connecting the point(s) hunts point, bronx,

1 Acknowledgements Our team owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Hunts Point residents and leaders who shared their time, networks and knowledge of the community with us. In particular, we would like to thank Angela Tovar at Sustainable (SSBx) for orienting us to Hunts Point and guiding our work and recommendations. We thank the staff at SSBx, notably Ei Kyaw and Amilcar Laboy, for assisting us in our fieldwork, and Case Wyse for facilitating our participation in environmental indicators research.

We are extremely grateful to our Advisory Committee for piloting our participatory vacant lot mapping exercise: Tanya Fields of the BLK Projek, Wanda Salaman of Mothers on the Move, Nina Sander of Rocking the Boat, Kate Shackford of GRID Alternatives, and David Shuffler of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice.

The community meeting was made by possible by all the residents, community leaders and local politicians in attendance, by The Point CDC, specifically Shukura McDavid, Dania Silvero, Rachelle Fernandez, and Alejandra Delfin for generously providing us with use of their incredible space, and Blank Plate for catering a healthy and delicious meal.

We also owe gratitude to all of the individuals who took the time to share their insights and expertise with us and helped us get up to speed on the issues and opportunities in the community: Assemblyman from the 85th Assembly for New York State; Maria Carmen del Arroyo from NYC Council - District 17; from Community Board 2; Susan McSherry from the DOT Hunts Point Clean Trucks Program; Robin West from Urban Health Plan; Charlie Samboy, Julie Stein and Kate Van Tassel from NYC Economic Development Corporation; Natasha Dwyer and Juan Camilo Osorio from the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance; Emily Walker and Lucy Robson from New Yorkers for Parks; and Tawkiyah Jordan and Sarit Platkin from the Department of City Planning.

We could not have accomplished everything we did without the support of Hunter College, and the faculty members who put their faith in us and provided useful feedback, including Professors Jochen Albrecht, Jill Gross, Owen Gutfreund, Matt Lasner, Lynn McCormick, and William Milczarski, as well as our Program Coordinator, Melissa Haldeman. Thank you as well to the students outside of our studio, Justin Rivera, Serge Del Grosso and Marco Castro, who volunteered their time to assist with our community meeting.

We also owe a big thank you to the media for helping to highlight our work, including the hosts of WHCR’s show Musical Pathways (DJ Black Icon and Lady Scorpio) and the Hunts Point Express, notably Ajhani Ayres.

Finally, this would not have been possible without the guidance of our faculty advisor, Dr. Laxmi Ramasubramanian, whose strong passion for empowering marginalized communities with alternative tactics and Participatory GIS helped us to think outside the box and create a community-driven plan. Thank you for your wisdom, your guidance, and your willingness to let us find our own way. charts, graphs, and maps acronyms Figure 1: Study Area Map 5 CBO - Community Based Organization contents Figure 2: Outreach Chart 7 CSA - Community Supported Agriculture Figure 3: Community Preference Map 8 DSNY - Dept. of Sanitation Intro 1 Field Research: Analyzing Quality Figure 4: Past Plans Chart 16 NYC DCP - New York City Dept. of City Planning About Hunts Point Studio of Life in Hunts Point 39 Figure 5: Population Graph 23 NYC DEP - New York City Dept. of Environmental About Sustainable South Bronx Vacant Land Figure 6: Median Income Graph 23 Protection Our Story Connectivity to Parks & Open Space Figure 7: Poverty Rate Graph 23 NYC DCAS - New York City Dept. of Citywide Study Area Access to Healthy & Affordable Food Figure 8: Educational Attainment Graph 24 Administrative Services Methodology 7 Recommendations 51 Figure 9: Race Pie Chart 24 NYC DOH - New York City Dept. of Health Contextual Research Vacant Land Toolkit Figure 10: Land Use Map 25 NYC DOITT - New York City Dept. of Information Best Practices & Case Studies Food Restaurant Incubator Figure 11: Zoning Map 25 Technology and Telecommunications Community Consultation Urban Agriculture Figure 12: City-Designated Vacant Lots Map 25 NYC DOT - New York City Dept. of Transportation Field Research Fresh Food Incentives for Bodegas Figure 13: Noxious Uses Map 26 NYC DPR - New York City Dept. of Parks and Digital Presence Placemaking and Design Interventions Figure 14: Parks and Open Space Map 27 Recreation Figure 15: Park Accessibility Graph 28 NYC EDC - New York City Economic Development Planning Context 17 Conclusion 73 Figure 16: Housing Type Pie Chart 31 Corporation Past Plans and Studies Appendices 75 Figure 17: Employment Graph 32 NYC HPD - New York City Dept. of Housing Existing Conditions Analysis 21 Figure 18: Public Transportation Map 34 Preservation and Development Geography and History Figure 19: Truck Route Map 34 NYC OER - New York City Office of Environmental Demographic Profile Figure 20: Crime Graph 36 Remediation Land Use/Zoning Figure 21: City-Designated Vacant Lots with Active Use Map 39 NYC OLTPS - New York City Office of Long-Term Community Health Figure 22: City-Designated Vacant Lots with Waste Map 42 Planning and Sustainability Housing Figure 23: Empty Vacant Lots Map 43 NYC SBS - New York City Department of Small Economics Figure 24: Vacant Buildings 44 Business Services Transportation & Connectivity Figure 25: Park Access Graph 1 46 NYS DEC - New York State Dept. of Environmental Crime Figure 26: Park Access Graph 2 46 Conservation Figure 27: Food Access Graph 1 48 NYS DOT - New York State Dept. of Transportation Figure 28: Food Access Graph 2 48 SSBx - Sustainable South Bronx Figure 29: Food Vendor Map 49 USDA - United States Dept. of Agriculture US EPA - United States Environmental Protection Agency *All photos taken by studio membes unless otherwise noted. YMPJ - Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice introduction 1 this reportfulfillthecapstonestudiorequirementforMasterofUrbanPlanningdegree atHunterCollege. planning year-long a of outcome final future. in thenear the community impact to positively recommendations actionable in that hasresulted process and process This planning the is — neighborhood Point Hunts the for plan driven community a — Point(s) the Connecting Hunts PointneighborhoodoftheSouthBronx. The Hunts Point Studio was commissioned by Sustainable South Bronx, a local community based organization, to carry out a study in the 2015 academicyear. LéaDuget,anexchangestudentfromFranceparticipatedinstudioactivities duringFall2014aspartofthisteam. 2014- the during Ramasubramanian Laxmi Dr.advisor, academic their with worked team The Thompson. Josh and Printz, Stephanie Heffron, Nate Gelder, Sarah Feder, Leah Dupre, Jocelyn Clarke, Corey students: graduate seven of team a is Studio Point Hunts The about hunts pointstudio // Introduction enterprise. social and programs, greening community training, job green of combination a through – City YorkNew throughout and – Bronx South the in issues environmental and economic address to New Yorkerslow-income of start. Today,needs fresh a seeking are who is SSBx of mission the economic the to restoration environmental linking by focus its broadened has SSBx years, 10 justice. Overthepast environmental to promote in theSouthBronxand development green and parks for advocate to desire a of out began (SSBx) Bronx South Sustainable 2001, in Founded About Sustainable // bronx south 1 planning principles capital intensive projects non- and feasible financially proposed are Ensure 4. scale and small that areactionable 3. Develop recommendations our workafterthestudioisover community membersto continue information to empower available publicly and data Make 2. planning process and Point ateverystageof the engaging on of Hunts the residents serving Focus 1. principles: that is grounded inthe following The teamsoughttocreateaplan 2 introduction 3 of eachthe neighborhood’s parks. walk minute 15 or 10 5, a within residents of number the showing analysis GIS a conducted amenities. we questionnaire, this Alongside a get to wanted to these connections onimproving access toexistingparkspacesinorderfacilitate recommendations sense ofhowresidents perceive We traffic. truck heavy with burdened streets industrial down walking require and residents most for distance walking to simply enough not is It connectivity. reasonable a of outside of are many but spaces, park newly-created beautiful some has Point questions Hunts fact, in — isolation in spaces activate around outreach conducted also we research, this quantify and complement To space vacant for repurposing, andalargernarrativeaboutthe mostimmediateconcernsforHuntsPointresidents. ideas concrete outcomes: two least at achieve would we work this of out that anticipating land, vacant the with done see to wanted they what know to Wewanted members. community of forum larger a to then and 8), page (see stakeholders community key small of a Committee to Advisory first question, a posed we which in community.meetings the of within series existing a Wehosted already potential the activate to how of question the with was it research, our of portion outreach community broader the began we As action aroundthesespaces. vacant spaces in the area — a data set we are making publicly of catalog available accurate to and up-to-date community an stakeholders develop and who resource are this of looking scale to the determine take to real, order in concrete survey land vacant a conducted We for small-scaleinterventionthataddsuptolarge-scaletransformation. one by one — a community garden here, new housing there, a farmers’ market tackled here, or a network a community as center another there. one with They connection in offer imagined be the can opportunity they intervention: piecemeal to themselves lend also buildings It can activatethepotentialofbothspace itselfandthecommunitythatlivesworksaroundit. a processofreimagining. Lots and and buildings. We chose to look at this as an opportunity: physical space that is not being used to its full potential offers the basic unit for land underutilized and vacant with beset community a become has Point Hunts decisions, planning use land poor of decades Through identified anumberofchallengesandopportunities. felt safeorunsafe. people local of where an understanding including the keyphysicalassetsinneighborhood, this work,we Through experts withinandoutsidethecommunity. Wevaluable information about residents incommunitypreferencemapping,gaining engaged Wegroups. taken onbylocalcommunity that canbe action for transformative opportunities to identify to begin order Point in interviewed Toof Hunts landscape and social both thephysical investigating conditions, ofexisting an analysis by conducting thisend,webegan chose tofocusonsmall-scale,actionableinterventionsthatcouldbeimplementedwithout significantcapitaloutlays. that thecommunitydidnotneedanotherplantositonashelf. show forit.Ourclientmadeitclearfromthebeginning Therefore, theteam to results inadequate with over-surveyed feeling community the in many left have efforts that planning of victim and beneficiary the both been has Point Hunts illustrates, 15 neighborhood. page over-planned on plans notoriously recent a of is Point exploration Hunts the As our story //

We areexcited toshareourworkwithyou. could take,whiledevelopingdatasetsthatcanbeusedbyothersseekingtocarrythiswork forward. spaces of transformation the form what on community.recommendations the developed of we’ve rest And the from off cut currently are that better meets the needs of residents. We’ve also identified potential places to improve connectivity to neighborhood amenities, which place a into Point Hunts transform to order in reimagined be could that places and spaces the for vision a produce to able been We’ve aggregated informationaboutfoodvendorsinHuntsPointandcompiledthedataintoan accessibleandeasy-to-usemap. up product that we could come share with those seeking to advocate for had food-based projects within the community.access Todata food a developing also complement this that while survey,food, to we access Given their of perceptions residents’food. quantify to opportunity affordable an saw we and research, our throughout healthy to access about questions included also survey connectivity The -The HuntsPointStudio,May2015 4 introduction provides a solid foundationtodevelop acommunity-driven plan. transformation of former industrial sitesintowaterfrontparks toof the developmentSouthBronx greenway. This socialinfrastructure the from wins, many had has community faces. The neighborhood the challenges the to solutions innovative and organizing community for forward path the paved have politicians local and (CBOs) organizations community-based color.The of community low-income this of marginalization the against and justice environmental for fighting of history long a with strong, are Point Hunts in institutions civic The completed. However, connections. highway to truckroutesand not yetbeen have term projects long and intensive capital manyofthe proposed and improvements of agreenway community throughbetterland uses,thedevelopment the industryandresidential between balance has receivedalotofattentioninthe past. Manyplansandstudieshavelookedtoimprovethe Due tothistension,neighborhood the essentialroleofthisneighborhoodinproviding regionalservices,whileatthesametimemeetingneedsoflocalcommunity consumed in New York City. There is a tension between supplying over 60 percent of the fresh food and produce the infrastructureofcity,center withthedistribution FoodDistribution Point Center. theHunts At the same time, these industries are crucial to from and to traffic with heavytruck and wastetransferstations,along industries polluting uses, including land undesirable double. than more The residentsherebear more thantheirfairshareof rate poverty a and average, City YorkNew the half at income median a with vulnerable, suggest thatthecommunityiseconomically indicators of Hunts Pointresidentsidentifyas . Key 5 the Expressway.the Bruckner and River in located peninsula 690-acre by theBronxRiver,Southeast Bronx,bounded the East a is Point Hunts study area// hr ae vr 200 eiet, 400 workers, 14,000 residents, Point. Hunts in 12,000 businesses 667 and over are there 2013, for Patterns Business Census US to According community,as ahubofindustry.also serving while residential to avibrant is home The neighborhood is withinzipcode10474. to thewater,from theBrucknerExpressway peninsula, 2 The entiretyofthe 3 Over 74 percent 74 Over . 3. U.S.CensusBusinessPatterns,byzipcode,2013. peninsula 2. “Hunts Point Peninsula,” New York City Economic Development Corporation, Last Modified May 07, 2015, Date Accessed May 14, 2015, http://www.nycedc.com/project/hunts-point- 1. “OurMission,”SustainableSouthBronx,LastModified2013,http://www // section endnotes // .ssbx.org/our-mission/ 6 METHODOLOGY 7 Community consultation // contextual research// Hunts Point. impacts of unique events such as Hurricane Sandy. From this, the team derived a preliminary understanding of the existing conditions in census including data andrelevant literature. The data, historicalandpresentlandusepatterns, team including as also examinedgeographical well as the information, available publicly analyzed and studies, and plans past researched accounts, historical consulted team from aninformedplace,thestudio the neighborhood in HuntsPointandapproach the presentconditions In ordertobetterunderstand over thecourseof year, andmany moreindirectly. people 100 over with directly connected they that estimates team studio the Ultimately, visits. field during conversations in informal and engaging meetings board community attending of ways,fromformalcommunitymeetings andsurveysto The team engaged withcommunity membersina variety approaches andinterventionsthey have usedto tackle them. to thosefoundinHuntsPoint,andinvestigated the obstacles to facesimilar faced orcontinue other communitiesthathave In an attempt to explore creative solutions, the team analyzed best practices andcase studies // Methodology t n pnivtto community open-invitation meeting one weeklater. an at for use exercise this refine help to The committeealsogave feedback about these possibilities. discussion these vacantspaces, and facilitated show whattheywouldliketoseein stickersto members tousecoded map, a large and askedcommittee vacant spacesinthecommunityon the visualized team The Lot?” That Youin Do See “What Wantto called which theteampilotedanexercise group participatedina meeting at this 2015, 19th, March On forward. guide them as they moved theirwork Hunts Point organizations in order to Committee comprised of leaders from an The team assembled Advisory advisory committee http://wikimapping.com/wikimap/HuntsPointCommunityMap.html. which canbeviewedat 98 collected map online interactive an into digitized all were points. These and data members community 50 with spoke members they feelsafeorunsafe. and where like intheneighborhood Team don’t and like they places which about members community with where theyvisitedpublicplaceswithamapof the areaandspoke exercise, mapping preference a community The teamconducted community preferencemapping participatory mapping South Bronx Tovar,Angela Justice Ministries forPeaceand David Shuffler, Youth Alternatives Kate Shackford,GRID Boat Nina Sander, Rockingthe the MoveBX Wanda Salaman,Motherson Tanya Fields,BLKProjek Members Commmittee Advisory Sustainable 8 METHODOLOGY 9 and aggregatedthisdatainordertogainamorerobustpictureofcommunitymembers’ facilitated discussion. Towards the end of the meeting, eachtablereportedtheirresultsto the rest of the group. Studiomemberscollected members team studio and groups in worked Participants uses. preferred their signify to map the on dots drafting color-coded place and spaces vacant the with done see to wanted they what about talk to survey. participants vacancy invited the then in Facilitators identified buildings and lots vacant the showing community the of map 40” x 32” a had which of each tables, three around gathered Participants what doyou want to seeinthat vacant lot? and onesecondaryactivity, “HuntsPointIs…” Lot?” That in See to WantYou Do “What activity, primary one social flyer, via advertised media, email, phone call, web, and word-of mouth, and was included meeting This attendance. in Hunts Point. There were approximately 30 community members community in public Avenue Garrison 940 at a located CDC, hosted Point The at team meeting the 2015, 26th, March On community visioningsession desiresforthecommunity . members aboutdailylife andinHuntsPoint. andstudio between residents to helpfacilitateconversation or somethingtheyloveaboutthearea. This was intended to see, like they would a change the neighborhood, within or experience a feeling or illustrate write down and recall hungonthewallinvitingthemto toward fourposterboards As participants arrived at the meeting, they were directed hunts pointis... 10 METHODOLOGY 11 sourced mapofenvironmental contaminants. crowd- a to data quality air contributed and devices sensor with community the around these observations, the team participated in an AirCasting exercise whereby they walked noxious odorsandpollutants that are openlyreleased throughoutthe streets. As part of the and movement pedestrian to hindrances the firsthand experiencing also while parks, of theneighborhood. dimensions neighborhood centers and community The teamvisited tours throughthecommunity,the physical via notesand photography documenting walking of number a took team , South Sustainable with briefing initial an After field observations field research// This questionnairecanbefoundintheapendixofthisreport. the web. The surveyyielded46respondentsintotal,30ofwhomwereresidents. via obtained of moreresponses at strategiccommunitylocations,withacouple tabling obstacles to both. Surveyparticipantswererecruitedat the communitymeetingandvia food purchasingandconsumptionhabitsinthe community, current park usage,and of access to food and parks in the community. This 24-question survey assessed current The team crafted a Food and Park Access Questionnaire to better understand perceptions Food andpark access questionnaire CBOs, thecommunityboard,andcityagencies,aswelllocalpoliticians. and nonprofits local from areas. Teamindividuals topic sixteen key with spoke members on their expertise and toglean are intheneighborhood opportunities and challenges to hearfromthemwhattheythoughtthekey stakeholders The teaminterviewed stakeholder interviews • • • • • • • • • • • interviewees

2 Manager, BronxCommunityBoard Robin West, UrbanHealthPlan New Yorkers forParks Emily Walker and LucyRobson, Development Corporation & KateVan Tassel, Economic Charlie Samboy, JulieStein Kate Shackford,GRIDAlternatives Nina Sander, RockingtheBoat Rafael SalamancaJr., Trucks Program Transportation, HuntsPointClean Susan McSherry, Departmentof Department ofCityPlanning Tawkiyah Jordan&SaritPlatkin, Alliance Osorio, EnvironmentalJustice Natasha Dwyer&JuanCamilo Crespo Marcos State Assemblyman Arroyo Councilwoman MariadelCarmen District The results ofthissurveycanbe found onpage49. or bodega in the residential core and special zoning district. data onthelocationofeverysupermarket, deli, recorded survey,the vacancy conducting While theteamalso survey canbefoundonpage39. this from Results ArcGIS. in analyzed then was data The photographs. and notes use field and maps, Google database), land Planning’s City of Department (NYC Zola using members team multiple by verified was collected data The definitions. each lot and photographing each lot and building that fit the down everyblocktakingasurveyof district bywalking Zoning Special surrounding the and core residential the in frontdoor”). Teambuilding each vacantlotand membersthensurveyed aboarded or with condemned’ ‘officially is it vacant buildings (“any structure with signage indicating that for one and exists”) use community or business active any a or structure of lawful no which on land of parcel definition (“a lot vacant working a developing by began team The which wefoundtobevacant,and(3)vacantbuildings. city-designated vacant lots, (2) lots that were not (1) city-designated vacant but of state the catalog to order in survey scale vacancysurvey. The teamcraftedandconductedthe unreliable. to conductalarge Therefore thegroupdecided vacant lotsinHuntsPointwasinconsistentandat times on data, City including data, existing that found team The Food vendorsurvey vacant lot andbuildingsurvey 12 METHODOLOGY 13 Facebook pagetosharenewsandevents. a maintains and Twitteron @hunts_studio also is team The work. studio’s the showcasing In February 2015, the Hunts Point Studio launched a web presence at huntspointstudio.org, digital presence// aircasting.org. view maps of collecteddata,visit to or AirCasting about more learn Tosessions. measurement quality air public holds also and YorkCity New throughout in HuntsPointand partners withlocal schools initiative Barretto Point Park. The AirCasting and muchbetterinparks,suchas in theindustrialareasofHuntsPoint intersections trafficked highly near worse much is one would quality air As expect, air quality areas. specific on in data fine-grained more to display we usedwereable measurement tools,thedevices quality air sophisticated more from as thatcollected is notasreliable the datathatiscollected Although trucks andopenrepairshops. sources suchasidling polluting matter and aresensitiveto certain capture dataonparticulate devices conditions at specific locations. The quality air display to crowd-sourced mapped and then is data The quality air measurements onthestreetlevel. hyper-local record to are pairedwithasmartphoneapp program that sensors quality air small uses AirCasting The AirCasting Bronx. an South held atSustainable session in participated of the Hunts PointStudioteam members 2014, 22, November On Aircasting 14 planning context 15 hunts pointvisionplan(2004) plans havebeenimplemented,othercomponentsyettoberealizedasofthedate of thisreport. and pedestrian safety; creating new parks and open space; and developing new workforce opportunities. Although many aspects of these solutions proposed varied, many centered around a few common themes: improving land use and transportation; enhancing streetscapes community from the abundance of noxious land uses and heavy truck traffic to the availability of quality jobs and flood resiliency. While the Since 2000, there have been seven studies and/or plans focused on Hunts Point. These plans addressed a number of issues facing the past plansandstudies // ot Box rewy otie blw ad nw Workforce1 new a and Center. below, outlined Greenway, Bronx South neighborhood.” buffer between themanufacturing districtandadjacentresidential food industrysector on the Hunts Pointpeninsula, whilecreatinga the of expansion and growth the encourage “to designed 2008, in DCP’sto led plan this from District Point Hunts Special a of creation and improving traffic safety & efficiency. Land use recommendations connections; creating solutions; workforce implementing use; land government and Recommendations from this plan fall into four categories: optimizing officials, elected critical issuesfacingthecommunity.agencies, focusedonaddressing constituents, local owners, EDC-led NYC multi-agency, a initiative thatbeganasataskforceofcommunityleaders,business was Plan Vision Point Hunts The be discussed intherecommendation sectionofthisreport. not has district zoning special solved many of will use issues.Some of the land these challenges new the and stalled currently are station for trucks and upgradesto the wastewater treatment plant However, initiatives. and fuel efficient energy an of development the other plans through underway currently or are implemented been 2 Most of the Hunts Point Vision Plan recommendations have 1 Inaddition,theplanledtoinitialphases ofthe planning context 16 planning context issue inthecommunity. 17 the neighborhood. to the relocation of the , however, so it would seem prudent to conduct a more updated survey to assess truck traffic in prior conducted was study drivers. This for problems as identified also the Truckwere on Route” Signing “Poor and Signs” Name Street “No issue. an as congestion traffic listed surveyed those of percent 45 that found neighborhood. study the The of out and in routes truck the using and exiting, entering, center were for thedistribution drivers at how to look truck drivers and owners with company conducted were surveys and study,interviews the of part a Point. As Hunts in movement truck study to Inc. O’Dea, engineering & URS/Goodkind hired consultants with collaboration in DOT NYS the by effort an was Study TruckTransportation of Department YorkState New The new york state department oftransportation study (2004) truck rjcs rm hs oe sc a te Randall’s the as Island connector, such are stillinprogress. one, phase from projects built onthewaterfront.Larger has been Landing) core havebeenmadeandanewpark(Hunts Point AvenueLafayette and Avenue) the residential through on twomainstreets(HuntsPoint improvements Street areas. recreational and piers fishing as well bicycle lanes,street trees andstreet furniture, as medians andmedianupgradesto new landscaped from the HuntsPointpeninsula, throughout creation of a number of new greenwayconnections The SouthBronxGreenwayPlanhasledto the greenway bronx south plan(2007) advocating fortheimplementation ofthisplan. in role key a played have organizations community to parkscomplementthisplan.SSBxandother local connectivity andaccess around recommendations 3 residents. outreach tolocal in thatitlacked limited This studywasalso Truckand truckroutesarestillamajor idling 4 Many of our (2009) area nomination study brownfield opportunity waterfront bronx The south Point neighborhoodtodate. land useorconnectivityinthe Hunts has not solved manyof the issues of As stated previously, the special zoning also prohibits new waste-related uses. and businesses inthe neighborhood food-related other of development the encourages it Further area. industrial and the core oftheneighborhood residential the between zone buffer a created has This M1-2. to M3-1 and 1, M2- M1-1, from blocks 70 of rezoning the to led has and 2008 in commission by thecityplanning was approved Hunts PointDistrict The Special (2008) zoning district report special hunts point However, inconversations withlocalcommunitymemberstheteam learnedthatfundingonthisinitiativeis currently stalled. benefit neighborhood residents.” The plans in the study are in the nomination phase currently waitingand the toPoint CDC to “identify receiveunder-used land and buildings that fundinghave the potential to forbe transformed into community implementation. resources that can The South Bronx Waterfront Brownfield Opportunity Area Nomination Study was a New York State-funded plan compiled by YMPJ, SSBx 5

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planning context to bothpoliticalandfinancialconstraints. due primarily any implementation, has notseen this plan appropriate completely.Expressway remove theSheridan However, encouraging to is plan this of goal main and The development. mixed-use zoning, neighborhood the safetyofpedestriannetwork,changing increasing the ,public accesstoparks along improving Expressway.the Sheridan recommends The studyalso better connect the Hunts Point Food Distribution center to threenewrampsonOakPoint to build Avenue inorderto 19 area.” the of core employment theeconomic and Point, to Hunts traveling traffic for routes increasingly an between efficient maintain to need the and area residential vibrant balance “a striking at aimed and effort, city Use agency multi- another Study,Transportationis Land Point Expressway-Hunts Sheridan The sheridan-Hunts Pointlanduseandtransportation study (2013) event of future storms. in the are operational and distribution ensure foodsupplies and infrastructureto new energygeneration develop and greenway; waterfront a to access improve system; The goals resilience. of flood Hunts Point improve Lifelines to are to Sandy create a post-Hurricane flood protection Development Urban and Housing of Department Federal led bythe an initiative competition, By Design Rebuild ofthe projects is oneofthewinning Hunts PointLifelines, huntspoint/lifelines -rebuild by design(2013) spend this first portionofthefunding. to how decide to underway are efforts Current plan. this realize to needed funds total the of portion small a only is however,more; million $25 over promised has Blasio this De Bill Mayor and funding in million $20 committed has 9 To date, the federal government 7 This studyproposes 10

8 falls-short-say-planners/ http://brie.hunter.cuny.edu/hpe/2015/01/20/funding-against-storms-2015. 20, January Express, Point Hunts planners,” say short, falls storms against “Funding Rosengren, Cole 10. 9. PennDesign/OLIN,(2014)HuntsPoint/Lifelines,RebuildByDesign,http://www 8. Ibid 7. New York CityDepartmentofPlanning,(2013)Sheridan-HuntsPointLandUseand Transportation Study. org/centers/development.html http://www.ympj. 2015, 14, May Date Accessed: unknown, Modified Date Planning, and Development Community for Center Centers: Our Justice, and YouthPeace 6. for Ministries 5. CityofNew York, (2008)SpecialHuntsPointDistrict, Article X,Chapter8. 4. SouthBronxGreenwayhttp://www.bronxriver.org/puma/images/usersubmitted/greenway_plan/ 3. URSGoodkind&O’Dea,Inc.,(2004)HuntsPoint Truck Study. https://www.dot.ny.gov/regional-offices/region11/projects/project-repository/bese/pdf/hp_p1.pdf 2. New York CityEconomicDevelopmentCorporation,(2004)HuntsPointVision Plan. 1. CityofNew York, ZoningResolution:SpecialHuntsPointDistrict, Article X,Chapter8. // section endnotes // .rebuildbydesign.org/project/hunts-point-lifelines/ 20 existing conditions 21 geography andhistory // class residents—mostofwhomwereJewish,IrishandItalianimmigrants. working- of influx City,an the to in led uses which industrial for location key a River,became East neighborhood the the to next position A shift occurred with the establishment of Greater New York City in 1898 and the construction of the Pelham subway line in 1904. With its During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Hunts Point was primarily a suburban retreat for well-to-do residents. commercial wastetransferstationslocatedin theHuntsPoint. on City-owned landfills and incinerators into a privately-operated network of waste transfer stations; With this shift a number of inclining nearwhatisnowtheresidentialcoreofHuntsPoint. includes the largest food distribution center in the United States. The industrial portion of the neighborhood remains close to sea level until Hunts Point is a low-lying, 690-acre peninsula located in the southeast Bronx. Much of the land is comprised of an industrial area, which Hunts Point has made remarkable changes and progress over the past few decades. Efforts by nonprofits, community groups and groups quality-of-life for residents in Hunts Point and community the South Bronx. nonprofits, by Efforts decades. few past the community development over corporations (CDCs), as well as progress investments made by the and public and private sectors have changes significantly improved remarkable made has Point Hunts property values. that project Moses-era Robert a Expressway,opened in 1973, further isolated Hunts Point from the rest of the South Bronx, displacing residents and local businesses and decreasing Bruckner the of construction The 1952. in opened which Plant, Treatment Wastewater the HuntsPoint industrial, withthesitingoflargefacilities,including increasingly During thistime,HuntsPointwasalsobecoming Bronx, andmanybuildingswereleftvacant. South the of rest the in like much rose, rates Crime area. the of out moved resources the poverty,of in many living and residents Rican Puerto and African-American mostly of population a towards shifted demographics The more. once transformed Point the Hunts toward suburbs, middle-class white the of migration outward the and abandonment city of decades several to due 1960s, and 1950s the In noxious usesthatwere concentratedintheneighborhoodduring mid-tolate-20 are theresultof theenvironmentally of which many challenges, numerous experiences still to thearea, neighborhood businesses and 4 existing conditions Finally, in the latter half of the 20th century, the City’s municipal waste disposal system transformed from one that relied 3 The highestpointonthepeninsulais90feetabovesealevel. 5 6 However, despite the significant drop in crime and the return of residents 2

th century. 1

• • • • • • • • • key • as stakeholders intheneighborhood: identified organizations students. are the The following community area spaces andactivelyengage multi-purpose offer also organizations these of Many health. public justice totheartsand economic and missions from environmental ranging with nonprofits, and CBOs Hunts Pointhasa strong presenceof Nonprofits &CBO

Justice Youth MinistriesforPeaceand Urban HealthPlan Sustainable SouthBronx SoBro Rocking theBoat Development Corporation The PointCommunity Mothers ontheMove Development Corporation Hunts PointEconomic GRID Alternatives The BLKProjek s 22 population educational attainment demographic profile //

Hunts Point has an estimated residential population of 12,519, identified issues & according to the 2013 5-Year ACS estimates, which is up 10 percent from the year 2000, when the population was 11,354. assets from existing conditions existing Population density is low, with roughly 7,929 people per square stakeholder interviews mile (compared to 27,012 for New York City overall). This corresponds with the land use patterns in the neighborhood, The team asked the 16 interviewees to identify what they perceived as the with the vast majority of land dedicated to industrial uses and 7 issues and assets in the community. only a small portion to housing. The population is relatively The interviewees identified many of the young, at a median age of 28.9 years, when compared to the issues that were found in the existing Bronx, which has a median age of 32.7 years, and New York conditions research conducted by the Source: 2013 ACS 5-Year City, which has a median age of 35.5 years.8 team, including: truck traffic, lack of median income accessibility to and awareness of parks, Hispanic residents make up 75 percent of the total population, a lack of follow through and funding according to the 2013 5-Year ACS estimates. This percentage is from some city initiatives, crime, poor much higher than both the New York City average (28.6 percent) sidewalk conditions and lighting, and a stigma of the neighborhood. They and the Bronx average (53.5 percent). The remainder of the Source: 2013 ACS 5-Year neighborhood’s population is 23 percent African American and also identified many of the assets that the team observed, including: active 1.1 percent white.9 race & ethnicity community based organizations, tight- knit and engaged residents, quality According to the 2013 5-Year ACS estimates, the median parkland, and ample waterfront space household income in Hunts Point is $23,363 per year, which is for potential future reuse. This valuable roughly $10,000 less than the median income in the Bronx and Source: 2013 ACS 5-Year information further reinforced and less than half of the median income in New York City. This is complemented the team’s findings. further demonstrated by the population living below the poverty poverty rate line — 41.8 percent of Hunts Point families have incomes below the poverty level compared to 29.8 percent in the Bronx and 20.3 percent citywide. Educational attainment is also lagging behind, with over 50 percent of the population without a high school diploma or equivalency degree, one of the highest rates in NYC.10

Source: 2013 ACS 5-Year Source: 2013 ACS 5-Year 23 24 land use city designated vacant lots land use and zoning // Vacant lots The land use in Hunts Point is dominated by industries, with almost There are over 70 city-designated vacant lots within the 90 percent of the total land area categorized as manufacturing. residential core and special zoning district. Vacancies can have These uses surround the small residential core, which makes a profound impact on quality of life. In a marginalized community existing conditions existing up almost eight percent, as well as parks, which make up nearly struggling against numerous structural barriers, vacant lots have three percent of the Hunts Point land area.11 the potential to communicate a sense that a neighborhood is an undesirable place in which to live. Furthermore, a number of these The zoning further demonstrates this pattern. The residential lots are brownfields, which are sites that have previously hosted core is at the center of the peninsula, zoned R6, a medium- hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, and require Source: MapPLUTO v14. density residential district. This area has one commercial overlay 2 remediation before they can host any new uses. Recognizing this, along Hunts Point Ave, resulting in local retail. This is surrounded the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation by the “Special Hunts Point District,” which was approved by has designated Hunts Point, along with its surrounding the City Planning Commission in 2008 and rezoned 70 blocks neighborhoods in the South Bronx, as a Brownfield Opportunity to M1-2, from M1-1, M2-1 and M3-1. This district provides a Area. buffer between the residential area and heavy industry. Within this Special District overlay, there are two sub-districts: the 2 Residential Buffer Subdistrict and the Food Industry Subdistrict.12 v14. Source: MapPLUTO zoning noxious uses noxious uses The Residential Buffer Subdistrict allows for commercial uses Noxious uses are at the heart of the environmental justice (EJ) and community facilities “that promote local and regional arts issues in Hunts Point, with the neighborhood bearing an unequal and culture, and provide options for communal activities on the 13 burden of the City’s undesirable land uses. In New York City, peninsula.” Examples of commercial uses that are allowed commercial waste is handled by private companies through 63 include clothing stores, department stores, dry goods or fabric waste transfer stations, 9 of which are located in Hunts Point.16 stores, furniture stores, and household appliance stores. The EJ communities of the South Bronx and Newtown Creek, Examples of community facilities that are allowed include bear the burden of managing over 60 percent of the city’s libraries, museums, community centers, and non-commercial total commercial waste, while making up only a small percentage recreational centers. of the total population.17 Beyond commercial waste, there are 23 auto dismantlers and 11 scrap metal processors in Hunts 2 In the Food Industry Subdistrict, the focus is on the prohibition of Source: MapPLUTO v14. Point. One of the city’s largest wastewater treatment plants is certain new uses. Specifically, waste-related and heavy industrial 14 also located in Hunts Point, with 13 others located throughout the uses are prohibited “regardless of performance standards.” city.18 The disproportionate concentration of noxious land uses and heavy industry places an unjust environmental burden on The perimeter of Hunts Point is zoned M3-1, which allows for the community of Hunts Point, leading to an abundance of odors heavy manufacturing uses, that “generate noise, traffic, or 15 and pollutants, as well as poorly maintained land throughout the pollutants.” peninsula. Source: MapPLUTO v14. Source: MapPLUTO 2 25 26 Despite these open space assets, Hunts Point does not meet the minimum standards for access to park space. As defined by New resiliency Yorkers for Parks, 100 percent of residents should be within a five minute walk of a neighborhood park (a park between one and twenty Along the periphery of the peninsula, the area is relatively flat until it hits a relative steep incline as one approaches the residential core. acres). 21However, the four neighborhood parks in Hunts Point reach only half of the population within a five minute walk. The highest point on the peninsula is 90 feet above sea level.19 This geographical configuration leaves the peninsula at great risk of flooding, particularly in the area occupied by the food distribution center at the southeastern end of the peninsula. distancE to parks existing conditions existing This vulnerability is made all the more acute by the fact that the Hunts Food Distribution Center is vital to the New York Metro Area food distribution network, serving over 22 million people. Superstorm Sandy exposed the vulnerability of Hunts Point to flooding, as well as power and fuel outages. According to future projections, Hunts Point will become increasingly at risk with the added impact of sea level rise.20

Parks and open space hunts point parks The parks of Hunts Point are among the neighborhood’s most promising assets. Barretto Point Park, Hunts Point Landing and Hunts Point Riverside Park all provide spectacular waterfront views with well-maintained green space. Source: 2013 ACS 5-Year Julio Carballo Fields and Hunts Point Playground provide facilities for physical Further, it can be quite challenging to access some of these parks, either via foot or bicycle, from the neighborhood’s residential core. activity during all times of the year and Traveling to the parks often involves bypassing long stretches of heavily industrial areas and designated truck routes; further, idling trucks the Floating Pool Lady, a former barge can often be observed along the periphery of these open spaces, presenting another barrier. Improving access to Hunts Point’s parklands converted into a floating pool at Barretto is central to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood. Point, provides residents a fun way to cool off during the summer. 2 photos: Marco Castro Source: MapPLUTO v14. Source: MapPLUTO

27 28 existing conditions 29 near highwaysandindustrial facilities. spaces of moregreen and thecreation highways NO2 near built from being schools to prevent regulations monitor to new suggested also it level; ground DEC to closer levels NYC pushing advocated study The life. of quality and health their affecting schools tooclosetoandmajorroadways, highways attending are disproportionately minority children low-income, that and level human the at quality air measuring NYC for inadequate that was monitoring showed air DEC results Point Their Hunts 2000. in in starting quality of air studied School organizations, Wagner F. Robert Public Service, and a number of local community the School Medicine, NYU and EPA the of States with collaboration United in the conducted by funded study A hospitalizations. attack heart and asthma of Haven residents suffer from high rates disproportionately Point-Mott Hunts DOH, NYC to According COMMUNITY HEALTH // in theBronxand68New York City. 76 versus residents 10,000 per 144 are Haven Mott The heart attack hospitalization rates in Hunts Point- is also much higher than older in the Bronx or or New York 65 City. aged adults among hospitalizations New for 76 and YorkBronx the for City. attack Heart City average at 203 per 10,000 people, while it is 149 five years old is more than three times the New York asthma hospitalization rate among children less than 23 24

2 The

photos: Marco Castro a counterintuitive phenomenon whereresidentsarebothobeseandhungryatthesametime. a counterintuitivephenomenon congressional district inthecountry,congressional average. andmorethan twicethenational district, of which Hunts Point is part, said they lacked money to buy food at some point in the past 12 months. That is more than any other of obesity,households. of foodinsecure aswellthehighestpercentage New Yorkhas Bronx well-documented. The been have area rate City’shighest surrounding the and Point Hunts of struggles health The food access questionnaire onpage45. connectivity park and food team’s the in documented further is This food. healthy fresh for options limited with bodegas and delis local to fruition. Lackof food access leads to within the or neighborhood, residentseithertravelingoutside of relying upon their neighborhood come has nothing but system, distribution local a with distribution wholesale market’s the connect to efforts past been have there that not do these however, directly serve — individuals and families in Hunts Point. From the market Hunts Point Studio’s conversations with the community,cooperative the the team learned to addition in peninsula, the throughout distributors wholesale many also are There The NYCstandardisthreetimesthis,recommending30,000squarefeetper10,000residents. had none. The one supermarket in the neighborhood is around 9,000 square feet in size and serves a population of over 12,000 people. A 2008 study by the NYC Department of City planning mapped all of the supermarkets over 10,000 square feet in the city, and Hunts Point that thereisalackofsufficientfoodaccessinHuntsPoint. 25 In 2009, 37 percent of residents of the 16th congressional 16th the of residents of percent 37 2009, In 26

The New York Times has called this the “Bronx Paradox”, 27 28 by thefact is perpetuated This paradox 30 existing conditions in NYC,itwas$1200. 5-Year ACS, while in the Bronx, it was just over $1,000 and 2013 the to according $970, is Point Hunts in rent median 93.5 with New for Yorkpercent 70 nearly and Bronx the in City. The renters, percent are 80.1 to compared Point units, renter-occupied percent Hunts in residents Most 31 typology intheneighborhood. housing stock, thethirdmostcommon of thehousing units are also somewhat prevalent, as they make more up 14 percent or 50 with Buildings percent. 15 at typology, making upthesecondmost common housing buildings the majority of the housing stock at 43 percent, with 3-4 unit family apartment buildings with 20 or more units represent Hunts Point has approximately 4,100 housing units. Multi- According to the 2013 5-Year American Community Survey, housing // 30 29

housing type Source: 2013 ACS 5-Year Women’s Business ResourceCenter. a number of economic development organizations in the neighborhood, such as the Hunts Point Business Outreach Center and the Bronx Development Economic Corporation offersOverall loan programs as the administrator of the Bronx Empowerment Zone, as well as Bronx tax-related incentives. There are also The refund. business new a and credit capital zone credits, tax of number a offers which Zone, the HuntsPointandPortMorris Empire to locateinHuntsPoint,including for businesses incentives of government There areanumber which of businesses are classified under wholesale trade. one-third 667 Point, Hunts were in there located 2013, of As local economicconditions ECONOMICS // accounting for33percent. local Transportationwith Bus Employee total, and School in and sector establishments that within 61 employment all of of percent consists 29 for sector accounting industries This trucking freight percent. 16 at employment of percentage highest second the up makes sector The transportationandwarehouse City EconomicDevelopmentCorporation. York New the by done study a to according people, 6,000 over employs currently center New Fulton Fish Market), the food production Market, the Cooperative Meat Market and the the HuntsPoint (including TerminalProduce wholesalers private and public 155 over With industries. food-related other and industry, GroceryMerchantWholesalers General Line Fresh Fruit and Vegetable the Wholesalers industry, the industry, Wholesalers Merchant jobs comingfrom the Meat and Meat Product of those the majority with in thearea, jobs the of all half nearly provide establishments 3 31 34 These 32 employment by trade Source: 2013U.S.CensusBusinessPatterns 32 public transportation employment transportation and connectivity // As of 2013, the unemployment rate in Hunts Point was 18.2 percent, which was slightly higher than the 15.2 percent unemployment rate of the Bronx and nearly double that of New York City (10.6 percent).35 public transportation Hunts Point is fairly well served by public transit. The 2, 5, and existing conditions existing The most common occupations for males 16 years and older are Construction and Extraction; Building and Grounds Cleaning and 6 subway lines are all a short distance from the neighborhood’s Maintenance; and Office and Administrative Support. For the female population, the most common occupations are Office and Administrative residential core. The peninsula is also served by two bus routes: Support; Personal Care and Service; and Healthcare Support. the Bx 6 and the Bx 46. On weekdays, the Bx 6 runs about every six minutes.37 This route runs through the center of the peninsula While the top employing industry on the peninsula is Wholesale Trade, the majority of jobs held by residents are in Construction and down Hunts Point Ave and terminates at the Hunts Point Market. Extraction, and Office and Administrative Support, for males and females respectively. This data suggests a disconnect between locally The Bx 46 is a relatively new bus route that provides an additional Source: NYC Open Data available jobs and where residents are employed. Given this analysis, there is a potential opportunity to strengthen the local job pipeline connection to the market and Barretto Point Park. However, this for residents who desire to work in the Wholesale Trade industry. This will be discussed further in the recommendations section of this 38 36 route only runs every 30 minutes. Among those commuting to report. work, Hunts Point residents have high rates of public transit use, and low rates of car usage as compared with the Bronx as a whole.39

Truck traffic truck routes Due to the industrial uses in Hunts Point, a large number of trucks frequently travel to and throughout the area. The Bruckner and Sheridan Expressways are important connections for truck traffic to New York City and the rest of the region, and nearly 15,000 trucks travel through the peninsula on a daily basis.40 There are a number of designated truck routes on the peninsula; however, the NYS DOT Truck Study found a significant amount of usage taking place on non-designated truck routes. Over 62 percent of trucks exit on marked truck routes, including Tiffany Street, Leggett Avenue, Edgewater Avenue. However, a number of trucks also travel down residential streets. The main artery Source: NYC Open Data of the residential district (Hunts Point Ave between Garrison and Randall) was found to be used by trucks between 25 and 38 percent of the time, which is the highest rate among non- truck routes.41 This can negatively impact the quality of life for those living on those streets through exposure to noise and air pollution, as well posing a risk to pedestrians and cyclists. 33 34 existing conditions 35 Avenue fromBruckner Boulevardto Truxton Street. toEastBay from BrucknerBoulevard Avenue andLeggett crashes pedestrian for in theBronx. Hunts Point These corridorsinclude Avenue percent 10 top the in also rank neighborhood, the which Zero fall within Vision that corridors neighborhood. two identified the to point entrance of Hunts Point Avenue and BrucknerBoulevard,amain the intersection at issues traffic and accidents numerous city, the in deaths traffic and indicates pedestrian eliminate to campaign York’s New Zero, Vision for portal data The amenities. neighborhood parks and to accessing barriers adds and challenge, a travel day-to-day makes uses, land Abundant truck traffic, coupled with wide streets and noxious for pedestrians. Hunts Pointcanbechallenging Navigating pedestrian safety many pedestrianandbicyclethoroughfares. obstructs and neighborhood the of quality air the degrades to preservetheirloads. running engines Truck idling and keeptheir streets overnight trucks thatparkalong of refrigerator number there arealsoalarge entire region, the manylargefooddistributorsinareathat supply the as via observation duringvisits to With the neighborhood. fromSSBxandcommunitymembers,aswell team learned Truck idling is also a pressing issueinHuntsPoint, as the 42

photo: Marco Castro Marco photo: Precinct, murder is down 95.5 percent in 2013 from 1990, and robberies are down 70.1 percent. improving landusesandconnectivityintheneighborhoodconsiderimplicationsofcrime andperceptionsofsafety. around report this in included recommendations the Toend, life. this of quality to critical is it report, this of focus the not is crime While neighborhood. neighborhood is unsafe. Further, during the community preference mapping, respondents cited issues of drug use and prostitution in the community.the by issue the that perception public strong a still is there that found team’swas the it During stakeholders, with interviews Bronx, Hunts Point experienced high levels of crime during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. This was largely the result of rapid disinvestment by thecityandshiftingdemographics. rapid of result the largely was This 80s. and 70s 1960s, the during crime of levels high experienced Point Hunts Bronx, Crime in Hunts Point has been decreasing dramatically since the mid- and late-1990s. and mid- the since dramatically decreasing been has Point NYPD Hunts to in According Crime crime // 45 The significant drop in crime is promising, but crime is still identified as a pressing quality of life of quality a pressing as identified still is crime but promising, is crime in drop significant The crime inHunts POint Source: NYPD41stPrecinctCompStat 43,44 Like many neighborhoods in theSouth Like manyneighborhoods data from the 41st the from data CompStat 36 existing conditions 37 36. U.S.Census Bureau,5 Year ACS forthe10474 ZCTA, 2012. 35. U.S.Census Bureau,5 Year ACS forthe10474 ZCTA, 2013 34. Ibid 33. U.S.CensusBureau,Business Patterns,byzipcode,2002&2012. nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Resources/Economic_Data/neighborhood_trends/Neighborhood_T

s neighborhoods.

Source: MapPLUTO v14. MapPLUTO Source: 2 sustained intothefuture. uses are that these community to ensure advocacy dedicated require will it land, park as and designated not database are PLUTO the in not were these that Given area. zoned residentially the within gardens community Four lots were being used by the community as parks and COMMUNITY USES businesses. operating legally penalize not to as so use, business active an of recording on theside use ornot,theteamerred business the city. Where it was unclearwhether therewasanactive Further in businesses exists onindustrial database comprehensive dumping. illegal for uses, no used active business the taskofidentifying complicating being lots or businesses definitive determinations as to whether certain sites were active make to difficult it making fences, well-maintained and signage the lot. In this heavilyindustrialarea, manybusinesseslacked to adjacent or usebyabusiness ofabusiness clear signage either with lots as defined are these district; zoning special the Active business uses were observed on 43 lots, all found within ACTIVE BUISNESS construction. sites, community parksandgardens,as well as lots withactive operating onthe active businesses active uses, including have to found were 50 lots, vacant City-designated 70 the Of lots withactive uses 40 vacant lots with waste CONSTRUCTION VACANT LOTS Three lots were found to be under construction. In total, the team found 22 vacant lots, 20 of which were designated to be vacant by the city. While these were all These City-designated vacant lots with active uses deemed vacant, as no active use was observed, many of field research make up almost half a million square feet. This analysis these lots had some type of waste on the site. Therefore, we illustrates that there are many discrepancies between the created two sub-groups for vacant lots: “Lots with Waste” and City’s PLUTO database and the on-the-ground reality. “Empty Lots.” Accurate public access to information on vacant spaces is essential to empowering local residents to take control of land in the community, as well as ensuring that once LOTS WITH WASTE ON SITE

the community does take control of these spaces they Source: MapPLUTO v14. are able to retain that control. When active uses are There were 15 lots in the special zoning district that had recorded as vacancies, it makes it easier for local uses to waste on the site, amounting to 68 percent of all the vacant be undermined by outsiders — including developers and lots. This is defined as any type of garbage, industrial waste, real estate speculators — seeking to capture control of or abandoned cars, but excludes any small debris, including the land; this is particularly true in the case of community plastic bags or glass bottles. 100 percent of these lots were parks and gardens. found in the special zoning district. 2 These lots amounted to a total of almost 100,000 square feet. They are a high priority for intervention, as they can be disruptive to a sense of pedestrian connectivity, as well as being eyesores emitting unpleasant odors. The widespread nature of this issue shows that there are clear problems with the enforcement and monitoring of dumping and waste on these lots. Further, waste can be a barrier to reuse, especially if this waste is leaking any materials into the soil.

41 42 empty lots vacant buildings empty lots VACANT BUILDINGS Finally, the team found seven empty vacant lots, which were observed as being completely empty and had no use or Empty Vacant Lots The team found 15 vacant buildings. The largest of waste on the site. Three of these are city-owned lots. These these buildings is the Spofford Detention Center, field research high potential lots amounted to 376,000 square feet of land. located within the residentially zoned area. The These lots are empty, and therefore have a high potential for Spofford Detention Center is city-owned property and reuse. The three lots with public ownership are each owned under consideration for redevelopment. Two thirds of by different NYC agencies: the DEP, DPR, and DOT. the vacant buildings were found in the residentially zoned area and one third were found in the special zoning district. Source: MapPLUTO v14. Source: MapPLUTO v14. This analysis shows a snapshot in time. While it provides valuable information and insight, the Hunts Point Studio team believes it is essential that: • The City take action to update vacant lot data • The community maintain and update this database 2 2 These recommendations will be further discussed as a part of the Vacant Lot Toolkit recommendation on page 52.

43 44 Joseph Rodman Drake Park and Hunts Point Landing were CONNECTIVITY TO PARKS AND OPEN SPACE // visited the least, with only three percent of respondents what stops you from going to the park? Parks and open space play a direct role in the public health of a community and its residents. Living near open spaces and parks has indicating that they visited these parks most often. Almost many benefits, including: encouraging physical activity by providing opportunities to engage in exercise; providing an environmental a quarter of respondents indicated that they visit a park almost every day, while another quarter indicated that they field research amenity through better air quality and water quality, as well as mitigating climate change; bringing positive benefits to mental health and well-being; and providing a place to engage the community and serve as a common space for events and activities. Limited or no public only visit a park a few times per year. When asked why they access, inadequate signage, public safety, and park maintenance can all result in inactive parks, contributing to unhealthy communities. do not visit the parks more often, 19 percent of respondents If parks and open space cannot be accessed or utilized by residents, those residents run a higher risk of developing long-term health reported that the parks are too far away, and an additional problems, such as obesity, diabetes, and asthma; these abandoned and underutilized open spaces also have the potential to attract 19 percent reported that there are no activities in the parks increased criminal activity. in which they want to participate. 23 percent indicated that either the parks or the streets on the way to the parks are unsafe. Another 23 percent of respondents reported that it would be easier for them to visit the parks if there were PARK ACCESS QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS more transportation options.

The studio team developed a food and parks access questionnaire to gather original data from Hunts Point residents. The portion of the Surveys were collected from respondents of all age ranges, questionnaire relating to parks consists of five questions, which sought to determine which parks residents utilize, how they get there, and with 87 percent between the ages of 20 and 59. 67 percent their perceived barriers to visiting the parks. The survey also includes five questions that collect demographic information. The full survey of the respondents were female, and 27 percent were can be found in the Appendix of this report. male. Three percent indicated they were White, 40 percent indicated they were Black or African-American, and 43 how do you get to the park? The survey resulted in 46 responses percent identified as Hispanic or Latino. completed by respondents at locations around Hunts Point, including on the This research has some clear limitations, the most sidewalk, in parks, and at The Point obvious being the small number of respondents. Although CDC. From the 46 surveys collected, 30 the 30 responses are significant, a much more robust respondents indicated that they live in understanding could be derived from data gathered from Hunts Point. The analysis focuses on these a larger sample size. Because of this relatively small 30 surveys. Key findings are summarized sample size, a more in-depth statistical analysis was not below. performed. The team recommends that further distribution of the survey be undertaken, with results analyzed along When asked which parks they visit most with the data already collected. frequently, respondents indicated that Hunts Point Riverside Park and Baretto Point Park were visited most often, at 40 percent and 30 percent respectively.

45 46 When asked about the ease of buying fresh fruits or access to healthy and affordable food // vegetables, 31 percent of the respondents indicated While there is no standard definition of a “food desert,” the Center for Disease Control defines it as an area with little to no access to fresh, a seven or higher on a scale of one to ten, with ten where do you get your groceries? healthy, quality food. Similarly, an area that has been inundated with processed and unhealthy food, with little-to-no fresh food available, being the most difficult. When asked what would make it easier to buy fruits or vegetables, 42 percent field research is considered a “food swamp.” These areas generally occur in low-income neighborhoods that are situated far from public transportation or where residents cannot afford to travel to obtain fresh food. As explained in the existing conditions analysis, Hunts Point can be of respondents indicated that they would like to see characterized as such a community. more fruits and vegetables in existing stores, and 42 percent indicated that they would like to see more locations to shop for fruits and vegetables. 30 percent indicated that would like to have more Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or similar programs. FOOD ACCESS QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS When asked about growing food at home, 37 percent The studio team developed a food and parks access questionnaire to gather original data from Hunts Point residents. The portion of the of respondents indicated that they currently grow their questionnaire relating to food consists of 13 questions. The first seven questions address where and how residents go food shopping, own fruits or vegetables, or they have grown them as well as the challenges they face when food shopping. The next six questions address access to fresh fruits and vegetables and any in the past. Once food is purchased, 77 percent of challenges residents may face when shopping for fresh produce. The results are summarized below. respondents indicated that they cook a meal at home almost every day. 43 percent of respondents indicated that they go food shopping within Hunts Point most often. 92 percent of respondents frequently go food shopping at grocery stores, while almost one out of three frequently shop for food at bodegas or delis. From a crosstab analysis, the The results of this questionnaire were promising, and what would make it easier to buy fruits & vegetables? team found that over half of those who get most of the studio team recommends that it continue to be their food from within Hunts Point frequently buy administered in order to gain a larger sample size. food at bodegas or delis. Meanwhile, 60 percent Questions could also be added to assess residents’ of respondents walk to go food shopping and 27 interest in participating in urban farming, or which percent use a taxi or car service. One out of four specific fruits and vegetables they would like tobe indicated that they also drive to go food shopping. able to buy from local producers. For further analysis 23 percent of respondents said it was very easy of this instrument, see “Parks Survey.” to go food shopping, while 23 percent indicated that the difficulty was a seven or higher on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most difficult. 31 percent of respondents indicated that it would be easier if groceries were more affordable, and 25 percent indicated that it would be easier if grocery stores were closer to where they live. 17 percent of respondents indicated that food shopping would be easier if the streets on the way to the grocery store were safer.

47 48 supermarkets and bodegas in hunts Point food vendor survey // section endnotes // While conducting the vacancy survey, the team also recorded data on the location of every supermarket, deli, or bodega in the residential core and 1. National Recreation and Park Association, (2009) Operating Ratio Study Agency Performance Report, Date Accessed: October 20, 2014, http://www.nrpa.org/uploadedFiles/ Explore_Parks_and_Recreation/Research/PRORAGIS.SampleReport.5.2.pdf field research special zoning district. 2. New York State Department of Health, (2005) New York State Strategic Plan for Overweight and Obesity Prevention, http://www.health.state.ny.us/prevention/obesity/strategic_plan/ docs/strategic_plan.pdf

COMMUNITY MEETING RESULTS The team hosted a community meeting centering on vacant land and space in Hunts Point. This meeting served as a way to gain knowledge from the people who live and work in the community, and gave community members the opportunity to share what they wanted to see in the vacant spaces in Hunts Point.

The team conducted an interactive mapping exercise, which revealed a common set of desires for the community among participants. Requests for affordable housing, healthy restaurant options, more local CSA programs, community gardens and urban agriculture were all in high demand. Participants also cited the need for community facilities and spaces that could be built in conjunction with new affordable housing and which would offer services such as employment assistance and youth programs. Open space was also a priority, particularly for youth participants, who had ideas for a skate park and outdoor picnic area that could connect all of the Barretto Point Park land parcels. Other ideas included the development of a parking structure for trucks, and a community shuttle or trolley to improve transportation around the peninsula. The team identified five major areas of interest from the meeting: • Affordable Housing • Healthy Food and Restaurants • Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture • Community Spaces and programming • Improvements to connectivity These ideas from the community led directly to the development of the studio’s recommendations.

49 50 recommendations 51 1. community recommendations: set offive a from team devised studio the research, field findings of and original data aggregation outreach, observation, analysis Through and hasthepotentialto thriveinHuntsPoint. reflection of the vibrant, tight-knit community that lives as disuse orneglectintoa might currentlyappear what Each ofthesecanplayaroleintransforming timeline. year 1-5 a in reach within are and SSBx by their implementation,allof them canbespearheaded for necessary time and organizing community capital, Although these recommendations rangeinterms of the 5. 4. 3. 2.

eeo a aat ad oli t provide to Toolkit Land Vacant opportunities forpubliccontrolofvacantspace. a Develop their streets, mitigate truck traffic and improve and traffic connectivity. truck mitigate streets, their of thecommunitytotakeownership to allow Advocate foranddesigninterventions placemaking where manyHuntsPointresidentsshop. stores inneighborhood healthy options increase to for bodegas for freshfoodincentives Advocate stimulating thelocaleconomy. produce to the community, while creatingjobsand Develop a new Urban Farm to provide fresh healthy creation ofnewhealthyfoodrestaurants. Restaurant Food and the Incubator tostimulateentrepreneurship a of creation the for Advocate recommendations

photo: Marco Castro • • • • • • team recommendsthatSSBxfollowthesteps outlinedbelow: a VacantIn ordertodevelop Lot Toolkit forHuntsPoint,thestudio action steps strategies usedinothercitiesthatcouldbeadoptedbySSBxorCBOsHuntsPoint. to providing the complexprocessofactivatingvacantland,inaddition community tonavigate the HuntsPoint empower a usefulstarting pointtohelp to provide This toolkitisintended • • • • vacant landtoolkit // This “toolkit”wouldinclude: of repurposing and vacant land. up cleaning the through life of quality their improving and environment to equip the Hunts Point community with tools that can aid them in taking more control of their community. thatSSBx develop acatalogofresources With thatinmind,the team recommends surrounding the for opportunity an as serve can land vacant circumstances, right the Under

community members inthefuture that can facilitatetheuse ofvacantlandby relationships Consult with City agencies and community partners to develop monitor andmaintainthe digitalportal program forlocalhighschoolstudents to an internship Develop and maintain update thedatabase to survey lot vacant semi-annual a conduct to Organize and train residents and/or students from the acquisition strategiesforvacantland community Workon research additional to develop withastudentgroup Upload theexistingvacantlotcatalogtoportal the digitalportal Host ahackathoninthecommunitytodevelop community control under the lotstoremain allow structures that could governance Sample A guidetoacquiringalot Steps foralertingtheappropriateCityagenciesofmisuse(e.g.dumping) A digitalportalthroughwhichcommunitymemberscanorganize aroundspecificlots activate blightedlots. a channels people could utilize to and list ofthelegal comprehensive neighborhoods; in solutions blight to approach on how survey; lot vacant own their conduct to organize can a community for how their toolkitareinstructions in Included recommendation. serves asonemodelforthis that toolkit a comprehensive has developed new orleans 52 recommendations 53 feedback. for community the to presented be could — buildings and lots specific for received ideas including — toolkit andpaper semi-annual the mostcurrentdatafromthedigital where meetings host also community, could SSBx the forms. feedback around flyers guides, printed copiesofresource these digitaltools,including Furthermore, SSBx could create analog counterparts to made morewidelyavailable. as The Point CDC, or the local library, this portal can be such CBOs, other with However,partnerships through of number significant a homes inHuntsPointmaynothaveinternet access. that recognizes team The needs. specific their to app the tailored has which for America, Code of clients as on signed have Alto Palo and been metwithsomuchsuccessthatcitieslikeDallas has app lots This alerts. phone and/or email via interest on of tabs keep to users allows which list,” “watch or click on a lot of interest. a The app alsoincludes aggregated for each lot. This information is then displayed through an interactive map that allows users to either enter a specific address nola.gov. but notlimitedto, Through thisapp,dataincluding,inspections,codecomplaints,hearings,judgments,andforeclosuresis blightstatus. called application web open-source an develop to government) local of benefit the for projects open-source developing in An example of such a portal can be found in New Orleans, which partnered with Code for America (a nonprofit organization that specializes information couldthenbeusedasabasisforadvocacyefforts. to datareceivedviatext incorporate message, soas to be moreaccessibleto those whomay have limitedaccessto the internet. This the space. for repurposing ideas and propose about thelotorbuilding users tosharetheirknowledge also besetup This portalshould information providedwouldbeleft up to the discretionof that SSBx, it includealinktoformorforumthat it isrecommended could allow While the lots orbuildings. on individual information users toview allow map thatwould haveaninteractive would located, thisportal in HuntsPoint. with informationoneachvacantlotandbuilding Toare these lotsandbuildings context aboutwhere spatial provide help Toportal a digital maintain and that SSBxestablish by theHuntsPointStudio,teamproposes the datacollected maintain and house digital portal 1 2

acquiring vacant land flyers postedaroundtheneighborhood. for reporting, availableto available residents onthe digital portal,as well asthrough the rewards and dumping, to report illegal how about information make SSBx could reporting ofvacant misuse land private property.” or public onto out thrown is bathtub) a of size the twice (about material of more or yard cubic one when is dumping “Illegal point: starting good a provides definition is an important first step. While it is not always easy to identify dumping, the DSNY then catchtheperson(s) dumpingwasteinact, resident reportingof this activity must DSNY the While (DoITT). Telecommunicationsand TechnologyInformation of Department NYC the by built application mobile or portal online 311 the via or observed, have they what 311explaining calling and by dumping illegal report can provides who anyone eligible for a reward of up to 50 percent of any fine collected. Community members Program, Tip is dumping illegal of act the Dumping in someone catch to DSNY the leads that information Illegal (DSNY) Sanitation’s of advantage of a program that already exists in New York City.ways toreportthemisuseoflandbytaking include The vacantlottoolkitwould Through the Department engineering, with regard to a site’s feasibility. Nevertheless, this is one instance whereby land could be acquired and utilized at a low be submitted cost. much earlier as they can require a complex review process by a host of experts from various fields, including real estate and at to least thirty submit anapplication days priorto the dayonwhichactivitywillbe held. However, it is recommended that applications have parties interested step, this take to order In studies.” scientific or events fund-raising as such activities, impact low and term “short organizations for “special projects such as recreational trails or ball fields.” Additionally, land owned by DEP can be used at no charge for nonprofit by obtained be also can they entities, public to issued typically are permits these While Permit. Use Land Revocable a of form the in basis, temporary a on land obtaining for process a has also Point, DEP, Hunts The in identified lots vacant the of one owns which the PublicLease Auction iftheywanttoleasealot foranextendedperiodoftime. through go could they or less, or days 30 runs that lease term short a into look either can agency.parties managing Interested the and status vacancy or use current their with Citywide along property of City-owned Department all of the database through a maintains land which public (DCAS), Services to Administrative access gain to look can One garden. community or park neighborhood new a into repurpose to wish might members community that land acquiring towards steps take to how on resources include also would toolkit The 3

4 54 5 photo: DSNY recommendations the locationstheyserveandtheirrespectiveapplicationdeadlines. when it Network isalsoanexcellentresource,especially comes to list funding, asthey of provide acomprehensive options, alongwith 55 quality oflifethatbetter meetstheneedsofcommunity. to aphysicalenvironment that lends itselfto an improved lead would these recommendations If properlyimplemented, from fallingintoastate ofdisrepair, whilealsoproviding skillstraining. program. rehabilitation Together, these twoefforts could helppreventbuildings their current efforts at workforce developmentby a vacant building designing maintained database that keeps such records. Furthermore, SSBX could extend similar to the vacant lot survey mentioned earlier, as there is currently noregularly survey,building vacant a organize could SSBX starters, For well. as community in the to thevacantbuildings with regard of opportunities There areanumber vacant buildingsrehabilitation (NYCCLI), which is currently in the process of establishing a land trust in Initiative the Land YorkCommunity El New City the Barrio from section support of seek East might Harlem. organization the itself, TrustLand a establish to decides SSBx If for PublicLand,andcouldprovetobevaluableresourceswithregarddeveloping preservingcommunitygardens. process the with familiar more are they specific to New as Trusts,York. TheseLand include the Bronx Land YorkCity-based Trust and the Brooklyn LandNew Trust, both ofsome which are supported by the to Trust out reach to SSBx encourages also team Our greenhouse, anurbanfarm,andaplayground. that ispermanentlyaffordable,is toestablishhousing DNIhasalsobeenabletodevelopcommunityspaces,suchasa that has been plagued by the failed policies of ,dumping,anddisinvestment,similarto Hunts Point. While its primary goal in adenseurban environment with alargeminoritypopulation The DudleyNeighbors,Inc. (DNI) inBostonisanexampleofaneighborhood ownership. community and stability provide that can of governance trusts, amodel land community about information include This could management anddecision-making. a require will land the using is it. structure tomanage governance Towhoever use, structures tofacilitateeffectivegovernance possible include thisend,thetoolkitwould community long-term for acquired is it where cases the in especially accessed, is land once Finally, community landgovernance structures 7 6 The Community Land Trust

photos: Dudley Street Neighbors, Inc. & NYC Community Land Initative also promotinghealthierlifestylesbyservingasvenuesforcommunitydinnersandclasses thatteachabouthealthycooking. thriving businesses,while and spacethattheyneedtodevelop by givingthemtheknowledge small businesses can helpdisadvantaged the HuntsPointFoodDistributionCenter. such astheSpofford facility, andtransformitintoacommunityhub.Lastly,at to jobs to createa strongerpipeline help the kitchencould in an already tight-knit neighborhood. Additionally, the siting of the kitchen could make use of an underutilized space in the neighborhood, turn itintoareality. at the kitchencouldserveasameanstogatherfamiliesfromacrossHuntsPointandstrengthenbonds Programming the community.in and for arestaurant idea to takean or resources the space may nothave who restaurateurs aspiring help also Itcould culture local the to tailored are that techniques cooking healthy teach that programs host could incubator food Aand kitchen community community kitchenandfoodincubatorinHuntsPoint. of a that SSBxadvocateforthedevelopment the teamrecommends issues andthelackofhealthyfoodoptionsinneighborhood, to addressunemployment in HuntsPoint.Giventheneed opportunity space, andentrepreneurial cooking reliable restaurant options, healthy The studio team found from the food access questionnaire and through conversations at various points that there is a need and desire for • • • • • below: the stepsoutlined that SSBxfollow the studioteamrecommends Point, Hunts in Incubator Restaurant Food a develop to order In action steps community.the from together residents bring and classes, cooking provide jobs, food-related to pipeline a create entrepreneurs, by fee small a for rented be community groupsor aspiring restaurantownerswholackor cannot afford kitchen space. can They have the potential to support local that space kitchen commercial accessible large, a provide incubators food and kitchens Community food restaurant incubator //

restaurant incubator andcommunity kitchen Advocate for the City to assist in the development of the food basis foradvocacy aclearer to provide grant support private and Seek public develop, programand managetheincubator Identify andworkwith community partnerswhomightwishto many peopleaspossible Work withthelocalcommunitytodistributesurvey toas via acommunitysurvey Conduct a preliminary skills research and needs assessment

9

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56 photo: WHEDco photo: recommendations the demand for a commercialkitchen, foodbusinessincubator, and relatedprogramming. detailed questionnaire to determine which skill sets exist within the community, as well as operation. its ongoing to support needed be a that SSBxlaunch recommends The studio key as it will determine the cost of renting the kitchen space,andhowmuchfundingwill NYC EDCtocoverthestartupcostsofkitchen. 57 to starttheincubator. grant $170,000 a providing by City Island Long in Space Entrepreneur support to helped can Funding come in the form success. of grants and can be supplied either its publicly or privately. for The NYC EDC imperative is kitchen community the for funding Securing SECURING FUNDING in acentrallocationHuntsPointtositethecommunitykitchen. former Spofford Juvenile Facility, the Banknote Building, or a vacant commercial property the YorkNew consider of City the and SSBx that recommends team studio The project. for the kitchen. Using an existing space is one tactic to achieve a lower start-up cost for Once this the specific needs of Hunts Point residents are determined, a site must be designated SITE SELECTION members thekitchenwillserve,andhowtheyusespace. how manypotentialclientsandcommunity to determine research isneeded Thorough COMMUNITY NEEDSASSESSMENT 13 SSBx should consider starting theirsearchforgrantsupport with consider SSBxshould 12 This informationis savvy businessownersaswell. butbecomemore their operation, can notonlyexpand entrepreneurs office of sothat support space andbusiness feet square 7,000 also is a to rentable commercialkitchen,there addition that In 24/7. kitchen open also foot is square has 5,000 Queens City,a Island Long in Space Entrepreneur restaurateurs. business incubatorsfor emerging food several started also has EDC f etuatsae appliances restaurant-scale dock. and aloading of pieces numerous that provides space licensed fully a is It week. a days day,7 a hours 24 open is and basis be rentedonaperdiemormonthly can kitchen commercial foot square 4,000 The kitchen. a such operates and the Bronxalready in neighborhood Housing (WHEDco) inthe Highbridge Women’s Corporation Development Economic The commercial kitchens 10 h NYC The 1 1

photo: WHEDco from foodtrucksandmobilevendingcartstorestaurants,allwithahealthyfocus. these localemploymentopportunities. The incubator couldalsoleadto new businesses training skills supply to residents connect help could which Certificates, Handling Food and including opportunities, center distribution the with partner could kitchen The Center. a weak pipeline for local residents to gain employment at the Hunts Point Food Distribution The team’s economic analysis of existing conditions in Hunts Point (see page 32) showed with theHuntsPointFoodDistributionCenterorotherfooddistributorsinPoint. or partner and urbanagriculture, can workwiththeexistingnetworkofcommunitygardens SSBx community. the within bonds the tighten to also but success, kitchen’s the ensure only not to help can partners many with Collaborating residents. Point Hunts of lives the that thecommunitykitchenoffersThe programming willbecentraltoitsabilitytransform PROGRAMMING PARTNERSHIPSPROGRAMMING community. tailored to the specific needs of the that is provides programming community dinners.Eachkitchen community school programsandalsohost These classes forafter kitchens provide Northwest (CKNW). Kitchens Community called program education nutrition organic farming,hasacookingand food systemsand focuses onurban that organization farming nonprofit community-centric programming. Seattle Tilth, a with kitchen Seattle, WA ishometoa SEATTLE TILTH

14 photo: Seattle Tilth Seattle photo: 58 URBAN AGRICULTURE // SITE SELECTION Finding suitable vacant land for urban agriculture in urban areas can be a challenge. Vacant land can be contaminated from past uses Urban agriculture can be defined as growing fresh food within urban areas and cities.15 It can take many forms, including community such as industrial, chemical, and other harmful wastes, creating a brownfield. While there are many different ways to remediate land, gardens, backyard farming, rooftop gardening, or the repurposing of urban vacant space to grow food. With the resulting local fresh food, there are knowledge gaps in remediation strategies for land intended to be used for urban agriculture and farming. There is significant

recommendations vendors, CSAs, farmers’ markets and food coops are often started in tandem with or shortly after urban agriculture projects as a response testing done for brownfields intended for residential and commercial use, but no specific guidelines exist for remediating land for the to the consistent demand for fresh produce in an area. Goals of urban agriculture include: growing of food.18 With that in mind, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed and introduced an interim set of guidelines

for converting a brownfield into safe and workable farm land. The step by step guide can be found through this link: http://www.epa.gov/ 1. Providing fresh food to residents and communities who have limited access brownfields/urbanag/pdf/bf_urban_ag.pdf, Brownfields and Urban Agriculture: Interim Guidelines for Safe Gardening Practices.19 2. Fostering entrepreneurship and local commerce 3. Promoting safety and a general sense of community.16 In Hunts Point, cost-effective solutions for remediation are needed before any form of urban agriculture can develop. Two alternative solutions, are contained raised beds and soil covers; the latter creates a layer between the contaminated soil and new soil.20 While this Based on feedback from the community meeting, the studio team recommends that SSBx consider partnering with other local CBOs to does not remove the contamination, it keeps it in place to prevent it from spreading to the new soil that will be used to grow food. advocate for the repurposing of one or more vacant lots in Hunts Point to develop a for-profit urban farm. Since the process of remediation can be costly and long, communities like Hunts Point need alternative programs to advocate for the More urban agriculture could have a profound effect on Hunts Point, bringing public health benefits and environmental and economic gains, 17 clean-up of a proposed site. The New York City Voluntary CleanUp Program is one way to encourage citizen participation at a local level while strengthening community ties. Urban farms also contribute more green space, which can improve air quality while beautifying the and could be a valuable tool in helping to identify and remediate land in Hunts Point. This municipal program created by the OER asks neighborhood. Finally, urban agriculture can foster a stronger sense of community, by bringing local community members together around citizens to apply and submit a brownfield site that they feel deserves attention and would like to see remediated.21 200 of these projects a common goal. Urban agriculture could grow local commerce, provide local skills training and employment opportunities, and supply have been completed and have led to successful projects such as affordable housing and community gardens. Hunts Point with an additional source of fresh, local, affordable food. The team recommends that the following land parcels be considered for an urban agriculture pilot project, with the understanding that remediation efforts would be a critical component to the planning effort: ACTION STEPS LOT 901 In order to spearhead an urban agriculture project on Lot 901 is part of the same waterfront land parcel as Barretto Point Park, which was formerly one of the vacant lots in Hunts Point, the studio team an illegal dumping site. In the past it was also occupied by an asphalt plant, a sand and gravel recommends that SSBx follow steps outlined in the business, and a paint and varnish manufacturer.22 According to DEP, this brownfield is a part of vacant lot toolkit, including the following: the Barretto Point park land, but is currently fenced off and inaccessible to the public. • Choose a site • Ensure that brownfields are identified and remediated LOTS 100 AND 105 • Create a budget, apply for grants, look for local Lots 100 and 105 are directly across from Lot 901, and have the ability to be combined, with only sponsors, obtain farming tools, and recruit volunteers Barretto Street in between them. In February of this year, these lots were granted an environmental from the community easement from the DEP and given to the NYS DEC to finalize plans for remediation.23 • Design a financial plan with the community and make decisions about the pricing of products, what kinds of Since these are both city-owned sites, the City could consider a program similar to what New produce should be planted, and potential local food Orleans did after Hurricane Katrina with the Living Lots program, leasing out land for a low cost service programs in which to participate to uses that have a positive impact on the community. 59 60 SECURING FUNDING BROWNFIELD FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Many grants are available for communities interested in urban agriculture. The There are also many federal, state and city programs to assist communities in the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program was created by the USDA’s URBAN AGRICULTURE IN remediation of contaminated land. The NYC OER has two grants available for Community PHILADELPHIA: SOMERTON National Institute of Food and Agriculture to provide a one-time federal award to an Planning Districts. The first is the Brownfield Opportunity Area Match Grant, which 29 recommendations NEW ORLEANS TANK FARM organization whose missions is to provide an in-need neighborhood with better food provides communities in need with 10 percent of the funds, or a maximum of $25,000. service programs. Other grant programs, such as the Fiskars Project Orange Thumb, After Hurricane Katrina ripped This allows the grantee the freedom to focus on the development plan for remediation, In Somerton, a neighborhood in provide communities not only with a cash award, but tools and resources for gardening through New Orleans, 40,000 and relieve some of the financial strain on the organization. The second grant aids the northeast Philadelphia, a small and farming, direct from their own online tool company.25 public and private properties were organization with a maximum of $5,000 for technical assistance. This assistance can half acre of land sandwiched left vacant or blighted – and food come in the form of a professional grant writer who can develop a strong proposal, between two large water towers insecurity was acute. The New is being used to reinvent urban Crowdfunding within communities for urban agriculture is also a popular option. A local thereby improving the organization’s chance of receiving funding for their remediation Orleans Redevelopment Authority 30 agriculture. The Somerton Tank Hunts Point organization could set up a kickstarter or IOBY (In Our Back Yard) account, project. Both of these grants are part of the NYC Brownfield Incentive Grant Program, (NORA) stepped in with their which was created to help reduce the costs of remediation efforts and redevelopment Farm is a successful for-profit farm an online resource that connects people and money to neighborhood based projects. Growing Green Program in May of of land. that has benefited from growing This account could be used to raise money for plot purchase or farming materials. Since 2014. This program allows people vegetables, by growing their the site is available globally, people all over the world are able to contribute. When the to apply for use of public land for profit every season. Their unique Stone’s Throw Urban Farm in Minneapolis, Minnesota feared it would not get a small urban agriculture as long as it SPIN (Small Profit Intensive) business loan, they took to kickstarter to ask for donations to fund their project. Their improves neighborhood stability, model makes the claim that you goal was to raise $15,000, which they surpassed with the help of 347 backers.26 fosters neighborhood safety and PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMMING can grow a lot in a small amount sustainability, makes fresh produce of space.27 Their 280 beds hold The farm could be developed in partnership with other local CBOs working in this area. SSBx could help ensure the financial sustainability of an urban farm that it incubates by available, and/or promotes a 50 varieties of vegetables and general sense of community.24 Grassroots initiatives have already emerged to attempt to fill the food gap in the South produced over $50,000 worth of utilizing a for-profit model. Of course, such an effort would have to be organizationally 31 Residents can search for vacant Bronx. In June 2013, the BLK ProjeK launched the South Bronx Mobile Food Market, 28 distinct from SSBx, which is a nonprofit. The Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm in New York income within 9 months. They property through the interactive “a former school bus running on used veggie oil,” in order to “provide local, mostly currently sell at local CSAs, and the Somerton Tank Farm in Philadelphia are prime examples of successful for-profit 32 online Living Lots map created by organic produce to South Bronx Communities.” As of January 2015, the organization farmer’s markets, restaurants and urban farms. NORA, and lease land for $250 a was fundraising the costs of launching Libertad Urban Farm on land for which they catering companies throughout year, with the option to purchase it acquired a license, just outside of Hunts Point on Fox Street between 156th St. and Philadelphia. at market rate after two consecutive Leggett Ave. years. All acquired sites are monitored to ensure compliance The farm could provide skills training for local residents and they could sell their produce with the program. As a result of at many different green and farmers’ markets and CSAs, as well as providing restaurants increased local food production, farmers’ markets, CSAs and other and stores. Further, while this is a recommendation for a for-profit model, the farm could food assistance programs have also provide affordable food to those in need. They could use their profits to subsidize been established. a weekly food bag for low-income residents of Hunts Point, similar to the Good Food Program in Seattle.

61 62 ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FRESH FOOD INCENTIVES FOR BODEGAS // SSBx can also investigate if their urban agriculture project would be suitable for a The food vendor survey that the team conducted, shows that there are 19 bodegas/delis and one supermarket in Hunts Point. Because green infrastructure site. As a waterfront community, Hunts Point is at risk for flooding SEATTLE: THE GOOD of this, many residents rely on bodegas and delis to fulfill their daily food and grocery needs. The food access questionnaire showed that, during inclement weather. Urban agriculture can be used as a mitigation strategy to of respondents who do their food shopping in Hunts Point, over half often do so at bodegas and delis — which often do not carry fresh recommendations FOOD BAG combat flooding to the area with green infrastructure or restoration of wetlands. To and healthy food or produce. Helping bodegas and delis stock their stores with fresh, healthy, affordable food can help improve access protect the coastline community, a network of resilient urban agriculture projects could The Seattle Tilth, a nonprofit to these necessities. be established. Urban farms and community gardens with salt tolerant, flood-proof, and farming organization that focuses wind resistant vegetation, would naturally armor the shoreline by creating floodable and on urban food systems and Therefore, the team proposes that SSBx advocate for an increase in fresh food incentives for bodegas and delis in Hunts Point and other resilient urban agriculture sites. organic farming, developed the neighborhoods facing similar issues. Financial concerns are often paramount for bodega owners and therefore financial incentives and Good Food Bag program, which subsidies play a large role in encouraging owners to carry healthy food. Incentives can facilitate access to healthy food relatively quickly, provides a bag of healthy and The Rainier Urban Farm and Wetlands project provides a model for this type of affordable produce for the people without the construction of a new supermarket. These can be combined with existing programs currently underway in New York City, development. In partnership with the non-profit Seattle Tilth, this farm and wetlands in the community who need it outlined below, which could benefit from increased funding and focus in Hunts Point. was created to address food access issues, provide green infrastructure, and restore most. Using fresh produce from the local wetlands in Seattle. By transforming a former underutilized plant nursery, an partnering educational farms in urban farm was built to provide produce to the low income community in need, as well the area, the Good Food Bag ACTION STEPS as green infrastructure to the area.34 This 10 acre urban farm traps, stores and reuses program is able to keep the In order to develop fresh food incentives for bodegas in excess rainwater from the area, reducing the risk of flooding to the residential community price of the bag to $5, making it Hunts Point, the studio team recommends that SSBx follow it borders. This farm also incorporates a demonstration wetlands restoration site that affordable to anyone in need. the steps outlined below: looks to preserve and enhance the habitat and its wildlife. Each bag is full of foods from the local harvest, consisting of a • Speak with and/or survey bodega and deli owners variety of vegetables, fruits, and to better understand their current options and what herbs, along with a healthy recipe incentives would help them carry more fresh and healthy to encourage healthy eating habits food at home.33 • Advocate for the city to provide additional incentives to bodega and deli owners and to designate a local nonprofit organization to administer the program • Assume the role of local administrator of the program or designate another nonprofit to fill this position

63 64 PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS HEALTHY FOOD placemaking and design interventions // There are programs already underway in New York that seek to encourage the owners of PROGRAMMING IN Given the issues of connectivity in Hunts Point, the team recommends that SSBx advocate for and undertake placemaking and design bodegas and delis to carry more healthy food options. However, these programs are not SAN FRANCISCO interventions to enhance the linkages among spaces in the community. Projects for Public Spaces founder, Fred Kent, defines placemaking always effective in the long term. In order to establish more consistent aid and support for as follows: “Placemaking is more than how we design public spaces — it is a means by which people are collectively and intentionally recommendations small business owners, it may be more effective to use some of the money from these existing The low-income neighborhood of shaping their environment and building deep and lasting community ties. Placemaking turns our approaches to land use, transportation, programs to fund local nonprofits in targeted neighborhoods with the need for more healthy Hunter’s Point in Bayview, San governance and the environment upside-down by asking people what they fundamentally need in a public space and empowering them food options, such as Hunts Point. The nonprofit would be able to establish a relationship with Francisco, struggles with a lack of to be a part of the development process.”41 To this end, simple, community-led design interventions can yield significant impact. the many bodega and deli owners in the neighborhood, offering consistent support over many access to fresh food and produce, qualifying it as a food desert. In 2002, years. This nonprofit could also help coordinate grants and donations, and administer them in The Hunts Point Studio team recommends that SSBx advocate for and help to implement wayfinding signage to improve connectivity to a more targeted and effective fashion. Literacy for Environmental Justice, a youth-empowered nonprofit, parks; physical barriers and increased signage to prevent trucks from using non-truck routes; and increased community monitoring and engagement around the issues of truck traffic and truck idling. The team recommends that SSBx advocate both for grants to be made available for bodega and partnered with the San Francisco Dept. deli owners who agree to carry healthier food options, and that SSBx or another local nonprofit of Public Health to tackle the problem These placemaking and design interventions will help local residents take control of their streets, improving connectivity and creating take on the role of the local administrator of the program. These can be purely financial grants, at a local level. They created the Good Neighbor Program, a program a better sense of place. To that effect, they will also have the added benefits of increasing safety on the streets and beautifying the or various forms of store improvement grants. Local nonprofits can be employed to assist in that encourages local merchants neighborhood. making improvements to the landscaping, facade, or interior of the business, much like the to carry more fresh, healthy food Good Neighbor Program in San Francisco. Outside of financial grants, donations of fresh options for the community by offering food and vegetables could be made to the bodegas and delis in the neighborhood, allowing incentives, such as renovating the the business owners to avoid the relatively high cost of purchasing those products. An ideal facade of businesses, in exchange ACTION STEPS partner in this donation program would be the Hunts Point Cooperative Market, which could for merchants carrying fresh donate a small portion of excess food that might spoil during the lengthy distribution process, produce or food in their stores.39 The In order to implement placemaking and design but could be sold quickly within Hunts Point. Another potential partner is the Greenmarket overarching goal was to establish interventions in Hunts Point, the studio team recommends Co., the wholesale division of the GrowNYC Greenmarket Farmers Markets. This wholesale local connections among farmers, that SSBx follow the steps outlined below: market features farmers from around the region, and has its warehouse in Hunts Point.35 merchants and residents that benefit • Bring these recommendations to the community to everyone. With profits for farmers and get their feedback These incentives must be combined with effective long term outreach to business owners and merchants up and access to fresh • Organize a day of guerrilla placemaking where the public. Education must be personal and consistent. The incentives outlined above should food for residents increasing, the community members can use chalk to make welcome be combined with existing programs to ensure that bodegas and delis around Hunts Point can Good Neighbor Program has had a signs and create signage on non-truck routes meet the needs of the residents. profound impact on the community. It also led Assemblyman Mark Leno to • Organize volunteers to monitor truck traffic on non- The Healthy Bodegas Initiative is a program of the NYC Department of Health and Human put forth a bill to introduce a statewide truck routes and record data to aid in advocacy Hygiene, which encourages bodegas to carry healthier food through targeted recruitment pilot program called “Healthy Food efforts Purchase,” to incentivize local outreach. The official report on the program showed great success.36 However, the program • Bring these recommendations to the city and grocery stores to carry fresh fruits faces challenges, as it does not offer financial incentives, and many bodega owners are advocate for implementation and vegetables, as well as assisting concerned with their bottom line.37 38 Incentives such as those offered in Hunter’s Point in San • Seek private foundation support to fund some of food stamp recipients in purchasing these initiatives Francisco offer a model for encouraging participation among bodega owners. these products.40 65 66 securing funding truck route interventions: signage and physical barriers There are a number of resources where one can find funding for placemaking. Project for Public Places is a nonprofit organization that Current signage in the neighborhood that indicates that truck provides funding and training for placemaking projects, and which is holding an intensive two-and-a-half day training workshop in the fall traffic is prohibited should be enhanced in order to encourage of 2015 in New York City. This could provide an excellent opportunity for SSBx to share their own ideas, as well as learn from others.42 community reporting. The enhanced signs should include recommendations a map of neighborhood truck routes, how to report idling or Artplace America is another potential funding source. Although they are not offering grants in the New York City region in 2015, it has trucks using non-truck routes, and a list of fines for idling. provided funding to this region in the past and is still a valuable resource for research and ideas that SSBx should keep an eye on as this The work of the Pacific Institute in Oakland is instructive -- organization has a proven track record of helping blighted communities transform through art.43 the group partnered with the community to employ residents to count trucks and develop recommendations for mitigating These two potential funding sources are just the tip of the iceberg, so it is recommended that further research be done, possibly beginning the negative impacts of this traffic. These recommendations with The National Associations of Realtors and the National Endowment of the Arts, both of which provide funding through grant programs include placing planters to stop trucks from going down for projects both big and small.44 45 More information can be found through their websites (for which a link can be found in the endnotes). residential streets and better signage to indicate where the truck routes are located.

design and advocacy interventions Any barriers should be strategically placed to optimize traffic flows. Based on data from Vision Zero on accidents and fatalities wayfinding signage in Hunts Point, the team recommends key corridors and spot truck barrier locations locations where planters or other barriers could mitigate unsafe The group recommends that SSBx spearhead an effort to develop wayfinding signage and beautification to help improve visibility and traffic conditions. These include locations along the entrances access to parks and cultivate a sense of place. This could include signage to indicate park locations and culturally relevant “Welcome to to the neighborhood on the , such as at Hunts Point” signs, making it easier for residents and visitors to locate the parks. Local artists and community-based organizations could Hunts Point Avenue, Longwood, Leggett, Thruxton, Baretto, produce such signage. Placement of these welcome to the neighborhood signs or murals would be useful at the many entrances to Hunts Tiffany, Edgewater, and Bryant Avenues. Leggett Avenue Point. between the Bruckner Expressway and Randall Avenue has also been identified as a high accident corridor, along with In the long term, the group encourages SSBx to advocate for more green and complete streets, such as Lafayette Avenue, which could Hunts Point Avenue between the Bruckner Expressway and be achieved via central medians, vegetation and bioswales. This would be particularly useful on streets that lead to parks, such as Tiffany East Bay Avenue. Vision Zero reports also show a need for Avenue. mitigation along Spofford, Randall, and Oak Point Avenues, as well as around Joseph Rodman Drake Park, specifically at the intersections of Longfellow and Oak Point Avenues and the corner of Hunts Point Avenue and Whittier Street. It is recommended that this information be used to strategically place planters throughout the neighborhood to impede on the trucks ability to use non-truck routes, while also increasing pedestrian safety.46

67 68 reporting and monitoring truck behavior // section endnotes // Truckpollution reduction in oakland, ca The team also recommends that SSBx advocate for and 1. Rob Walker, “City Tech: Civic Insight’s BlightStatus App,” Land Lines, April, 2015, Date Accessed May 19, 2015, http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/2524_City-Tech--Civic-Insight-s- Oakland, CA is home to one of the largest ports in the nation, implement other interventions to mitigate the negative BlightStatus-App bringing a heavy burden of truck traffic through its residential impacts of truck traffic on the pedestrian experience. 2. New York City Comptroller Bureau of Policy and Research, (2014) Policy Brief: Internet Inequality: Broadband Access in NYC, December 2014, Date Accessed: May 21, 2015, http:// comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/Internet_Inequality.pdf. recommendations neighborhoods. The residents of this area suffer from a number 3. New York City Department of Sanitation, Illegal Dumping Complaint, Date Accessed: May 19, 2015, http://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/1151/illegal-dumping-complaint of health problems, including high rates of cancer and asthma. According to a 2009 New York City law, trucks and other 4. New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services, Real Estate Leasing, Date Accessed: May 19, 2015, http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/business/real_estate_ Pacific Institute partnered with the community to develop a study vehicles are prohibited from idling for three minutes or longer, leasing.shtml and recommendations for mitigating the negative health impacts and only one minute if the vehicle is adjacent to a school. 5. New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Land Use Permits, Date Accessed: May 19, 2015, http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/watershed_protection/land_use_ of heavy truck traffic. The study assessed where the trucks were permits.shtml The first offense is a $350 fine, the second a $545 fine, and 6. NYC Community Land Initiative, /El Barrio CLT, Date Accessed: May 19, 2015, http://nyccli.org/our-work/east-harlemel-barrio-clt/ traveling, where idling was occurring, and the air quality conditions 47 the third and subsequent offenses, a $740 fine. 7. National Community Land Trust Network, Funding Opportunities for Community Land Trusts and Permanently Affordable Housing Programs, accessed May 23, 2015, http:// in and around residential buildings, finding that trucks were idling cltnetwork.org/funding-opportunities-community-land-trusts/ for hundreds of hours per day and traveling illegally on residential 8. UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, Community kitchens: key elements of success (Research Brief #54), Date Modified: January 2001, Date Accessed: May In addition to enhanced signage for trucks, the studio streets, and that air quality conditions were significantly worse 18, 2015, http://www.cias.wisc.edu/community-kitchens-key-elements-of-success/ than in the city as a whole.The Institute then developed a list of recommends that SSBx advocate for the addition of “Truck 9. Seattle Tilth, About Community Kitchens Northwest, Date Accessed: May 18, 2015, http://www.seattletilth.org/communitykitchensnw_/about Idling” and “Trucks Using Non-Truck Routes” to the list of 10. Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation, URBAN HORIZONS KITCHEN Providing resources for start-up companies to launch small businesses, Date Accessed: short and long term recommendations to achieve three primary May 18, 2015, goals of “reducing the impact of trucks, reducing diesel emissions, common complaints that can be reported using the 311 http://whedco.org/Community-and-Economic-Development/Commercial-Kitchen/ and improving community health.”49 online portal and the 311 mobile application built by NYC 11. New York City Economic Development Corporation, Entrepreneur Space, Last Modified: 2015, Date Accessed: May 18, 2015, http://www.nycedc.com/program/entrepreneur-space • Advocacy DoITT. Combined with training on how to report these issues, 12. Ibid. residents would have the information and tools they need 13. Ibid. • Create a community monitoring program 14. Ibid. • Re-evaluate truck routes with community input to notify the authorities of truck violations, while adding to 15. Allison Hagey, Solana Rice, and Rebecca Flournoy, (2012) Growing Urban Agriculture: Equitable Strategies and Policies for Improving Access to Healthy Food and Revitalizing • Create a fund for public health improvement measures an open dataset of complaints that can be downloaded and Communities, Oakland CA, PolicyLink, p 13. Date Accessed: May 17, 2015, http://www.policylink.org/sites/default/files/URBAN_AG_FULLREPORT.PDF • Policy visualized in service of future advocacy efforts. 16. Ibid p 15. 17. EcoPlanIt Madison, Literature Review- Urban Agriculture, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015 http://urpl.wisc.edu/ecoplan/content/lit_urbanag.pdf • Prohibit trucks from overnight parking on residential streets 18. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, (2011) Brownfields and Urban Agriculture: Interim Guidelines for Safe Gardening Practices, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.epa. • Incentivize upgrading of old engines and trucks gov/brownfields/urbanag/pdf/bf_urban_ag.pdf • Regulate truck idling 19. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, (2011) Brownfields and Urban Agriculture: Interim Guidelines for Safe Gardening Practices, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.epa. • Develop a central location to collect complaints alternatives to Idling gov/brownfields/urbanag/pdf/bf_urban_ag.pdf • Design 20. Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, (2011) Investing in Healthy, Sustainable Places Through Urban Agriculture, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http:// In the long term, SSBx should consider advocating for www.fundersnetwork.org/files/learn/Investing_in_Urban_Agriculture_Final_110713.pdf • Install barriers to prevent trucks from traveling on residential an electric charging station for idling trucks, which could 21. New York City Office of Environmentnal Remidiation, NYC Voluntary Cleanup Program, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.nyc.gov/html/oer/html/voluntary-cleanup- streets be useful in improving residential air quality. This idea program/vcp.shtml • Develop electric charging stations where trucks are currently was presented in the Hunts Point Vision plan and should 22. Linda McIntyre, “Parks Come to the Point,” Landscape Architecture, December 2007, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, https://www.asla.org/lamag/lam07/december/feature2.html idling 23. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, (2015) Environmental Easement Site No: B00032, Barretto Point, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.dec. be considered further. This station could greatly reduce ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/b00032e.pdf • Encourage technology and design measures to improve for idling, which is an issue not only for air quality, but for 24. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, 2014, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.noffn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1.2.1-NORA-Alternative-Land-Use_revFINAL. residential air quality business as well, as it can cause damage to engines pdf?e46dc6 • Create truck stops in port area and waste significant amounts out fuel. Given the issue 25. Fiskars, Project Orange Thumb, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www2.fiskars.com/Community/Project-Orange-Thumb 26. Rachel Quist, “Crowdfunding Urban Farm Projects,” ethicalfoods.com, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://ethicalfoods.com/crowdfunding-urban-farm-projects/ of limited large spaces in Hunts Point, these stations, 27. Dan Sullivan, “Small is beautiful...and profitable,” Rodale Institute, June 8, 2006, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/2006/0606/somertontanks/ equipped with electrification systems, could be built to sullivan.shtml smaller scales at the periphery of the distribution center.48 28. Ibid.

69 70 29. NYC Office of Environmental Remediation, Community Brownfield Planning Grants, Date Accessed: May 18th, 2015, http://www.nyc.gov/html/oer/html/brownfield-incentive-grants/ grant-types.shtml#brownfield_planning. 30. Ibid. 31. Winnie Hu, “Fresh Produce Comes to the Bronx via a Veggie Market on Wheels,” The New York Times, February 26, 2014, Date Accessed: May 22, 2015, http://www.nytimes. com/2014/02/27/nyregion/fresh-produce-comes-to-the-bronx-via-a-veggie-mart-on-wheels.html?_r=0 32. The BLK Projek, Current Initiatives, Date Accessed: March 2015, http://www.theblkprojek.org/initiatives/ 33. Jessica Bitting, “Good Food Bags Boost Nutrients and Access,” Seattle Tilth Blog, May 24, 2014, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://seattletilthblog.org/2014/05/24/good-food- recommendations bags-boost-nutrients-access/ 34. Rainier Beach Urban Farm, “Growing Food and building Community in Rainier Beach,” Rainier Beach Urban Farm blog, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://rburbanfarm.blogspot. com/p/what-is-rainier-beach-urban-farm.html 35. Greenmarket Co., Our Mission, Date Accessed: March 2015, http://www.greenmarketco.org/ 36. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, (n.d.) Healthy Bodegas Initiative: CEO Internal program review report, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.nyc. gov/html/ceo/downloads/pdf/BH_PRR.pdf 37. Nancy Biberman, (2013) “Increase fresh food access to improve health outcomes,” Huffington Post, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-biberman/ south-bronx-food-desert_b_3133817.html 38. Sarika Bansal, (2012) “The healthy bodega initiative: bringing good food to the desert,” The Atlantic, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/04/ the-healthy-bodegas-initiative-bringing-good-food-to-the-desert/255061/ 39. Breckwich Vásquez, V., D. Lanza, S. Hennessey, Lavery, H. S. Halpin, and M. Minkler. 2008, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015. Addressing food security through policy promoting store conversions: In Community-Based Participatory Research for Health: From Process to Outcomes, 2nd Edition. 40. Organic Consumers Association, Health Food Pilot Program Fact Sheet, Date Accessed: May 23, 2015, http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_13963.cfm 41. Jenn Stanley, “6 Cities to Split $1 Million for Placemaking Projects,” Next City, April 22, 2015, Date Accessed 5/5/2015, http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/6-cities-new-placemaking- projects-southwest-announcement. 42. Project for Public Spaces, Upcoming Training and Events, Date Accessed May 23, 2015, http://www.pps.org/training/# 43. ArtPlace America, Date Accessed May 23, 2015, http://www.artplaceamerica.org/ 44. National Endowment for the Arts, Grants, Date Accessed May 23, 2015, http://arts.gov/grants-organizations/our-town/introduction 45. National Assocation of Realtors,Placemaking, Date Accessed May 23, 2015, http://www.realtoractioncenter.com/for-associations/smartgrowth/placemaking/?referrer=https://www. google.com/?referrer=http://www.realtoractioncenter.com/for-associations/smartgrowth/placemaking/ 46. City of New York, Vision Zero Online Portal, Date Accessed: May 19, 2015, http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pages/dialogue/map.html 47. American Transportation Research Institute, (2014) Compendium of Idling Regulations, Date Accessed May 5, 2015, http://www.atri-online.org/research/idling/ATRI_Idling_ Compendium 48. State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, (2010) Improving Truck Efficiency and Reducing Idling, http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/committees/docs/truck/

71 72 As civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman once said:

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can conclusion make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

Hunts Point has received a lot of attention as a low-income community of color with a long history of environmental justice issues. Noxious land uses abound, sourced from the largest wastewater treatment facility in the city, a high concentration of polluting industries and the active waste transfer stations in the neighborhood. The Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, the largest of its kind in the US, provides a vital resource for the New York Metropolitan region, but it also relies on thousands of daily truck loads, which make their way up and down the local streets of Hunts Point, impinging upon the journeys of pedestrians and cyclists. Noxious land uses and heavy truck traffic have led to severe health issues, with key indicators showing that Hunts Point residents suffer disproportionately from diabetes, heart disease and asthma, with rates often more than double NYC averages. These negative public health impacts are further exacerbated by a lack of access to healthy, fresh and affordable food. And while Hunts Point is a hub for jobs, the unemployment rate among residents is alarmingly high and thousands of jobs on the peninsula are not strongly connected to the local workforce.

While the challenges are plentiful, the studio team chose to focus on opportunities, because great communities are created from leveraging existing assets and resources. Hunts Point is home to a vibrant resident population, a plethora of indoor and outdoor community spaces and vibrant nonprofits and community based organizations. The social capital is high and the team chose to focus on how they could benefit this community with their knowledge and skills, while providing lasting resources that the community could use and build upon for years to come.

Given the many past plans and studies of the neighborhood, the Hunts Point Studio team also looked for ways to make a unique contribution. Early on, the team decided to focus on small scale interventions to improve quality of life for Hunts Point Residents. This work centered on three core areas: increasing connectivity on the peninsula so that residents could access key amenities, including open space and community centers; improving access to healthy and affordable food; and transforming vacant spaces into neighborhood amenities.

The team connected with residents early on in formal and informal conversations, went out on numerous field visits to observe the conditions in Hunts Point and scoured existing data and past plans to gain a comprehensive understanding of the neighborhood. The Hunts Point Studio was driven by a strong desire to make recommendations that grew out of public processes and community visions.

The recommendations in this report are ones that SSBx can begin to act on or advocate for in the short term, alone or in partnership with other local organizations, community groups and/or relevant City agencies. These recommendations are all within the reach of grant funding and 1-5 year timelines — avoiding the multi-million dollar projects and 20 year visions for the future, which while valuable and essential, must exist in tandem with short-term interventions. Positive change can happen now. Small steps in the near future can lead to large scale transformation in the long term.

73 74 // food and park access questionnaire (English) // The Hunts Point Studio is a group of Urban Planning Graduate students from Hunter College. Their mission is to promote environmental appendices justice and improve quality of life for residents and workers, through a community based planning process. This survey is designed to get your opinions about access to food, parks and open space in Hunts Point. Please take your time and // vacant lot and building survey sheet // answer as accurately as possible. Your answers are anonymous. For all of the questions below, please circle only ONE answer to each question, unless the question says “check all that apply”. VACANT LOT & BUILDING SURVEY SHEET Where and how you get your food appendices BUILDING / LOT 1. Where do you go food shopping most often?  Hunts Point (East of the Bruckner) Date ______Surveyor Name ______Circle One:  Morrisania  Longwood Street (If address Address is ______not visible, note side streets & addresses of nearby buildings—and Borough/Neighborhood where they ______are in regard to  Other ______the building, i.e.: Smith St. between 3rd & 4th Ave; 2 houses from the left of 428 Smith St) ______2. Where do you get your food most often? (Check all that apply)  Grocery store  Bodega/Deli Map # ______Block ______Lot ______ Farmers market  CSA Please record as much information Y / N as possible about all vacant buildings: Y / N  Community Garden

 Food pantry # Of Stories ___ Commercial Space? # Of Commercial Stories_____ Active Commercial Space?  Other ______Official Condemned Signage____ Boarded Windows ____ Boarded Doors ____ 3. Why do you get your food there? (Check all that apply) Unkempt Yard (i.e. overgrown grass) ____ Chained and locked fence ____  It is affordable  It is easy to travel there Please Record Y / N as much information as possible Y / N about all vacant lots:  It has good quality food  It has everything I need Waste on lot Y / N If Yes, Is all Waste in Dumpsters?  Other ______

Advertising, Signage If yes, type and contact info: ______4. How do you usually travel to go food shopping? (Check all that apply) Walk Bike Bus Subway Car service/Taxi Access-a-ride Other______Is lot used by adjacent lot’s business? ______Is lot used as a community use (i.e. community garden)? ______

Notes: ______

75 ______76

5. Roughly how long does it take you to get there from where you live? 11. What makes cooking at home difficult? (Check all that apply) Less than 15 minutes 15-30 minutes 30-45 minutes more than 45 minutes  It is not difficult  Cooking takes too much time 6. On a scale of 1-10, rank the ease or difficulty of going food shopping.  Cooking is too expensive appendices (Please circle one number)  Grocery shopping is difficult (easy) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (difficult)  It is difficult to find ingredients  Lack of knowledge/interest in cooking 7. What would make it easier to go food shopping? (Check all that apply)  Unsure  It is already easy  If groceries were more affordable 12. In the past year, did you shop at an outdoor farmers market in Hunts Point?  If the grocery store was closer to where I live YES NO  Better public transportation  If I had more time to go grocery shopping 13. Have you ever grown your own fruits and vegetables?  If the streets on the way to the grocery store were safer  No, I have never  Other ______ Yes, I have, but I don’t currently  Yes, I currently grow fruits and vegetables Fresh Fruits and Vegetables  No, but I would like to 8. On a scale of 1-10, rank the ease or difficulty of buying fresh fruits and vegetables (Please circle one number) Parks/Connectivity (easy) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (difficult) 14. Which park do you visit most often?  I don’t visit any of the parks (Please skip to question 16) 9. What do you think would make it easier for you to buy fresh fruits and vegetables?  Barretto Point Park (Check all that apply)  Hunts Point Riverside Park  It is already easy  Hunts Point Playground  More fruits and vegetables at existing stores  Joseph Rodman Drake Park  More locations to shop for fruits and vegetables  Manida Park (Julio Carballo Ballfields/Hunts Point Rec. Center)  More affordable prices  Hunts Point Landing  More CSA/Fresh produce program drop off points  Other______ Better public transportation  Other ______15. How often do you go to this park?  Almost every day 10. How often do you eat a meal that was cooked at home?  About once a week  Almost every day  Once or twice a month  2-3 times a week  A few times a year  About once a week  A couple of times a month 16. How do you usually travel to this park? (Check all that apply)  I don’t eat meals cooked at home Walk Bike Bus Subway Car service/Taxi Access-a-ride Other______

77 78 17. What stops you from going to the parks in Hunts Point more often? (Check all that apply) 21. Ethnicity  Nothing, I go to the park a lot  White  I don’t know where the parks are  Black or African American  The parks are too far away  Hispanic or Latino appendices  There are no activities in the park that I want to participate in  American Indian or Native Alaskan  I have to walk down streets where I feel unsafe  Asian  I feel unsafe in the parks  Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander  The parks are dirty or poorly maintained  Other______ Other ______22. Primary language spoken at home 18. What do you think would make it easier for you to visit parks in Hunts Point? English Spanish Other______(Check all that apply)  It is already easy 23. How long have you lived in Hunts Point?  I don’t want to go to visit the parks  I don’t live in Hunts Point  If I knew where the parks were  0-5 years  If I had more free time  5-10 years  If there were more transportation options (bus, subway, etc.)  10-20 years  If the parks were closer  20+ years  If the streets on the way to the park were safer  “My whole life”  If the parks were safer  If there were more events/programs Follow-up  If there was more equipment/facilities 24. Would you like us to share the results of this survey with you?  Other ______YES NO If so, please provide your email address: Demographics ______19. Age Thank you for your participation! 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80 years or over

20. Gender Male Female I’d prefer not to answer Other______

79 80 5. Cuanto Tiempo le coje llegar a su destinacion de dónde vive? // food and park access questionnaire (spanish) //  Menos de 15 minutos 15-30 minutos 30-45 minutos  más de 45 minutos Hunts Point Studio es un grupo de estudiantes urbanos graduados de Hunter College. Su misión es para promover la justicia ambiental 6. En una escala de 1-10 , clasificar la facilidad o dificultad de ir de compras de alimentos.

appendices y la cualidad de vida para residentes y trabajadores basado en la comunidad y en un proceso de planeamiento. (Dibujar un círculo alrededor de uno) (facil) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (dificil) La encuesta está diseñada para obtener su opinión de acceso a la comida, parques y espacios abiertos en Hunts Point. Por favor, tómese su tiempo y responder con la mayor precisión posible. Tus preguntas son anónimas. 7. Que haría más fácil para ir de compras de alimentos? (marque todo lo que corresponda)  Ya esta facil Para todas las preguntas de abajo, por favor conteste a UNA pregunta cada pregunta menos que la pregunta << dice marque todo lo  Si comida era más asequibles que corresponda.>>  Si el supermercado estaba más cerca de donde vivo  Mejor transporte público Adónde y cómo te obtener su comida  Si tuviera más tiempo para ir de compras 1. Cuando vas de compra, donde vas más seguido?  Si las calles eran más seguros  Hunts Point (Este de el Bruckner)  Otro ______ Morrisania  Longwood Fruta Fresca y Veduras  Otro ______8. En una escala de 1-10 , clasificar la facilidad o dificultad de comprar frutas y verduras frescas (Dibujar un círculo alrededor de uno) 2. Donde compra su alimento? (marque todo lo que corresponda) (facil) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (dificil)  Supermercado  Bodega/Deli 9. Qué crees que haría más fácil para usted para comprar frutas y verduras frescas?  Mercado de Productores (marque todo lo que corresponda)  CSA  Ya es facil  Huerto de la Comunidad  Más frutas y verduras en las tiendas existentes  Despensa  Más lugares para hacer compras para las frutas y verduras  Otro ______ Precios más asequibles  Más puntos de CSA / programa de productos frescos 3. Porque compra su alimento alli? (marque todo lo que corresponda.)  Mejor transporte público  Es asequible  Otro ______ Es fácil viajar allí  Tiene comida de calidad 10. Con qué frecuencia come una comida que fue preparado en casa?  Tiene todo lo que necesito  Todos los dias  Otro mas ______ 2-3 veces a la semana  Una ves de la semana 4. En general, como viaja para ir hacer compra? (marque todo lo que corresponda)  Una par de veces al mes Camina Bicicleta Bus Tren Servicio de Coche/Taxi Access-a-ride Otro______ No como comidas cocinadas en casa

81 82 11. Que hace cocinar en casa difícil? (marque todo lo que corresponda) 16. Como viaja al parquet? (marque todo lo que corresponda)  No es dificil  Caminar  Bicicleta Bus  Metro  Servicio de Coche/Taxi Access-a-ride Oto______ Cocinar toma mucho tiempo  Cocinar es muy caro 17. Qué te impide ir a los parques en Hunts Point con más frecuencia? (marque todo lo que corresponda) appendices  Compras es difícil  Nada , voy al parque mucho  Es difícil encontrar ingredients  No sé dónde los parques son  La falta de conocimiento / interés en la cocina  Los parques están demasiado lejos  No estoy Seguro(a)  No hay actividades en el parque que quiero participar en  Tengo que caminar por las calles donde me siento inseguro(a) 12. En el último año, usted hace compras en un mercado de agricultores al aire libre en Hunts Point?  Me siento inseguro(a) en los parques  SI  NO  Los parques están sucios o mal mantenidos  Otro ______13. Alguna vez han crecido sus propias frutas y verduras?  Nunca 18. Qué crees que haría más fácil para usted visitar los parques en Hunts Point?  Sí, pero no lo hago actualmente (marque todo lo que corresponda)  Sí, cultivo frutas y verduras  Ya es facil  No, pero me gustaría  No quiero visitor los parques  Si supiera donde los parques eran Parques / Conectividad  Si tuviera mas tiempo libre  Si hubiera más opciones de transporte (bus , metro, etc. ) 14. Que Parque visita mas seguido?  Si los parques estaban más cerca  Yo no visito cualquiera de los parques ( Por favor pase a la pregunta 16 )  Si las calles en el camino hacia el parque eran más seguros  Barretto Point Park  Si los parques eran más seguros  Hunts Point Riverside Park  If there were more events/programs  Hunts Point Playground  Si había más equipos / instalaciones  Joseph Rodman Drake Park  Otro ______ Manida Park (Julio Carballo Ballfields/Hunts Point Rec. Center)  Hunts Point Landing Demografía  Otro ______19. Edad 15. Con qué frecuencia vas a este parquet? 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80 y mas  Casi todo los dias  Una vez a la semana 20. Género  Una o dos veces al mes  Masculino  Femenino  Prefiero no contester Otro ______ Una veces al año

83 84 21. Etnia  Blanco  Negro o Afroamericano  Hispanos o Latino appendices  Indio Americano o Nativo de Alaska  Asiático  Nativo de Hawai o Oras Islas del Pacífico  Otro ______

22. Idioma principal que se habla en casa Ingles Español Otro ______

23. Cuánto tiempo ha vivido en Hunts Point?  Yo no vivo en Hunts Point  0-5 año  5-10 año  10-20 año  20+ año  “Todo mi vida.”

Seguimiento

24. Nos gustaría compartir los resultados de esta encuesta con usted? SI NO Si es así, por favor proporcione su email: ______

Gracias para tu participación!

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