Retrofit Atlas

Industrial sites · New York

Harlem River Yards

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedPartly retrofittedThe Bronx, NY

96-acre Bronx rail yard leased 1991, partially redeveloped for logistics; housing/stadium proposals pending; no current residential or retail. · summary, model-written

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Site profile12 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 11 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 6,829 units, Bronx County census-bps · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $2,823/mo zillow · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -1.3% census-acs · all sites with this
Scale
60+ acre siteThis site: 96 acres newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: record · all sites with this
ReinhabitedThis site: record · all sites with this
New use
Entertainment and sportsThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
HousingThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
Logistics and industrialThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
Mixed useThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field record · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusPartly retrofittednewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyPartial Redeveloped · ReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New usesentertainment, housing, industrial, logistics, mixed, retailWikipedia no source

Planning

Entitlement year1991Wikipedia no source
Planning notesApproved by State of New York.Wikipedia no source

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
1991Loan—Harlem River Yard Ventures ← State of New YorkWikipedia
1969Sold—Penn Central Railroad ← New Haven RailroadWikipedia

Site context

Housing permits, Bronx County (NY), 20246,829 units in 5+ unit buildings, 92 in 2–4, 8 single-family; 2023: 5,413 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby11 within 10 km, 40 within 25 km: Dunbar Apartments (2.7 km); Lincoln Arcade (5.9 km); Sofia (6.1 km); CBS Studio Building (6.4 km); Celtic Park Apartments (7.1 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)28,350 jobs in 3,405 establishments; average annual pay $40,946; employment location quotient 0.81; employment -2.0% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20222,270 jobs; 182 in retail trade, 44 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 36005001903)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 34th income percentile as adults; -2.6% incarcerated at the 2010 count (399 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; 0% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 32.4%; median family income $41,447; 261 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsNew York City Department Of Education (PK-12); 62 public schools within 1 mile: HARLEM PREP CHARTER SCHOOL; PS 7 SAMUEL STERN; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON SCHOOL; PS 96 JOSEPH LANZETTANCES EDGE
Elevation9 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-202543 county-logged events: 25 flash flood, 11 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 2 lightning; $60,174,750 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 10454, 2026-09median list price $593,500 (-23.3% on the year); 5 active listings; median 15 days on market; 0% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20233,887 establishments (-2%); 32,582 jobs (+16%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $503,721 (+6% 1 yr, -5% 5 yr); typical rent $2,823/mo (+6% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)13,617 vehicles a day on NYSDOT-907L NB to 900G SB; 544 trucks; 40 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Harlem River Yards (96 acres, Bronx) was originally a freight rail yard owned by Penn Central Railroad. The State of New York acquired it after Penn Central's 1970 bankruptcy and leased it to Harlem River Yard Ventures in 1991 under a 99-year agreement. The site is partially redeveloped, with existing industrial/logistics uses (FedEx, NY Post printing plant, FreshDirect distribution) and a 28-acre rail segment retained for municipal waste transport. Proposed mixed-use projects (housing, stadium) were submitted in 2018. The site is in a cluster of 11 nearby developments within 10km, including operating facilities like CBS Studio Building (6.4km) and proposed projects like Dunbar Apartments (2.7km).

Why. The site has entitlements (approved 1991), existing infrastructure (Oak Point Link opened 1998), and a 96-acre footprint. Housing is noted as a planned use, but no current residential units are recorded. Traffic data shows low truck volume (544 ADT) on adjacent road. ZHVI data indicates a $503k median home value in Bronx County (2026-09).

Where it stands. Partial redevelopment ongoing. No retail or entertainment uses confirmed. Housing proposals exist but are unexecuted. No current residential or retail units listed in permits (2023-2024 permits show only industrial/logistics construction).

For a planner

  • Entitlements secured 1991
  • Cluster of 11 nearby projects within 10km
  • Rail infrastructure partially retained (28 acres)

For a developer

  • 96-acre site with 99-year lease
  • Existing logistics tenants (FedEx, NY Post)
  • Proposed housing/stadium mix
  • ZHVI $503k, ZORI $2,823/mo (Bronx County)

What we do not know yet

  • No current housing or retail units
  • Traffic volume low (544 trucks/day)
  • Housing plans unexecuted
  • No details on retail demand

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

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  • Apple Ridge Country Club, Mahwah, NJ · Golf courses · similar size (108 acres); same strategy: redevelop; 37 km away
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Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • 96 acres
  • median rent $1,436
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Acres96.0newtypes-extraction
Original developerPenn Central Railroadnewtypes-extraction reported
CountyBronx County
Census division2 · Mid-Atlantic
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: Harlem River Yards, a former 96-acre freight rail yard in The Bronx, New York City, has been redeveloped into a mixed-use industrial park with a printing plant, waste treatment plant, FedEx distribution center, and FreshDirect facility, with a proposed mixed-use complex including 1,779 apartments and a stadium.

Not yet recorded: GLA, year opened, what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Harlem River Yards (also known as Harlem River Yard) is a waterfront industrial property located in the Port Morris neighborhood of The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by Harlem River Yard Ventures, part of the Galesi Group, under a 99-year lease with the State of New York signed in 1991. The yard owes its name to the property's prior and current use as a freight rail yard. However, only a 28-acre portion of the site has been retained for intermodal rail use, with rail traffic to and from the yard limited to municipal solid waste shipment.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1969 Penn Central Railroad acquired the yard from New Haven Railroad.
  2. 1970 State of New York condemned the rail yard after Penn Central bankruptcy.
  3. 1991 State of New York leased the property to Harlem River Yard Ventures for 99 years.
  4. 1998 Oak Point Link opened, connecting to a small intermodal facility; New York Post printing plant built.
  5. 1998 New York Post paper printing and distribution facility built.
  6. 2007 FedEx distribution facility built.
  7. 2012 FreshDirect proposed moving its distribution hub to the site.
  8. 2014 Lawsuit challenging FreshDirect facility dismissed; construction began.
  9. 2016 Empire State Development invited residential project proposals.
  10. 2018 Plans submitted for mixed-use complex with apartments and stadium.

Sources

  • Harlem River Yards · CC BY-SA 4.0
    11 quoted sentences
    Harlem River Yards (also known as Harlem River Yard)
    Penn Central Railroad, which in turn acquired the yard and associated lines in 1969 when it consummated a regulatory-induced, forced merger with the New Haven Railroad.
    When the Penn Central went into bankruptcy in the 1970s, the State of New York condemned the rail yard
    In 1991, the State of New York entered into a 99-year lease agreement with Harlem River Yard Ventures, a subsidiary of the Galesi Group, to develop and operate Harlem River Yards as a mixed-use industrial park.

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