To: Community Board

From: The Doe Fund

Date: November 8, 2017

BSA Cal. Nos. 2017-205-BZ; 2017-206-BZ

Premises: 555 Nereid Avenue; 4449 Bronx Boulevard, Borough of the Bronx

Applicant: The Doe Fund

555 Nereid Ave – conversion of former Muller US Army Reserve Center into a Use Group 3A supportive housing building with 90 studio apartments.

4449 Bronx Blvd – accessory parking lot for 23 cars

Doe Fund requests that the Community Board recommend that the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) grant a variance of the use regulations of the M1-1 manufacturing district to allow a Use Group 3A non-profit institution with sleeping accommodations.

Reasons to grant the requested variance:

1. The building will have 90 studio apartments covered by rent stabilization. (Originally, the building was approved by the Department of Buildings as a 200-bed transitional homeless shelter.)

• 54 of the units will be supportive housing, with on-site support services.

• 36 units will be rented to a general population, provided their household income is at 60% AMI.

2. As rent-stabilized tenants, the residents will be permanent members of the neighborhood, with an interest in being good neighbors. (The residents of the previously-approved 200-bed shelter would have been transient.)
   
   

3. The building will have an extensive security system with 24-hour front door coverage.
   
   

4. The ground floor will have a 123-seat auditorium with a separate street entrance. The space will be made available to the community for events, classes, and other activities.
   
   

5. Doe Fund has successfully built and managed similar projects. Board members are invited to visit the Doe Fund’s most recently completed building at 1420 Crotona Park East in the Bronx.