The Hudson Companies has signed four new tenants at La
Central, its affordable housing development at 556 and 600 Bergen Avenue in the
Bronx.
The new tenants include a community-based café, a sit-down
Mexican restaurant co-located with a slice shop, an organic grocer, as well as
an operator for the 135-space on-site parking garage.
The leases, totaling 6,710 s/f and 36,904 square feet for
the parking garage. “At a time when the entire city is struggling, the strong
interest in La Central is a testament not only to the vibrant Melrose
neighborhood but to The Bronx as a whole,” said Aaron Koffman, Principal of the
Hudson Companies.
“These new tenants will help transform La Central into a neighborhood
destination, bringing beloved Bronx businesses and needed amenities to the
community. We look forward to welcoming residents to these exciting new spaces
at La Central next year.”
La Central is being developed by a partnership of the Hudson
Companies, BRP Companies, Kretchmer Companies, ELH-TKC LLC, Comunilife and
Breaking Ground, together with the New York City Department of Housing
Preservation & Development and the New York City Housing Development
Corporation.
The new tenants include the Taste of The Bronx Cafè, an culinary
partnership between Paul and Anthony Ramirez, owners of The Bronx Beer Hall in
the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, and Rebecca Scott, founder of Sustainable
Snacks, a Bronx-based natural foods company committed to promoting public
health through better snacking. The community-focused café space will feature
gourmet menus prepared by a rotating roster of borough-based chefs.
Metate Authentica Comida Mexicana, a Mexican restaurant
based in Riverdale, will open a 3,000 s/f outpost on the ground floor of La
Central. Metate, owned by Cecilio Ballinas, will also have a take-out pizza
counter within the restaurant.
Hudson has also signed a 2,600 s/f lease with a small
organic grocery, operated by Hamood A. Alsaedi, who owns six other stores in
the New York City area. The grocery will stock fresh fruits and vegetables,
smoothies and other healthy food options.
Zafar Majeed has signed on to manage the development’s 135
plus-space public parking lot. Open to the general public, the lot is not
restricted to use by La Central’s tenants, meaning customers of La Central’s
tenants as well as users from the surrounding area can park there.
The leases were co-brokered by Kathy Zamechansky at the KZA
Realty Group and Steve Kaufman and Mia Abdou of RM Friedland.
These new tenants will join the YMCA, which has signed a 50,000 s/f lease in La Central Building A, and a BronxNet television studio in Building B. Overall, nearly 90 percent of the available retail space at La Central A & B has been leased.
Together the three phases of La Central comprise five
individual buildings, which will include 992 affordable residences; a landscaped
courtyard; 80,000 s/f of community facility space; a public park; 45,0000 s/f
of retail; and a roof-mounted telescope to be controlled by the Bronx High
School of Science.
626 Bergen Avenue, the first building completed at La
Central and developed by Breaking Ground and Comunilife, opened in the summer
of 2019 and created 161 apartments for formerly homeless veterans and New
Yorkers with special needs as well as low-income residents.
The final phase is expected to be completed in 2023 and will
contain approximately 350 affordable apartments at a range of income levels.
