As environmental reviews for both the Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market — a large retail mall — and the new Yankee Stadium continue to move forward, questions about the true impact of the projects continue to mount – and South Bronx community groups are demanding answers.

   On Tuesday, the NYSDOT gave a presentation to Bronx Community Board 4’s Municipal Services Committee on the major rehabilitation of bridges and ramps it will perform in the vicinity of the projects. NYSDOT has been working with Metro-North to ensure that these projects leave room for the long-sought Yankee Stadium rail station.

   Unfortunately, the station is not part of the project.

   Instead, the Bronx is getting more parking. Four new garages with a total of 5,254 spaces will be constructed for stadium patrons, while 3,216 spaces will be added for Gateway Center, all in close proximity to the Major Deegan Expressway.

   The Yankees, NYC Parks, and NYC Economic Development Corporation will have the opportunity to explain why there is no transit component to these projects on Nov. 17^th at a town hall meeting with Bronx Borough President Carrión and CB 4.

Some of the questions interested groups would like answered:

·  Why can’t these private developers put money toward mass transit infrastructure?

·  Why two separate environmental impact statements for projects that are literally right next to each other, when the parking, construction, and traffic impacts of the two projects will compound each other, and there may be shared use of some of the anticipated parking?

·  Why do both studies cursorily assert that because the new stadium will have fewer seats than the old, there will be no increase in game-day traffic, despite the dramatic increase in parking?

·  Why is there discrepancy between the two studies about existing parking — the stadium DEIS claims there are currently 7,079 spaces available in the vicinity, and the Gateway Center DEIS claims 8,072 ?

   The meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 17, at 6 PM, at the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice, 244 East 163^rd Street.

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