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Crain’s New York, one of the most respected business journals in the industry is asking a poll on the FreshDirect issue of receiving $130 million in tax breaks and subsidies.  Public opinion is clearly showing that more and more people are increasingly opposed to such a deal – particularly one done without community input. (Don’t forget to read our open letter to Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz, Jr!)

Please take the poll:

Did FreshDirect deserve more than $100M in tax breaks and subsidies? – Polls | Crain’s New York Business.

MORE ARTICLES AND VIDEOS DISCUSSING THE GROWING CONCERNS OF THE FRESHDIRECT $130 MILLION DEAL

NY1

• Inside City Hall – Political Rundown with Curitis Sliwa and NY1 political commentator Gerson Borrero

NY Daily News

• City to give Fresh Direct $83.5 million in tax breaks to subsidize move to South Bronx - Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/city-give-fresh-direct-83-5-million-tax-breaks-subsidize-move-south-bronx-article-1.1022785#ixzz1mZgU6xvX
• Bronx residents, activists to weigh in Thursday on public benefits for new Fresh Direct headquarters - Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/bronx-residents-activists-weigh-thursday-public-benefits-fresh-direct-headquarters-article-1.1018735#ixzz1mZgnBM5P
• Fresh Direct subsidy fans and foes clash at packed public hearing on benefits deal for new Bronx base - Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/fresh-direct-subsidy-fans-foes-clash-packed-public-hearing-benefits-deal-bronx-base-article-1.1019977#ixzz1mZh7pPQH

New York Times

• Criticizm of FreshDirect Deal Is Off Base, City Officials Say – Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/nyregion/critics-of-freshdirect-deal-are-off-base-city-says.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Freshdirect&st=cse

New York City Comptroller

• “Today’s $100 million subsidy to Fresh Direct was already a done deal from the moment it was announced last week and the reality is that my vote today does not change the outcome.  Nonetheless, I cannot vote for this subsidy in good conscience.  There may be more ways to ensure a better return on this investment.
  “For the cost of this benefits package the city could give 4,385 students full, four-year scholarships to CUNY or hire 1,458 new teachers or pay for 350,000 GED test-prep programs or launch a micro-lending program for minority and women entrepreneurs. – Read more: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2012_releases/pr12-02-015.shtm

Dear Borough President Diaz:

Last week Bronx residents, including myself, were caught off guard by the announcement in the New York Daily News that “Fresh Direct will receive $130 million in grants, tax breaks and tax credits from the Cuomo and Bloomberg administrations and Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.” Why were we so surprised? Simply put, we were left out of the process regarding the future of our public lands (almost 100 acres on the waterfront) and $130 million of our tax dollars.  I would like to ask you why, Mr Diaz, was this done so sneakily behind our backs? Why weren’t we part of the process as is our right? Sadly, had this been 100 acres in Manhattan, Brooklyn or any other borough we would not be having these issues because it would NEVER have been done behind the residents’ back.

You recently called the opposition out (which includes myself) on your personal page on Facebook as well as the group created by your office, “Bronxites for FreshDirect“, and asked us ”To those people who continue to say that they don’t want Fresh Direct here, my question to them is, ‘do we say no to the potential of 3,000 jobs?’”–Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.”  That is a poor and cheap tactic pandering to the heartstrings of Bronxites who already suffer from the highest employment rate in the city.  What potential of 3,000 jobs?  There are already almost 2,000 employed at FreshDirect and the estimates are that 1,000 jobs will be created by 2020.  That’s pretty far into the future when Bronxites need jobs NOW.  Not 8 years from now.  The first of the jobs wouldn’t even begin until 2015.  Again, that is 3 years away and 3 years too late for people who need jobs right this minute.

But it doesn’t just end there.  We also need QUALITY jobs.  You have been quite an outspoken proponent of living wage jobs for Bronx residents and even wrote an editorial for the New York Daily News.  Remember that?  I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting and boldface type the pertinent quotes from your eloquent letter as a fighter for fair wages for Bronxites.

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Kingsbridge Armory needs more than minimum wage jobs: A public-private partnership is the answer

By Ruben Diaz, Jr

What the Kingsbridge Armory needs for a successful redevelopment is a considerable public-private funding partnership, similar to those at the High Line and other city armories. The High Line got more than $100 million in taxpayer support; that kind of investment could surely help lift up my borough.

In December 2009, the City Council voted to prevent the development of a retail mall at the Kingsbridge Armory, a former military outpost with a footprint larger than two football fields, near Fordham Road. I supported that decision because the developer didn’t ensure that employees would’ve been paid a living wage.

I have approached the discussion on the future use of the armory with only one aim: to expand access to opportunity and upward mobility through a responsible, community-focused investment and development strategy that yields a much higher rate of return for the taxpayer dollar. My critics have stated that my work to defeat the proposed retail mall was irresponsible, but I know we made the right decision.

A mall would have devastated local businesses – at taxpayer expense. And we cannot say that the project would have created the number of jobs promised, anyway.

When the Related Companies constructed the Gateway Center Mall near Yankee Stadium in 2005, executives promised that the mall would employ more than 2,300 full-time workers. As of last year, the mall has created the equivalent of just 986 full-time jobs, less than half of what was proposed. We cannot accept at face value the claim that Related would have created 1,200 new retail jobs at Kingsbridge, given its disappointing track record.

The Gateway Mall is the hallmark of Mayor Bloomberg’s approach to job creation: provide developers with city land and/or public assets at deep discounts, then subsidize site conversions with millions of taxpayer dollars in cheap financing, tax breaks and far-below-market rents in order to create poverty level jobs.

The growth of the local retail industry is a driving force for these jobs. More low-wage workers in New York City are employed in retail than in any other sector of the economy. Three in five retail workers earn an hourly wage of $13 or less and 44% earn less than $10 an hour. The prevalence of low-wage jobs and the retail sector’s fast growth, make these projects poor candidates for public subsidy.

What we need is redevelopment that would not just awaken the empty hull of the armory but also create new business and social activity throughout the neighborhood. The space could be used for a sports arena, a recreation facility, a film studio or a number of other options. With the help of City Hall, we will solicit proposals that meet those requirements.

Such redevelopment will likely require a significant public-private partnership, especially given the poor shape of the building and the inability of most interested parties to finance such a large undertaking.

Other armories in the city – Park Slope, Fort Washington Ave. and Park Ave. – have seen significant taxpayer investment in their redevelopment in addition to private fund-raising. Rather than becoming malls in competition with neighborhood merchants, these armories were developed with recreational use in mind. Each has become a cornerstone of its community.

It is inconsistent to presume that a public-private partnership would be unfeasible for the armory, given the extent of public dollars invested in relatively smaller projects around the city.

The city should look at its success at the High Line, which has become a major amenity to the West Side of Manhattan largely due to considerable public investment and replicate that model at the armory, emphasizing the redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood over direct job creation.

Taken as its own entity, the High Line has created a mere handful of jobs – not enough to justify more than $130 million in taxpayer investment in a small strip of parkland. At such spending levels, one has to wonder what, if any, was the city’s direct return on its investment.

The real benefit of the High Line is the significant investment it has spurred in the surrounding community, investment based on the draw of the High Line as an attraction to not just New Yorkers, but to visitors from across the globe.

There is no reason that a similar model could not be implemented at the Kingsbridge Armory. I am ready to work with Mayor Bloomberg to put forward a new request for proposals, one that not only focuses on the need for community-minded redevelopment but also does not shy away from significant public investment. If such investment is appropriate for the High Line, then it is appropriate for the Bronx.

Diaz is the borough president of the Bronx.

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Source: http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/counties/36005

So after reading the beautiful letter which you wrote I ask you, what is so different from the FreshDirect deal that is so deserving of our $130 million in grants and tax subsidies?  These jobs, that you are touting as if we should be grateful, are jobs that are barely above minimum wage. 38% of FreshDirect employees make less than $25,000 a year which is far below what is necessary for a single parent with one child to survive in the Bronx.  What of our waterfront? Is it not worthy of protection as Manhattan’s waterfront or any other borough? As you know from personal experience in the Bronx as you stated in the above editorial, promised jobs are just that:  Promises.

We all know too well that as the old adage goes, promises are made to be broken.

Sincerely,

Ed Garcia/A Concerned Bronx Resident

Board Members of the NYCIDA

Residents of the South Bronx are in attendance to hear the board’s vote on the FreshDirect sweetheart deal of $130 million in to move its headquarters to Mott Haven in the South Bronx. More information to come as the meeting progresses.

The New York Times and Channel 2 CBS were on hand to take our official statement which was given by Mychal Johnson of Community Board 1, Reverend Ruben Austria, local faith based leader and Harry Bubbins of Friends of Brook Park.

Press Release: Community Members Unite to Stop FreshDirect’s Exploitation of the South Bronx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9:00 AM Monday, February 13, 2012

Press Release: Community Members Unite to Stop FreshDirect’s Exploitation of the South Bronx

BRONX, NY, February 13, 2012:

Community residents and activists will rally Tuesday, February 14th at 8:45 AM outside of 110 William Street, to demand that the board of the New York City Industrial Development Agency vote to block FreshDirect’s sweetheart deal in the Bronx. The deal was suddenly announced last Tuesday, February 7th. Governor Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. hailed the privately arranged deal as a win for everyone. FreshDirect is expected to receive a $130 million subsidy package from the city, the state, and the Bronx in exchange for its decision to relocate from Queens to the Harlem River Rail Yards along the waterfront in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx.

But local community members are upset about the adverse impact that FreshDirect’s relocation will have on the South Bronx. They have organized a group called SOUTH BRONX UNITE! STOP FRESHDIRECT! and find numerous aspects of the deal and how it is being portrayed disturbing, deceptive, and deleterious to the health and welfare of the South Bronx community.

“Fresh Direct has pledged to bring new jobs to the Bronx,” said Mychal Johnson of Community Board 1, “But they have no obligation to do so. FreshDirect is not penalized if they fail to reach their job creation targets. There are no mandates or incentives to hire people from the South Bronx, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in all of New York City. Further, there is no guarantee that FreshDirect jobs would even be at a living wage.” According to subsidy watchdog group Good Jobs New York, the city is failing to leverage the proposed subsidies for the creation of good jobs for people that need them. In addition, GJNY claims the IDA has failed to provide taxpayers a clear cost/benefit analysis of the benefits expected to be awarded to the company.

“The way this went down was completely undemocratic,” said Mychal Johnson. “The Governor, the Mayor, and the Borough President announced this was a done deal before the public hearing, before the official vote, before there was any chance for public input. They decided to give FreshDirect $130 million dollars in taxpayer support, without any assessment of how this would affect the community. Worst of all, even with millions of dollars of subsidies, tax breaks, and incentives, there is no written guarantee of even one new living wage job for the South Bronx.”

The relocation is a “slap in the face to the people of the South Bronx,” said Rev. Ruben Austria, a faith leader and resident of Mott Haven. “We are in dire need of fresh food in this community, but FreshDirect won’t even deliver in the South Bronx. Yet they have no qualms about driving fleets of trucks in and out of our neighborhood every day, polluting the air our people breathe, while they bring their product to wealthier communities. They say there’s no demand in the South Bronx, but they make no provision to serve families using food stamps, who would gladly purchase affordable fresh food.”

The burden on the South Bronx angers Daniel Wallace, a neighborhood resident. “This project demands that the people of the South Bronx bear an inordinate amount of the costs of a deal from which we are guaranteed no real benefit. People in Manhattan get to eat fresh food; we get to eat more exhaust. As a South Bronx resident, it infuriates me that the people elected to represent our community’s interests are instead allowing us to be saddled with another terrible deal. The way FreshDirect and our elected officials flouted the democratic process to complete this deal is a real sign of disrespect to me and the rest of the people who live in the South Bronx. They didn’t even pretend like our voices matter.”

“It’s unacceptable,” says Ivelyse Andino, a resident of the South Bronx. “We already have the highest rate of asthma in the country, the most concentrated health problems, including infant mortality and childhood obesity – and these things are the direct result of urban planning policies that utterly disregard the rights of poor communities of color. Now FreshDirect is going to bring in another 130 trucks driving through our streets every day, and produce 380 tons of solid waste each month – and there hasn’t even been a legitimate environmental impact study done.”

The worst part of the deal, say environmental activists like Harry Bubbins, is that the space FreshDirect will occupy is misused public land. The proposed site for FreshDirect at the Harlem River Rail Yards in the Bronx was supposed to develop freight service to reduce air pollution from truck traffic, expand the South Bronx Greenway, and give residents access to the waterfront. Instead, 1.9 miles of waterfront space will remain inaccessible to the public. “This gargantuan facility,” said Bubbins, “is clearly inappropriate for our waterfront and has sparked keen and widespread interest in the best use of this valuable public land. We look forward to an aggressive inquiry by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman into the original lease between the New York State Department of Transportation and the Harlem River Rail Yards. It seems they are in default, and a new community led public planning process needs to be initiated. A more mixed use and diverse array of activities on the 100 acres foot print will yield more jobs, cleaner air and a better return for the tax payer investment than what is proposed with the lucrative backdoor deals proposed for FreshDirect to abandon Queens.”

Despite the anger over the FreshDirect sweetheart deal, community members are optimistic. “We’re going to use every legal tool available to us to fight for our community,” said Corrine Kohut, an attorney and homeowner in the South Bronx. “We’re too well informed and organized to let this happen without a fight. Our elected officials and the public agencies that are supposed to look out for our interests aren’t going to get away with selling out the community anymore. We look forward to a community-led development plan that makes efficient use of nearly 100 acres of public waterfront land and incorporates sustainable development, living wage jobs, clean air and waterfront access for South Bronx residents.”

Contact: Harry Bubbins, Friends of Brook Park

harry@friendsofbrookpark.org

(646) 648 4362.

Mychal Johnson, Community Board 1 mychaljohnson@gmail.com (212) 810-0562

http://southbronxunitestopfreshdirect.blogspot.com/2012/02/press-release-community-members-unite.html?m=1

Protester Speaks Their Mind / Copyright Welcome2melrose.com

In a deal that gets dirtier by the day it was just revealed that no input from Community Board 1 in the Bronx – the district that FreshDirect wants to plant their roots in by getting a sweetheart deal and prime waterfront property.

More to come later as this meeting is still in progress.

MATTHEW ROBERTS FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

It seems like the cart was put before the horse.

When it was announced yesterday that FreshDirect will stay in New York City by moving from their cramped Long Island City facility to a state-of-the-art building to be constructed in the Bronx to the tune of approximately $130 million deal in city and state tax breaks, grants and subsidies as well as monies from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr’s office, some Bronx residents reacted with concern and anger.

“Why do we have to add more trucking to a neighborhood with the highest asthma in the state? Why do they get tax breaks when our residents pay the highest percentage of taxes?” said Lily, who lives in the neighborhood. She also goes on to state her concerns about FreshDirect snatching up prime Bronx waterfront property and how it will block access to the Greenway.

Her sentiments were echoed by others who feel that the administration ignores the residents of the Bronx and makes decisions without community input. How is it possible that all major media outlets trumpet this deal yet fail to analyze that a public community hearing has yet to occur?

LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT

The hearing, which is scheduled for Thursday, February 9th at 10am, furthermore exhibits how the administration of the city surreptitiously operates. This neighborhood – as is the rest of the Bronx – is a working class neighborhood where residents cannot afford the luxury of taking time off from work to attend such critical hearings concerning the ongoings that affect their daily lives. To say that it is unfair to do so is an understatement.  The administration needs to step up their game and do what they’re elected to do: To serve their constituents.

$130 million is no chump change when doling out corporate welfare and as residents and taxpayers we need more transparency in the process and say how the monies will be used.  We need the city to hold a meeting in OUR neighborhood which will be impacted by the deal at a time that is convenient for our residents.  6 or 7PM is ideal since the majority residents will already be home from work or school.

HAVE WE NOT LEARNED FROM OUR PAST?

Just last week it was reported that a recent sweetheart deal for $217 million was about to go bust - The Yankee Stadium deal for 9,000 space parking lot which hasn’t been able to make money and is on the verge of defaulting this year in what will be one of the worst financial disasters in city administration history in decades.  In light of that recent fiscal irresponsibility it is imperative that the community has more input in the FreshDirect process.  What will the deal do for our community besides place a fancy grocery delivery service –  that caters to the affluent communities – in the poorest congressional district that ignores the poor and communities of color in the Bronx and will pollute our roadways and lungs with their army of delivery trucks? Do we not already have the distinct displeasure of having the highest asthma rates in the country? As Bronx resident, Ari Feliz, Vanguard at The X Collective says, “They are asking to build but yet they still hold discriminatory practices towards where and subversively to whom they deliver to…  I can’t help but think of the Stadium deal in which the highest paid labor jobs went to contractors outside of the Bronx that employed non Bronxities, and only the low-wage jobs were reserved for our residents.” Ari makes an excellent point about the low-wage jobs which Good Jobs New York goes into more detail and states that, “nearly 40% of current Fresh Direct employees earn less than $25,000 a year”.

Good Jobs New York, an organization dedicated to empowering residents and connecting them with information on deals in the state, grass roots organizations and government agencies, wrote a good piece with 10 reasons why we should “Sour” on FreshDirect’s” mega deal which I posted below for you to read.

Will FreshDirect do good by the community it plans on becoming neighbors with? What of the much needed Bronx Greenway? Will we be able to compromise a deal that will not block the Greenway?  Only time will tell if they will take the role of good neighbor vs. a community scourge. Let your voice be heard and attend the hearing if you can and spread the word.  The Industrial Development Agency Public Hearing will be held Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10AM at 110 William Street in Downtown Manhattan.

To read some of the readers’ opinions, check out yesterday’s article.

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From Good Jobs New York:

Why You Should Sour on Fresh Direct’s Proposed $80 Million City Subsidy for Expanding at Harlem River Yards in The Bronx

Let your voice be heard: Industrial Development Agency Public Hearing Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:00am 110 William Street in Lower Manhattan

1. Fresh Direct has engaged in a greedy race to the bottom policy by pitting New York and New Jersey against one another for a subsidy package. In 1999, Fresh Direct agreed to a $6 million deal with the city to operate its Queens facility through 2025. Its success and need to expand is due in part to its NYC customer base, the city’s infrastructure including access to northern suburbs and its New York City based workforce. Why is Fresh Direct holding taxpayers over a barrel?
2. The New York City Industrial Development Agency’s cost/benefit analysis is misleading because it does not take into account the existing subsidy package; Fresh Direct has used over $2.5 million in city subsidies.
3. The neighborhoods surrounding the proposed facility are dubbed “asthma alley” because they have some of the highest asthma rates in the country. Fresh Direct relies on a legion of trucks to move its merchandise and to deliver its goods. Yet, the IDA documents don’t indicate plans for the company to utilize the existing rail at the site.
4. According to the company’s application, numerous complaints have been filed with city, state and federal agencies regarding its labor practices.
5. The company’s description of wages and employment is confusing and fails to provide taxpayers with enough information to gauge the quality of jobs either by salary or how many jobs would be part-time or full-time. Unless this information is provided more clearly, how can taxpayers be sure further investment in Fresh Direct is wise?
6. The proposed site at the Harlem River Yards in The Bronx is owned by the state, but there are no details on its provisions. How can we be sure this won’t be a sweetheart lease?
7. Ironically, Fresh Direct only delivers to the northwestern Riverdale and Kingsbridge sections of the Bronx ignoring the neighborhoods surrounding the proposed site. Will neighbors and low-income employees at the company only have access to Fresh Direct food from local soup kitchens?
8. The company’s business practices of delivering exclusively to the far Northwest Bronx neighborhoods and refusing to accept Food Stamps not only ignores Bronxites who can’t afford their food, but subjects residents to a massive fleet of asthma-producing trucks driving through their neighborhoods everyday without getting a direct benefit.
9. There is no expectation that Bronx residents will be hired or will be paid enough that they won’t have to rely on a variety of taxpayer subsidized safety net programs: Medicaid, food stamps, subsidized child care, etc. According to employment reports, nearly 40% of current Fresh Direct employees earn less than $25,000 a year.
10. The company plans to only purchase 12% of it machinery and equipment for the new facility locally (New York City and New York State.)

There appears to be yet another sweetheart deal in the Bronx, this time for FreshDirect, the local grocery delivery giant.

Dan Beekman, of the New York Daily News broke the tale of the deal which pitted New York against New Jersey (a story as old as time itself) both of which offered $100 million+ in benefits to lure the grocer.  A total of approximately $130 million in grants, tax credits, etc will be given to FreshDirect.  This will sweeten the incentive for the company to stay within the city by moving its quarters in Long Island City where it is currently cramped for space, up to the Harlem River Rail Yards just south of Melrose in the Port Morris neighborhood in a new $112 million building that the company will construct.

Almost 2,000 jobs will be kept in New York State as a result of the deal and will bring about 1,000 new jobs by 2020 to the borough but will is this a good deal for Bronxites?

The only way that this will positively be a win for Bronxites is to provide delivery to EVERY zip code within the Bronx.  Currently, FreshDirect drives through our borough polluting our neighborhoods with their trucks to make deliveries to Riverdale/Norwood area of the Bronx.  That’s it.  The rest of the Bronx might as well not exist and if they’re going to plant roots in the South Bronx, they better be compelled to make deliveries in that very neighborhood as well as ALL neighborhoods of our borough.  It is very insulting to each and every Bronxite that we are not “good enough” for them to deliver to us yet they will blaze through the Bronx to make deliveries in Westchester County and Southern Fairfield County in Connecticut.

I welcome FreshDirect with open arms but ONLY if they do right by the people of the Bronx.  It is our land and neighborhoods that will be affected by an increase in truck traffic as they make their deliveries to affluent neighborhoods.  For now, I’ll stick with my local green grocers, Downtown Bronx Deli and La Finquita - at least they’re local business owned by local Melrose residents.

Fresh Direct to announce its relocating to the Bronx bringing borough 1,000 new jobs by 2020 – NY Daily News.

Good morning, lovely residents of Melrose! Make it a spectacular day!

Now, the owners and operators of the 21 acres of concrete wasteland are close to defaulting on over $200 million in bonds – and according to the Daily News, will be the largest default on city issued bonds in decades. How many times did the community rally against so much parking space when statistics showed that fans weren’t using the old ones as much in the first place? Many Yankee fans already arrived by subway and surely more would come via the new Metro North Station at 153rd Street.

Now, with no one really using the parking lots that barely reach a third of capacity on game days, the operators raised the the parking rate from $24 to $35 last year which will further impact the occupancy rate.

These 21 acres could have been put to much better use as a system of world class parkland, affordable mixed-income housing and perhaps that long awaited hotel. Now who suffers? The tax payers and the community suffers from such sweetheart deals and since it’s in the Bronx (particularly the South Bronx) City Hall will continue to turn the other way when questioned about this financial fiasco.

If you ask me, this is a scandal worthy of federal investigation and perhaps a class action lawsuit against the City.

Read more at the Daily News.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pricey-yankee-stadium-parking-garages-owner-heading-default-237-million-bonds-article-1.1016386?localLinksEnabled=false

One of the great things about living in Melrose is the easy access to the lifelines that make up the transportation network of this great city and region. Whether you’re traveling by subway, bus, railroad or car, you’re only a few short minutes away from your linkages.

You can take the 2, 4 and 5 trains at 149th Street / Grand Concourse or the 2/5 trains at 3rd Avenue / 149th Street and be whisked away to midtown in under 20 minutes. If your commute is north, away from the city then you also have the option of Melrose’ Metro North Station at 162nd Street and Park Avenue where you’ll find yourself in white plains within 25 minutes or even a super fast ride into midtown in 10 minutes and two stops into Grand Central.

Traveling by bus? We’ve got you covered with 13 bus lines (including Express Bus BxM 4) running through our neighborhood ( 1, 2, 4, 6, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 32, 41, 55). Six of these lines converge at the HUB at 3rd Avenue / 149th Street for easy access to the 2 and 5 trains.

If you’re one of those people that need to drive then you’re also in luck with quick access to and from Manhattan via 5 bridges all within 5 minutes from the heart of Melrose and highways like the Major Deegan and Bruckner Expressway.
Even Jersey is a stone’s throw away (in light inbound traffic to the Garden State you can be over the George Washington Bridge in less than 15 minutes!)

So if you’re thinking about moving to Melrose, besides being much more affordable than Williamsburg, Long Island City, Astoria and even Harlem, we’ve got the best transportation network with amazing access to the city.

Hipsters can keep Williamsburg with their crappie L train connection!