Overview

The South Bronx 161st Street Corridor encompasses the both the Bronx Civic Center and Melrose Commons / Third Avenue business districts. The Bronx Civic Center is an urban center with a strong civic and office core, bolstered by new and enhanced regional destinations like Yankee Stadium, Gateway Center, Harlem River Waterfront parks, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts. The recently constructed 775,000 square foot (SF) Bronx Hall of Justice, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, consists of 47 different Supreme and Criminal Court rooms. The nearby Joyce Kilmer Park and Lou Gehrig Plaza provide public parkland and settings for concerts, exhibitions, and festivals.

Melrose Commons / Third Avenue is a thriving residential area with vibrant cultural and retail activity. The Hub, located along Third Avenue, is a regional commercial center of the South Bronx where more than 200,000 pedestrians pass through each day. As of 2010, over 400,000 SF of retail space has been built on public sites around Melrose Commons and the Hub. Boricua Village is a public / private development that includes a satellite campus of Boricua College, 689 units of mixed-income housing, 47,000 SF of retail space, and 1.6 acres of public open space.

In 2008, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg released the “South Bronx Initiative” (SBI). This plan reflects an effort to sustain the positive effects of several development and infrastructure projects that the City has undertaken over the past 3 years to attract private investment and promote the creation of affordable housing, retail, and office space in the South Bronx. As a result, over $3 billion of public / private investment and new development will create almost 16,000 construction and permanent jobs and lay the groundwork for additional, sustainable growth.

View the South Bronx Central Business District Summary

Office Market

In September 2009, the City Council adopted the 161st Street/River Avenue Rezoning to provide opportunities for new high-density residential, commercial, and community facility development in the civic heart of the Bronx. These recent zoning changes and public investments have primed the 161st Street Corridor as a convenient, affordable, and attractive office environment, including the ongoing construction of the neighborhood’s first Class A office building.

Available Commercial Incentives

• Relocation and Employment Assistance Program (REAP)
• Commercial Expansion Program (CEP)
• Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP)
• Energy Cost Savings Program (ECSP)
• South Bronx Empowerment Zone Benefits
• See www.nyc.gov/businessexpress for more information about incentive programs

Office Market Snapshot¹

Class B Office Space¹

Class C Office Space¹

1. Data gathered from CoStar and the 161st Street BID/Fiel Corporation

Retail Market

With new destinations like the Harlem River waterfront parks and the new Yankee Stadium, the South Bronx 161st Street Corridor is fast becoming a dynamic urban center of year-round activity for workers, residents, and visitors. The area has some of the best transit access in the Bronx, with stops on the B, D, and 4 subway lines, two new Metro North stations (Yankee Stadium Station and North Melrose Station are both less than 15 minutes from Grand Central Station), as well as proximity to the Major Deegan and Cross Bronx Expressways. The Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market, completed in 2009, provides a 913,000 SF retail anchor in the community alongside a vibrant corridor along 3rd Avenue of local shops and restaurants.

Demographics¹

Current Retail Environment¹

1. Data gathered from CoStar and Demographics Now

Who's Here

• Best Buy
• Bed, Bath, & Beyond
• Toys R Us
• Babies R Us
• Home Depot
• Staples 
• T-Mobile
• Target
• BJ's Wholesale Club
• Marshalls
• Raymour & Flanigan
• GameStop
• Applebee's
• Payless
• GNC
• AT&T
• Subway
• Michael's
• Youngworld
• Conway – coming soon
• Lens Central Optical – coming soon
• BX Sports – coming soon 
• Jaba Furniture – coming soon

Large Scale Development Activity

Yankee Stadium

The new Yankees Stadium opened in April 2009 and provides a state-of-the-art home to the New York Yankees, or “Bronx Bombers,” baseball team. Much of the stadium incorporates design elements from the previous Yankee Stadium, paying homage to the Yankees' history. The new stadium features has capacity for 52,325 people and contains 25 fixed concessions stands, along with 112 moveable ones and a Hard Rock Café also open to the public.

• Use: Recreational / retail
• Cost: $2.3 billion

Yankee Stadium Park Redevelopment

As part of the award winning Yankee Stadium Area Redevelopment Project, the City is building four new parks with high-quality recreational facilities including three athletic fields, an all-weather soccer and football field surrounded by a 400-meter competition-quality track, four basketball courts, fitness equipment area, handball courts, a skate park, playgrounds, a waterfront esplanade, tennis courts and a picnic area along the Harlem River at the Mill Pond Park.

• Cost: $195 million
• Use: Recreational
• Status: Under construction

Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market

The Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market is The Bronx and Upper Manhattan's newest and most exciting shopping destination, located just steps from Yankee Stadium. The LEED Silver certified building, completed in 2009, created nearly 1 million SF of new retail space, street-level restaurants and on-site parking for 2800 cars.

• Use: Retail
• Cost: $500 million
• Status: Complete

Bronx Hall of Justice

The Bronx County Hall of Justice, designed by Rafael Viñoly, is a courthouse at 265 East 161 St, between Sherman and Morris Avenues. The 10-story building has 775,000 SF and includes 47 Supreme and Criminal Court rooms, 7 grand jury rooms, and office space for the Department of Corrections, Department of Probation, and the District Attorney.

• Use: Municipal
• Cost: $275 million
• Status: Complete

Boricua Village

Boricua Village is a 4.5 acre site located in the Melrose Commons section of the Bronx that contains 689 units of mixed income housing, 47,000 SF of retail space, and 1.6 acres of publicly accessible open space. The project was a public / private partnership with NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

• Use: Residential / retail / education
• Cost: $250mm total investment
• Status: Complete

South Bronx Map