Urban pioneer may lose residence

Affordable housing may soon force a resident out of her home, a place she?s used to help children since the 1970s. Developers from Mid-Bronx Desperados have acquired the property at 1370 Lyman Place

News 12 Staff

Jul 5, 2007, 11:05 PM

Updated 6,306 days ago

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Affordable housing may soon force a resident out of her home, a place she?s used to help children since the 1970s.
Developers from Mid-Bronx Desperados have acquired the property at 1370 Lyman Place and intend to build an affordable housing unit on the spot. Hetty Fox made a counter-offer to keep the location, but city officials say it was made too late. As a result, the affordable housing plans are ready to move forward.
Fox has been working with children since she moved to the Lyman Place residence. Fox played a part in opening Lyman Place as a summertime ?play street? over 30 years ago.
As a play street, Lyman Place is blocked off from cars and provided with police supervision. The block is then set up in the fashion of a day camp with games and food for the children. Fox still runs the program between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. during the summer. When funding is available, Fox has also developed and maintained after-school programs for children.
Officials from Mid-Bronx Desperados offered Fox space to rent within the new unit. However, Fox says her problems with the plan have nothing to do with space. She says she wants to keep the home she?s had for years and ?hold on to the treasures of our Bronx past.?