Unnamed developer plans 296-unit rental in East Tremont on land from church

An unnamed developer is planning to construct a mid-density 296-unit affordable residential building at 1949 Bathgate Avenue in East Tremont, the Bronx. The project is planned on land long-owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York but that has been subdivided from a single parcel into four parcels.

The development plans were revealed in a land use application filed on August 7, with the land use fee being paid on September 8.

The applicant, zoning attorney Caroline Harris, requested a rezoning from R6A to R7A and a mandatory inclusionary housing (MIH) text amendment to Appendix F in order to facilitate the development.

On a portion of the church’s property was the struggling St. Joseph’s Church.

In November of 2017, demolition plans were filed to demolish the four-story church, which had structural damages and leaks and would have required at least $5 million in repairs. No sign offs have been recorded noting the demolition is complete, and there are three open violations at the site from the summer with penalties totaling nearly $8,000.

The plans were filed by Nelson Belizario of the St. Simon Stock School, a private co-educational Catholic school for children in Pre-K through 8th grade.