El plan permitirá un nuevo proyecto residencial  en torno a dos estaciones de Metro-North en Morris Park y Parkchester/Van Nest. Según la concejal Kristy Marmorato, incluye “modificaciones fundamentales” para responder a las preocupaciones de los vecinos por conservar el carácter del barrio.

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 16 de agosto. Traducido por Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

El Concejo municipal votó el jueves a favor de la aprobación de un ambicioso plan de rezonificación para el Este del Bronx, cuyo objetivo es impulsar el desarrollo de unos 7.000 nuevos apartamentos en torno a dos estaciones de tren Metro-North previstas para la zona en los próximos años.

El plan de la zona de la estación de Metro-North del Bronx rezonificará unas 46 manzanas que rodean una línea de tren en los barrios de Morris Park y Parkchester/Van Nest, con el fin de aprovechar las nuevas opciones de transporte cerca de dos de las cuatro estaciones de Metro-North que se abrirán en el Bronx en 2027.

Los cambios en la zonificación permitirán el desarrollo de viviendas en partes de Parkchester/Van Nest que actualmente están zonificadas sólo para usos comerciales y de fabricación, y aumentarán la cantidad de viviendas permitidas tanto allí como en los distritos residenciales de Morris Park, según el Concejo.

La aprobación se produce cuando la ciudad enfrenta la mayor escasez de unidades de alquiler en varias décadas, y cuando la administración del alcalde Eric Adams busca aprobar una rezonificación más amplia llamada “City of Yes”, que facilitaría la construcción en toda la ciudad, incluso alrededor de las estaciones de tránsito.

El Distrito 13 del Concejo municipal, donde se encuentra gran parte de la zona de rezonificación, vio sólo 369 nuevos apartamentos asequibles construidos entre 2014 y 2023, ocupando el puesto 39 de los 51 distritos del Concejo en lo que respecta al desarrollo de la vivienda, según un rastreador producido por New York Housing Conference. El vecino distrito, el Distrito 18, que incluye Parkchester, tuvo 2.523 unidades asequibles construidas durante el mismo período.

Las juntas comunitarias que abarcan el área de rezonificación emitieron recomendaciones mixtas sobre el plan. La junta comunitaria 11 del Bronx, que abarca Morris Park, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway y Van Nest, votó a favor de la rezonificación, aunque citó preocupaciones sobre las mejoras de infraestructura necesarias para acompañar el crecimiento que traería. La junta comunitaria 9 del Bronx, que incluye Parkchester, votó de manera similar: a favor.

La junta comunitarias 10 del Bronx, que abarca los barrios de Pelham Bay y Westchester Square, se opuso a la rezonificación, diciendo en su recomendación que “la altura de los edificios sigue siendo una preocupación”, y pidiendo incluir más oportunidades para comprar una vivienda a precios asequibles.

Si bien los votos de la junta comunitaria no son vinculantes, pueden influir en la forma en que la Comisión de Urbanismo y el Concejo negocian los detalles de un acuerdo sobre el uso del suelo. La Concejal Kristy Marmorato, quien representa a gran parte de la zona de rezonificación y se ha opuesto previamente a proyectos de vivienda de alto perfil en el distrito, votó a favor de aprobar el plan el jueves.

“Desde el momento en que se presentó esta propuesta, me he comprometido a garantizar que se ajusta a las necesidades y aspiraciones de nuestra comunidad”, declaró la legisladora antes de votar.

“En respuesta a sus preocupaciones, hemos conseguido introducir modificaciones fundamentales en este plan”, añadió. “Esto incluye la limitación de la altura de los edificios, el restablecimiento de estacionamientos obligatorios y la protección de nuestros barrios de baja densidad”.

Los concejales dicen que también negociaron $500 millones de dólares en inversiones en infraestructuras locales para acompañar la rezonificación, incluyendo renovaciones en ocho parques y zonas de juego, y mejoras en las instalaciones de siete escuelas. El dinero también se destinará a la construcción de una plaza peatonal en la estación de Morris Park, además de mejoras en el transporte y mejoras de drenaje para evitar que las calles se inunden en toda la zona de rezonificación.

El portavoz del Concejo municipal, Adrienne Adams, dijo que las obras “tendrán un impacto positivo duradero para los residentes del Bronx”.

“Hacer frente a la crisis de vivienda y asequibilidad de nuestra ciudad requiere crear más hogares para los neoyorquinos”, dijo en un comunicado. 

“La apertura de nuevas estaciones de Metro-North en el Este del Bronx presenta una oportunidad única para desarrollar nuevas oportunidades de vivienda y de propiedad de la vivienda”.

Para ponerse en contacto con la reportera de esta noticia, escriba a Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.

If you hold the Minnesota State Fair, Minnesotans will come — no matter the weather.

If it rains, fairgoers will show up with umbrellas and ponchos — or they’ll buy them from vendors. If it’s sunny and hot, some people will purchase parasols and others will wear sunblock. Even if attendees are caught unprepared, they will mostly keep smiling as they huddle in buildings on the Fairgrounds or under the awnings to wait out the rain. Some beat the heat by planning their visits for later in the day, when they can attend shows at the Grandstand and watch the nightly fireworks.

Still, it’s always good to plan ahead. So, with the imminent start of the 2024 Minnesota State Fair, we asked: What’s the 12-day forecast?

Opening day

Let’s start with Thursday.

“For opening day, we should be OK,” says Ryan Dunleavy, a meteorologist with the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service.

That’s true especially for early risers (gates open at 7 a.m.), who will likely enjoy the day’s pleasant start, with temperatures eventually climbing to between 75 and 80 degrees.

Later on, there’s potential for showers and thunderstorms.

“But it looks like that should not pester anybody until after the evening activities are wrapped up,” Dunleavy predicted on Tuesday.

Opening weekend

As for the first weekend of the Fair — a popular time to attend — prepare for a stickier and hotter experience.

“The first weekend could be warmer and muggier than opening day,” Dunleavy said.

After a possible rainy start on Friday, the weather service expects clouds to decrease and temperatures to climb into the 80s.

Temperatures could climb into the low 90s by Sunday, with dew points climbing as well.

“Why not add a little tropical flavor to it?” Dunleavy said with a laugh.

If you need to cool off, head to the info booths to check the Fairgrounds map for the closest water and misting locations, the State Fair advises. First aid is also provided by Regions Hospital Emergency Medical Services.

Next week

As for next week, it gets a bit trickier to pin down the forecast this early.

Here’s what we can tell you:

Monday marks the first of two Seniors Days at the Fair — featuring $13 admission for ages 65 and up, among other deals — but Dunleavy says the weather service will need to watch a brewing system to see if it stays put in northwestern Minnesota as currently predicted.

Still, the extended forecast looks pretty good so far.

“Things could change a lot,” Dunleavy said, “but at least for the next eight to 14 days, the Climate Prediction Center is predicting near normal temperatures, right around the 80 to 85 range.”

As for precipitation? That could always happen, but …

“There’s not a big washout in the foreseeable forecast,” Dunleavy said on Tuesday.

Air quality

You might have noticed our hazy skies in the metro — this is due to light wildfire smoke from Canada over most of the state, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported on Tuesday.

While this translated to moderate air quality (yellow category) on Tuesday, improvements are incoming — at least for the start of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

“High pressure will shift east of the area for Wednesday/Thursday, and increased southerly winds will bring a gradual improvement to air quality,” the MPCA predicts.

People with health concerns should follow the MPCA’s daily forecasting at pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/air-quality-forecast; you can also sign up for air quality alerts.

“We only produce air quality forecasts out three days,” says David Brown of the MPCA’s Risk Evaluation & Air Modeling Unit, in an email response on Tuesday to the Pioneer Press’ query. “Currently, the forecast for Thursday, the first day of the Fair, is Green or Good. Looking at the long range weather forecast models, we’re pretty confident there won’t be any big weather systems bringing Canadian air and smoke into the state for at least a week from today. That’s the best information we can provide right now.”

Weather history

We can confidently report that no snow accumulation is expected at the 2024 Fair.

“This State Fair will be snow-free, that’s my bold projection,” says Pete Boulay, a climatologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ state climatology office, with a laugh.

In fact, Boulay says, there has never been a Minnesota State Fair with any white stuff — beyond the dusting of powdered sugar on those elephant ears, of course.

The public can learn all about weather throughout the State Fair’s history at dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/state_fair_weather.html.

While some might remember the extreme heat of 2013 or the 7-inch deluge of 1977, Boulay recalls a different weather fact from State Fair season.

“What stands out for me is a really cold day,” he says. “And the last time we had a cold day at the Fair was in 2021, when we had a high of 64 on Sept. 3.”

Of course, there’s someone who always experiences a cold day at the Fair: Princess Kay of the Milky Way, when she sits in a cooler as an artist sculpts her likeness in butter!

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The walkthrough had just ended on Tuesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center and defensive coordinator Brian Flores was slowly making his way to the podium.

As soon as the Vikings defensive coordinator walked off the practice field, safety Josh Metellus and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips were there waiting for Flores. The trio then proceeded to walk to the podium together with Metellus and Phillips standing behind Flores in support.

It was a clear statement that the Vikings have his back — both literally and figuratively — roughly 24 hours after his character was called into question by Dolphins star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“It meant a lot,” Flores said. “I’ve had a lot of support from a lot of people in this building and other buildings, as well. I was flooded with text messages yesterday, so that’s nice. At the same time, this is a team sport, and I don’t ever want it to be about anything that’s specific to me.”

That was unavoidable for Flores on Monday morning after a clip from “The Dan LeBatard Show” started to make the rounds on social media. In the interview, Tagovailoa spoke candidly about his former head coach, vilifying Flores for the way he treated him during their time together in Miami.

The most inflammatory remark came when Tagovailoa called Flores a “terrible person” while recounting his experience working with him on a daily basis.

Asked how he felt about that description, Flores responded, “Look, I’m human, so that hit me in a way that I wouldn’t say was positive for me.”

In the same breath, Flores noted that he’s treating this as a learning experience.

“I’ve got to use that and say, ‘Hey. How can I grow from that? How can I be better?’ ” Flores said. “That’s really where I’m at from that standpoint.”

Although he didn’t go into detail about his time with Tagovailoa, Flores seemed to acknowledge that his coaching style might have rubbed some players the wrong way.

“I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the situation and the communication,” Flores said. “I think there’s things that I could do better, for sure, and I’ve grown in that way, and I’ve tried to apply the things that I could do better.”

After confronting the situation from his past for the better of 10 minutes, Flores tried his best to bring the focus back to his present.

“I’m at a point now where I’m really trying to move forward and I’m really trying to focus on the guys here,” he said. “I’m always trying to learn and grow and evolve — really in all areas of my life. This is no different. I think at some point we’ve got to turn the page and I’m going to do that now.”

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The WNBA didn’t waste anytime returning to the hardwood after the Olympics, and the quick turnaround following the Paris Games is something players may look to change in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Teams started playing games four days after the Paris Games ended, including Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty, who opened up in Los Angeles — a nine-hour time difference after her time in France.

“I think that even in a non-Olympic year, you think about (the) All-Star (Game), it’s like, everybody needs some time after All-Star break or it’s not a break,” she told The Associated Press. “So, trying to kind of push that into the CBA, I think would be really important. Especially following the Olympics, because we’ve never had an Olympics in a 40-game season, except this season.”

Players or the league are able to opt out of the current CBA at the end of this season.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was head coach for the gold medal-winning U.S. team, which featured Lynx forward Napheesa Collier. Alanna Smith played for Australia, and Bridget Carleton for Canada. Minnesota resumed its season two days after Closing Ceremonies and have their first two games heading into Wednesday night’s 8:30 p.m. tipoff at Las Vegas.

The quick turnaround didn’t seem to hurt New York, either. The Liberty had four players and its head coach competing in the Paris Games. The Liberty swept a pair of games from Los Angeles and Las Vegas to remain solidly atop the standings and clinch a playoff spot.

Stewart understands the league, which has all this momentum behind it, doesn’t want to go longer without having games after taking the break.

“From the W’s perspective, I’m sure they’re like, well, we don’t want to be not showing games for an entire month or a month plus. But at the same time, understanding the players’ perspective I think is really important,” she said. “It’s wild, from Paris to the West Coast, so it’s just like, not an ideal situation.”

The Liberty forward said “unfortunately” players are put in situations like these a lot.

“It’s like, onto the next, onto the next, onto the next, where we kind of even really celebrate what we did, of winning a gold medal, as much as you would want to.”

The Aces split their first two games, and A’ja Wilson would have loved a few more days to recover after helping the U.S. win it’s eighth consecutive gold medal. Las Vegas was one of the lucky teams that didn’t start play until Saturday.

“I definitely needed some time to decompress. Playing USAB (is) a whole other thought and mind process that you might not necessarily have to exert that much energy when you play with your respective team,” Wilson said. “So, definitely needed just a couple of days just to kind of decompress, whether that’s just get back into the flow of things, or just get my feet underneath me, because that was a long time away with a lot of just back and forth.”

Wilson said she’d be in favor of the players discussing getting more time off.

“I think if it is a chance for us to go to the table and say, ‘Hey, we should get more rest time,’ even if it’s … just a couple of days. It’s crazy to see players play fresh off of a plane in a sense. So yeah, I don’t mind asking for that.”

Phoenix, Chicago and Los Angeles all played three games in a four-day span to tipoff the second half of their seasons.

Fortunately from the Olympics standpoint, the next one is in Los Angeles, so travel will be less of an issue for USAB players.