Greater Morris Park is in line for a major face lift, with state officials announcing roughly $20 million this week for a cluster of East Bronx neighborhoods to pay for upgrades to parks, schools, libraries and public spaces. The cash will back 10 projects that officials say are designed to line up with new transit and housing investments headed for the area. On the list are plans to convert the former St. Francis Xavier site into a preschool and renovated gym, along with long awaited work at Matthews Mulliner Playground to fix chronic flooding and improve accessibility.
Neighbors are interested but not entirely sold. Parents told News 12 New York they welcome the attention and the prospect of better facilities for their kids, while some long time residents said they are skeptical the plans will make it from rendering to reality. The outlet also noted that the Morris Park Business Improvement District played a role in securing the funding.
Where the money will go
The awards come through New York’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward, which together named Greater Morris Park the Round 8 winner of a roughly $20 million state package. A state press release lists 10 projects that add up to about $19.4 million in line item funding, including $3.5 million to convert the former St. Francis Xavier site into a preschool and renovated gym, $3.5 million for upgrades at Matthews Mulliner Playground, $2.26 million to modernize the Pelham Parkway–Van Nest Library, $2.822 million to renovate Bronx Excellence Middle School, and targeted pots of money for a Morris Park Avenue streetscape, a Morris Park Metro North plaza, school kitchen upgrades and a small business improvement fund, according to the governor’s office (Governor Kathy Hochul's office).
Community reaction and timeline
On the ground, the reaction is equal parts excitement and side eye. Parents and kids said better equipment and safer, drier play areas would be a real quality of life boost. News 12 New York spoke with Morris Park father Angel Garcia and local children who said they would be eager to see the upgrades, while Morris Park BID executive director Carmelia Tepelus told the station the slate of projects could take anywhere from “a year to six” to complete, depending on their scope and the permitting process.
Why it matters
The Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward are state programs that fund community driven Strategic Implementation Plans and focus on stabilizing local downtowns through public space improvements, small business support and placemaking. According to the statewide announcement, the awards are meant to steer resources into neighborhoods that already have local planning in place and to leverage incoming housing, transit and healthcare investments (Empire State Development).
Officials have released early project lists and renderings through state channels and say the next steps will involve coordination with local partners and moving projects through permitting. Empire State Development says the awards are intended to jumpstart longer term investment and neighborhood planning. For now, residents will be watching to see when shovels actually hit the ground and timelines are locked in.
