Page A3
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Along Stevenson Place in Van Cortlandt Village, trimmed shrubs line the street and lush greenery towers overhead. As a soft breeze rustles the leaves, with it comes the foul odor of sewage water. Van Cortlandt Village is a historic neighborhood that sits between the south end of Van Cortlandt Park and above the Jerome Park Reservoir. The 15-block community is known for its small homes, brick apartment buildings, including the 99-year-old Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, and being a quiet, verdant section of the Bronx — something residents say has changed amid recent development. The stench of sewage has lingered since
early April, at times bubbling up or appearing as a green sludge, residents said. Its source: a “plumber’s line,” or a temporary connecting pipe installed by a private contractor when the block was first developed, according to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Over time, as more people started moving in and bigger buildings were constructed, the pipe couldn’t keep up with the amount of water and waste, the department said. Debra Travis, a resident of the apartment building across from the leak, explained the water tends to spread a couple of feet along the road’s surface, and glides to the curb underneath tenants’ parked cars. Some days it follows the natural slope of the road down to Sedgwick Avenue and toward the commercial
corridor. When the weather warms, the smell becomes more putrid, she added. Longtime tenant Michael Stoller described the smell as sometimes nauseating. He said living in an area with a fair amount of construction, noise comes with the territory, but typically sewage does not. A spokesperson for the department of environmental protection told The Press it plans to install a new sewer on the block, and will reconnect any pipes they find in the process. A contractor was hired, but a start date has not been scheduled. In the meantime, Stevenson Place tenants said the sewage is the result of a much larger issue — the sharp rise of development in Van Cortlandt Village. Two properties are connected to the sewer
line, according to Bronx Community Board 8. One is the historic Denishawn House, a former dance studio founded nearly 100 years ago by two pioneers of modern dance, Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. The other is a four-story home that was converted in 2024 to a 10-unit apartment building, or a micro-apartment. Units in a micro-apartment are usually under 400 square feet, low-cost, and intended for a single person. In Van Cortlandt Village, there are at least four other recently converted micro-apartments — ranging from 10 units to 17 units — according to city building records. The manager listed in city property records for the Stevenson Place micro-apartment could not be reached for comment. SEWAGE ON PAGE A4
Analysis looks at Riverdale retail market By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
panies reported rising revenues last year tied to increased immigration detention. The GEO Group, which operates 19 ICE detention facilities, reported $2.6 billion in revenue and said it was working to reactivate facilities previously phased out under the Biden administration to meet growing ICE detention demands. CoreCivic, which operates at least 10 ICE detention facilities, reported $2.2 billion in revenue and said the number of immigrants detained in its facilities increased nearly 60 percent in 2025. The GEO Group did not respond to requests for comment. CoreCivic defended both its role in the immigration detention system and its relationships with financial institutions. While declining to discuss specific financial arrangements beyond public disclosures, Ryan Gustin, senior director of public affairs for CoreCivic, said it plays “a limited but important role in
A study presented during an April full board meeting of Bronx Community Board 8 is shedding light on the changing commercial landscape across greater Riverdale. The report was conducted by Kahdija Jabbi, a Community Planning Fellow and Baruch College MPA candidate. It examined retail composition, development patterns and commercial vacancies across Community District 8, which includes Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Marble Hill, Kingsbridge Heights, Spuyten Duyvil and Fieldston. Using field observations, interviews, focus groups and data from Live XYZ, Jabbi’s research found an overall storefront vacancy rate of about 6.9 percent across the district, though some corridors faced significantly greater challenges than others. Jabbi was unavailable for comment. Constance Barnes-Watson, chair of Community Board 8’s Economic Development Committee, worked closely with Jabbi throughout the fellowship and said the study helped quantify issues community members had been discussing for years. “One of the things that I know Kahdija talked about is what may seem to be a small number to somebody on one part or in one part of town could actually be a very large vacancy or have a larger impact to someone on another side of town,” Barnes-Watson said. She said the study also revealed how differently residents experience commercial conditions depending on the neighborhood. In Knolls Crescent, Jabbi documented low foot traffic, limited shopping alternatives and the absence of essential services like pharmacies and banks. Residents described the area as “desolate” and said they wanted more community-oriented spaces, including diners, urgent care facilities and gathering spaces. Other corridors showed stronger commercial activity. Kingsbridge and University Avenues were identified as high foot traffic areas with strong transit access and a wide variety of businesses, though affordability concerns and vacancies remained ongoing issues. Barnes-Watson said one major takeaway was the need for the community board to strengthen its own visibility and outreach. “We also learned that, you know, as a community board, we should do more outreach,” she said. “A lot of folks are like, ‘Oh, we are part of the community board?’ especially when you go toward Lehman and Kingsbridge.” Since the study began, members of the Economic Development Committee have in-
CITIZENS BANK ON PAGE A4
RETAIL MARKET ON PAGE A4
Project Bravo Pantry provides self-care items for all Page A5 Citizens Bank’s Riverdale Branch is located at the corner of West 235th Street and Netherland Avenue.
GARY JEAN-JUSTE
Residents protest Citizens Bank’s ICE detention financing By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Minecraft masters All-girls coding team are borough champs Page A5
Northwest Bronx residents are urging Citizens Bank to cut financial ties with forprofit private prison companies operating dozens of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. Since January, residents and members of Northwest Bronx Indivisible have fervently gathered outside the bank’s West 235th Street branch, holding handwritten signs, distributing flyers and urging customers to reconsider where they keep their money. The protests are part of the De-ICE Citizens Bank Coalition, a national campaign accusing Citizens Financial Group of helping sustain the private immigration detention industry through loans provided to The GEO Group and CoreCivic, two of the nation’s largest private correctional firms. For many involved in the campaign, like longtime Riverdale resident and Northwest
Bronx Indivisible member Lois Harr, the issue became deeply personal after the detention of then 20-year-old Dylan Lopez Contreras in 2024, who was arrested after appearing for a mandatory immigration hearing at 26 Federal Plaza. Contreras, a student at Marble Hill’s ELLIS Preparatory Academy, spent roughly 10 months detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania before his release in March of this year. “We knew that Dylan was in Moshannon, and that Moshannon was run by The GEO Group,” Harr said of what sparked her involvement in the campaign. “Then somehow one of us found out that Citizens Bank was still funding GEO and CoreCivic.” Reports published by Citizens Financial Group indicate the bank provided more than $1 billion in credit to The GEO Group in 2024 and served as a lender on a $1 billion credit facility for CoreCivic. On CoreCivic and The GEO Group’s May 6 earnings call, both com-
ELLIS secures $65k for graduating seniors By Olivia Young oyoung@riverdalepress.com
English Language Learners and International Support Preparatory Academy, ELLIS, raised more than $65,000 in scholarship funds for its 62 seniors graduating this June — a crucial need in the wake of rising college tuition costs and reduced federal aid. Principal Norma Vega launched the Marble Hill school in 2008 with the intent of designing a space for newly arrived immigrant students. Eighteen years later, the energy is “exponential,” Vega said, as volunteer support from the community, as well as the amount of money donated, rises each year. Funds can go toward gaps in college tuition, dorm supplies or transportation, among other things.
One student, 19-year-old Jezebel Macias, said she is attending Baruch College in the fall to study business. Three and a half years ago, she came to the Bronx from Ecuador, and soon found a community at ELLIS. She said she spoke little English and had never left her home before, but being among supportive staff and other students with similar life circumstances made her more comfortable. Macias said she is especially proud of her progress with Regents exams. The test involves a heavy amount of reading, and when she took it, Macias was still working on her English. On her third attempt, she emerged with an 83 out of 100, a 20-point jump from the ELLIS ON PAGE A4
GARY JEAN-JUSTE
Students Jezebel Macias and Shannel Figueredo, both 19, will be attending Baruch College in the fall.