Blight returns to a South Bronx block

Buildings renovated long ago by Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association are in trouble again.

Harry De Rienzo, who in the 1970s organized Banana Kelly to fix up buildings on Kelly Street in the South Bronx that had badly deteriorated, sees problems returning because of the economic turbulence of the past few years.

The New York Times reports:

"If Kelly Street was once an outpost of hope, Mr. De Rienzo and others worry that it may now be a harbinger of trouble for the South Bronx and beyond. In the feverish real estate speculation of the past decade, buildings like these were passed back and forth among landlords and banks. But since the bubble burst, the properties have fallen into financial limbo; many owners cannot keep up on mortgage payments, much less repairs."

“'After more than 30 years dealing with this block, these people are like friends and family to me, so I can’t just walk away,' he said. 'I’m not looking to save the world. I’m just looking to build something that will last beyond me.'”

Some areas, it's important to note, continue to be much healthier than they were in the 1970s. The Times observes:

"Today, to tour the blocks around Kelly Street is to see a world transformed. On Longwood Avenue, neat brick town houses line the wide street. Modest apartments have risen from empty lots. Even Little Korea, a stretch of Fox Street notorious for its murders, looks suburban with its boxy white homes."