About Bronx Community Board Three

Bronx Community Board 3 is your community board if you live within the Bathgate, Claremont, Crotona Park East, Melrose, Morrisania and Woodstock Communities. The boundaries of District 3 are as follows:  East – Sheridan Expressway, East 167th Street, East 169th Street, Prospect Avenue; West – Webster Avenue; North – Cross Bronx Expressway; South – East 159th Street and East 161st Street.   Bronx Community covers the following zip codes: 10451, 10456, 10457, 10459 & 10460.

Get Involved

Residents can become involved by attending Community Board meetings or committee meetings and should contact the board office to provide their e-mail address for future notifications. 

What are the Community Boards' Responsibilities?

• Zoning Matters - Any change from the zoning resolution must come before the Board for its opinion through a public hearing process. These are mostly applications made to the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals.
• Land Use - Community Boards must be consulted on placement of most municipal facilities in the community, City land disposition and acquisition, and other land use issues. These include applications made to the Department of City Planning for Uniform Land Use Review Procedures (ULURP), Zoning Map and Text amendment changes.
• City Budget - Community Boards assess the needs of their own neighborhoods and make recommendations in the city’s budget process to address them.
• Delivery of City Services - Any problem which affects part or all of the community: traffic, transportation, parks, education, environment, housing and buildings concerns the Board. These include recommendations for State Liquor licensing and franchises.

What else should I know about the Community Boards?

Community Board Districts are co-terminus—that is they share the same boundaries with local City services including the Police Precinct, the Sanitation District, the Parks Department District for maintenance, the Department of Environmental Protection’s sewer maintenance division, the Department of Transportation’s Highway Operations, and social service agencies, such as the Administration for Children’s Services and Department of Youth & Community Development.

Who serves on Community Boards?

A Board is a group of up to fifty (50) volunteers who live, work or have significant interests in the area. Each member represents the interests and needs of his or her neighborhood. 

Each member is appointed for two years by the Borough President; half on nomination by the City Council members who represent the area. Officers are elected annually from this group. Each board has by-laws by which it governs itself.

A District Manager (a professional City employee) is hired by the Board Members to oversee the delivery of City services and operate the daily business functions of the Board. The District Manager hires a small staff to take care of the daily operations and help members of the community with City service delivery. 

The District Manager meets with the local area chief and other City agency representatives at the Community Board office monthly from September to June, to discuss and evaluate service delivery.

Once a month (except in August) the Borough President holds a Borough Service Cabinet with all 12 Bronx District Managers and all City Agency representatives to deliberate on matters of mutual concern. 

The Chair of the Community Board meets monthly with the Borough President at the Bronx Borough President’s Office, with the other Board Chairs and the elected officials for a Borough Board Meeting to discuss borough-wide concerns.

The Community Board District staff is available to assist with processing complaints, requests, and inquiries made by residents and provides administrative support for the Community Board, The District Office maintains all the public records of the activities of the Community Board and is responsible for setting up and preparing notices of all Community Board meetings and functions.  Additionally, the District Office processes Street Activity Permits for Block Party street closures, monitors the delivery of municipal services and in general, acts as a one stop shopping point for information and referrals pertaining to all City government matters.  The District Office is a professional, non-partisan office and there are no fees for any services provided.  We are a little city hall, right here in your community.

How to Become a Board Member?

A Board is a group of up to fifty (50) volunteers who live, work or have significant interests in the area. Each member represents the interests and needs of his or her neighborhood. 

Each member is appointed for two years by the Borough President; half on nomination by the City Council members who represent the area. Officers are elected bi-annually from this group. Each board has by-laws by which it governs itself.

Download the Board Member Application form and instructions.