Earl Mays
Street venders add a Manhattan Flair as the sell to passersby. The most Northern area in the Neighborhood still contains a record store reminiscent of the many that once existed throughout the city. Macy’s, Starbucks, Footaction, and Applebee’s are a few of the major stores also line Parkchestser’s Yankee Mall. Commercial retail stores have been gaining ground in the neighborhood over the last five years. It has become a clash of two worlds as businesses play survival of the fittest. The community currently has five out of thirty commercial space vacancies. Each one vacancy is the skeleton of what were mom and pop shops that defined the community. Transportation runs the neighborhood. There are a total of nine MTA buses and the no. 6 train that all converge on the location making it a prime location for retailers. This convenience also makes it a desirable place to live.
Parkchester is the architectural sister to Manhattan’s Stuyvesant Town, but is half the price. The community is a world within a world and provides its residents with a sense of luxury and affordability. The complex contains studio and 1-3 bedroom apartment options. Its versatility brings a diverse population of dwellers which include condo owners and renters. Apartments rent prices fall between $800-$1,500 a month and the average condo price rests between $80,000-$220,000. Parkchester’s inhabitants are also from diverse background with large concentrations of African American and Latinos living in the area. The community is also experiencing a large influx of people of Middle Eastern descent.
