Winner of Vol. 71, No. 33
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, September 24, 2020
$1.00
Bringing drag racing to a screeching halt Independence Avenue neighbors say they want their speed bumps back By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
Ready, set, wait Schools were expected to reopen this week, but the city isn’t as far past COVID-19 as it thinks. Page A3
The stretch of Independence Avenue is largely green, scenic and residential. But it’s been facing a problem over the past few years that threatens the peace there: It’s become a hotspot for drag racing. Although other nearby roadways — including Fieldston Road, the Henry Hudson Parkway, and the Major Editorial Deegan Expressway — comment are some of the more Page A10 common stretches used for the illegal speeding, the most prominent issues seem to center around Independence Avenue between West 232nd and West 246th streets. Largely straight, currently devoid of speed bumps and traffic cameras, and wider than most of the other streets in the community, Independence has become a drag racer’s paradise — much to the chagrin of those who live on and around it. Independence’s appeal to drag racers is nothing new, but it was something Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz hoped to curb by advocating for the installation of speed bumps on the street. After that was done in 2013, the drag racing seemed to die down, DRAG RACING, page A4
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz and Councilman Andrew Cohen were among those taking part in a safe streets rally last week, where concerned neighbors expressed individual grievances bout nightly drag racers along Independence Avenue. While drag racing has been an issue in the community for several years, it’s surged again over the past few months.
It’s time to vote
Councilman Andrew Cohen to street co-naming request
Confused about how to cast your vote? You’re not the only one. And November is coming soon. Page A8
ABOUT IT
FORGET
Ceremonial gesture intended to celebrate Spuyten Duvyil history By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
Not just Riverdale Marcos Sierra says it’s time for this area’s city council seat to look at the broader area in the rest of the borough. Page A6
Stephanie Coggins makes no secret of her love for Spuyten Duyvil. She’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes is the beauty and character of the neighborhood, no matter how big the foe may be. But the self-described “accidental activist” never intended to be so front-and-center. In fact, it wasn’t until developers decided to raze the century-old Villa Rosa Bonheur apartment building at 2395 Palisade Ave., overlooking the Spuyten Duyvil Creek, that she made her voice heard. Unfortunately, no matter how hard one fights, victory may not always be in reach. The last remnants of Villa Rosa Bonheur were carted away as the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the city,
Cohen does believe street co-namings are meaningful ways of honoring the community and culture. It’s just this particular co-naming is not a legislative priority for him. — Cohen spokeswoman leaving the apartment building as nothing more than a chapter in the community’s history. And in the same breath, defeat is not always solitary as Councilman Andrew Cohen rejected a plan that would ceremonially co-
JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL / File
A woman walks toward Bradley Terrace, a step street Spuyten Duyvil activist Stephanie Coggins had hoped to ceremonially co-name after the former Villa Rosa Bonheur apartment building nearby, and its developer, John J. McKelvey Sr. However, Councilman Andrew Cohen ended that push by telling Coggins and other community groups no. name a step street nearby. As she fought for Villa Rosa Bonheur, Coggins learned nearly every detail of its history — a lot of it forgotten, even by those who have called the neighborhood home for decades. What better way to highlight some of that history — including the barrel-tiled roof apartment building itself — than memorializing it wherever
people can see it. Late last year, Coggins dedicated nearly every free moment she had pushing to co-name Bradley Terrace — a step street that leads to the Spuyten Duyvil Metro-North train station after both Villa Rosa Bonheur and its developer, John H. McKelvey Sr. “I really put hundreds of hours of work into this,” Coggins said.
“This time last year, my husband and I went up to the Catskills, and we rented a house for two weeks. I was there, in one of the bedrooms, pounding away on my laptop, trying to do enough research that I could put together a substantial nomination letter.” Coggins presented all this material to Community Board CO-NAMING, page A4
Evictions getting attention — but issue isn’t new By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
It’s been a rallying cry across the city — and across the state — for months. “Cancel rent,” “cancel mortgages,” “stop evictions.” There are more than 5 million renters in New York City, paying a median of $2,700 for a one-bedroom apartment according to Zumper.com. That’s the second highest in the entire country, and rent prices have been falling as the city struggles to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Residential and commercial tenants alike have struggled to pay rent during the health crisis, with the city’s unemployment rate at 16 percent, according to the state’s labor department. It’s an improvement over July, when nearly 20 percent of job-seekers were out of luck, but still much higher than the rest of New York state. Activists warn that thousands of people could face evictions when the statewide moratorium comes to an end — something that’s currently slated to happen Oct. 20, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared on Monday.
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
Apartments at 210 W. 262nd St., have seen six evictions over the last two years. While evictions have been in the news as housing activists advocate for extended eviction moratoriums, they’re nothing new for thousands of people in the city. But, while evictions have been in the news and on the minds of renters for the last seven months, it’s not exactly a new issue. For some, being removed from their
SOLD & CLOSED 4705 Henry Hudson Pwky, Apt. 2J ALISON BARTLETT // 917.379.2045
apartment might feel like something that only happens in pop culture, or to that downstairs neighbor who was sort of rude anyway. But thousands of people face evic-
tions each year, sometimes completely out of their control. And many times, they have nowhere else to go. The city has charted more than 66,000 evictions since 2016, with the Bronx leading the way with a third of them. For ZIP code 10463, which includes Kingsbridge and Spuyten Duyvil, there were nearly 640 evictions over a three-year period. For 10471, which includes the wealthier Riverdale and Fieldston neighborhoods, evictions were a tad above 125. Yet it can be difficult to contextualize such numbers, so activist Katelin Penner saw another way to break up the data — by government representative. According to stopevictionsnyc.com, more than 480 tenants were evicted in Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz’s district from the beginning of 2019 to this past March. That includes the greater Riverdale area, Kingsbridge, and parts of Woodlawn Heights, Wakefield and Norwood. The neighboring district represented by Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, which also includes EVICTIONS, page A4