Companies along the once-thriving Bronx block have slowly died thanks to a chaotic MTA construction project that chased customers and invited homeless people.
Metropolitan Transportation cut storefront lines from the neighborhood in the fall as part of a restoration project at Van Cortland Park-242nd Street Station in Fieldston.
An infuriated business owner says he has lost up to 50% of his business in the past six months as traffic on both his feet and cars plummeted.
“This is killing us,” Luporco, the owner of Broadway Joe's pizza, who has been in the area since 1969, told the Post last week.
“I think we're closed because a lot of people can't even see us. People can't stop and they can't pull because there's no parking,” he said.
Gary Singh, owner of local Shah Halal Food, said the situation is even more frustrating due to the lack of progress witnessed by the MTA.
“The MTA said they needed money. They made the cost of traffic prices to help them, and here they started working and then they stopped,” he said. “They want money, but they're wasting money. No one is there.”
At the time, MTA was no. As part of a plan to make the one-train station more accessible, it claimed it would take six months to build a two-seat elevator from the street to the platform level, but the crew only worked for about two weeks before abandoning the project.
As March approaches, MTA officials have broken the news that construction is two years behind after it was believed they knew the sewer was under the proposed elevator.
Rather than moving the project, the MTA decided to rebuild the existing plans. In other words, there is a polished green fence still on top.
“Two years? Who's going to rent these empty shops? Now we don't know what we're going to do,” Porco said. “I don't know if I'll be here or not. I hope we do, but I can't predict the future.”
Porco said that since the construction of the massive green fence in September, they have been forced to cut employee time to accommodate an estimated 35% loss in sales.
The employer posted that the project status remains largely in the dark, and MTA workers have recently warned them to expect water to close for several hours on Friday.
The city's Environmental Protection Agency declined to respond to requests for comment regarding the water shutdown and instead directed the MTA to question the question. State Transport did not respond to emails sent by the Post Office.
Singh is worried that long-term construction could mean death kissing for his business.
“I bought this business in 2023. I used my life savings and borrowed money. Eight months later, they set it up,” Singh said. “I'm so depressed I feel like I'm crying. What can I do about it? Nothing. They don't care about our small businesses. We're struggling.”
The shopkeeper said the business was booming until September, when sponsorship fell 50%. Many of his customers stopped by when they left the nearby subway or jumped off the bus. The bus stop was then moved to the edge of the block to accommodate monster fencing.
Local business owners and workers said that while fencing drives away customers, it draws in a homeless population that uses the blocked perspective the fence offers.
The lack of traffic on cars, including NYPD cruisers, gave vagrants an incentive to attack, workers said.
“They harass us, steal things, and when we try to stop them, they try to break the door,” said the man who has only worked at the Shamrock Wines and Requiems Store for over two years.
“If you keep losing business like this, you need to shut down,” Danny said. “There are no other options. There is no solution. We are helpless… we are seeking help.”
60-year-old Michael Walker was one of the few customers who went back past the huge fence to pick up dinner from Broadway last week.
“I've been on this block a lot, but not so much anymore. I'm hungry today so I stopped,” said Walker, who works as a mover.
Walker said he noticed a change in sponsorship across the block since the fence went up, as residents have chosen to avoid it completely.
“They've started work or they're going to take down the fence. You're hurting the business and the community. This is ridiculous. MTAs can do better,” he said.
“They're ruining these people, but that's not fair.”
For Abuekr Algazali, financial losses are concrete. He said he threw over $1,000 in food last week.
The Algazari business, Deli and Mexican restaurants, are hindered by looming fences, and after falling a few months late in renting and utility, they borrowed money from a friend and increased it over $43,957 on unpaid bills before interest.
“It makes me sad. I'm angry. I'm the only earner. My wife has MS, she can't work,” Algazari said.
Algazari begged the MTA to make small openings in the fence so that pedestrians can reach business, but says his plea has been unanswered.
