Large dev project could rise next to New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden is getting in on the action in the Bronx, having issued a request for proposals for a “major” mixed-use development site located adjacent to the landmark institution.

The property in question sits on the southeast corner of Webster Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard, one block from the New York Botanical Garden’s entrance. The site can accommodate roughly 300 residential units, a 125-room hotel and around 12,000 square feet of retail, the Botanical Garden said in a press release.

Developers have until 5 p.m. on March 1 to submit proposals for the parcel, with the Botanical Garden – which owns the acre-plus property – set to pick its favored option by the end of March, according to Curbed.

The redevelopment of the site – which is currently occupied by a supermarket, a parking lot and a laundromat – is made possible by the 2011 rezoning of an 80-block area in the Bronx, which was intended to spur residential development in areas previously zoned for commercial.

The New York City Economic Development Corp. issued a “vision plan” shortly after the rezoning that recast Webster Avenue as a “vibrant mixed-use” corridor for the borough.

But the area surrounding the Botanical Garden, near Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus, has yet to see the sort of development that promises to transform South Bronx neighborhoods like Mott Haven and Port Morris. [Curbed] – Rey Mashayekhi