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The site could offer cheaper power, safer outdoor space, and new opportunities for work, training, and green manufacturing.
Photo Credit: iStock
Local advocates say the former New York Post printing complex on the South Bronx waterfront could serve a very different purpose in the future.
Instead of remaining vacant, its roof could host a community-owned solar project designed to lower electricity costs, create jobs, and expand access to cleaner energy in a neighborhood long affected by pollution, the Bronx Times reported.
One idea newly introduced by South Bronx Unite centers on the roof of the more than 350,000-square-foot property. Rooftop solar would anchor a broader redevelopment effort shaped by the community.
South Bronx Unite presented the concept at one of its regular community meetings, where MIT research fellows also took part.
The gathering also marked the launch of the group’s Energy Justice campaign, and organizers connected the proposal to familiar neighborhood concerns such as high electric bills and health effects tied to nearby fossil fuel infrastructure.
News Corp started operating at the plant in 2001, then moved its printing work to College Point in 2021. Advocates say the waterfront site has been mostly unused since then, creating an opening to consider uses that benefit residents instead of bringing more truck traffic and pollution.
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The proposal was also discussed at the meeting by Dr. Diana Hernandez, an associate professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
“Places like the Bronx are very much impacted by issues like energy insecurity. And yet, there are solutions,” Hernandez said.
The site is controlled by the Galesi Group through a 99-year lease from Empire State Development Corporation, and part of the property was leased to FreshDirect in 2011.
South Bronx Unite says FreshDirect got $127.8 million in state tax breaks to keep the company from leaving New York. The organization, which has long pushed back against projects it says worsen local air quality, wants planning to start before another truck-heavy operation moves in.
Organizers say the question is about more than just land use. In a neighborhood that has faced environmental burdens for years, cleaner energy could help lower utility costs while also reducing reliance on polluting power sources.
Residents also suggested ideas such as green space, urban farming, flood protections, walking trails, and better transit access.
The site could offer cheaper power, safer outdoor space, and new opportunities for work, training, and green manufacturing.
South Bronx Unite has begun a pre-feasibility solar assessment with Working Power. That group helped secure Sunset Park Solar, the city’s first community-owned solar project, and organizers are also seeking pro bono legal help because of the property’s complicated ownership and lease structure.
Numbers shared at the meeting indicate the roof could generate about $3.1 million in operating income over 25 years. Under the proposal, around 100 households could get a 20% reduction on electricity bills, saving an average of $142 per year.
Organizers said the system could produce roughly twice the energy of the Sunset Park Solar Project.
They also said that because the project would be community co-owned, money beyond those direct savings could be directed back into the neighborhood through a community-governed process.
South Bronx Unite has not set a firm timeline, but estimates the full vision could take up to seven years. The group plans to start a working group later this month and continue it through at least mid-2027.
“There is a nationwide struggle for the liberation of these lands,” said community organizer Kaila Paulino. “We don’t have an answer, but that’s why we want to have this conversation.”
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