Four nonprofits have expressed interest in utilizing the long-vacant Pelham Grand in the Bronx, offering the owner of the former hospital a new range of options.The organizations presented their plans to Bronx Community Board 10 on Tuesday to enlist support for their plans. The Neighborhood Association for Inter-Cultural Affairs wants to establish a residence for single mothers. Inner City Youth is thinking of using the building as a shelter for veterans. ASC NYC would house AIDS patients and New Era Veterans drew up a plan that includes housing and counseling for veterans, according to the Daily News.
“All of the groups would require public funds,” Ken Kearns, district manager of Community Board 10 told the Daily News. This means that a formal proposal would have to be presented to the Community Board.
The building has seen multiple uses over the last years. It was used as a senior center and later for assisted living after a plan to turn the building into luxury apartments failed. Recently a group of mentally challenged adults from the Rockaways were housed there after Hurricane Sandy displaced them from their homes.
Real estate mogul Moujan Vahdat bought the five-story building at 1870 Pelham Parkway South for $5 million in 2006 and has the final word about what will happen to the site. [NYDN] — Claire Moses