Pedro Estevez of the United Auto Merchants Association addressing fellow auto workers at a July 9 meeting on Jerome Ave. (Photo by Cole Rosengren via Hunts Point Express)
About 45 auto repair businesses that were forced to leave Willets Point in Queens because of planned development should be able to occupy their new home in an industrial zone in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx by year-end, reports Cole Rosengren in the Hunts Point Express.
The businesses, which had been criticized for dumping automotive waste at Willets Point, say they will be good citizens.
Now that construction has finally been approved, the businesses say they will bring a state-of-the-art, one-stop shop for all kinds of auto repair that will be a boon for Hunts Point.
“We’re going to create a model of the automotive industry that has never been done before,” said Pedro Estevez, president of the non-profit United Auto Merchants Association, who helped negotiate the move with the city.
The building at 1080 Leggett Ave. is also home to a wholesale supply company and the local branch of a large truck manufacturer. Customers will drive through a back entrance on Barry Street and up a ramp into the warehouse, where they’ll be able to get new tires, body work, engine repairs and other services all in one place.
Community Board 2 had criticized the move when it was announced. The area gets heavy truck traffic and has faced environmental issues for some time.
Estevez insisted that the renovations will modernize the warehouse and prevent the kinds of problems the shops were notorious for in Queens. Each business will get stalls with separate electrical and water hook-ups, along with ventilation and an oil separation system for the sewer.
“We need to change the landscape of the business. We need to change the image,” he said.
Ironically, the auto mechanics will be settling into the Hunts Point area just as a major rezoning effort is planned some blocks west at Jerome Ave., which could force other auto shops to relocate. Read more about the Hunts Point site at Hunts Point Express.