"As long as I'm the executive director, these pictures will stay up forever to respect the veterans," Bob Jaen told the Bronx Times in late August. Jaen runs the Throggs Neck Business Improvement District. The pictures he meant are on 25 planters along East Tremont Avenue. Each one shows a local veteran's photo with their name, rank and years of service, and has an American flag on the front and back.
That project is the clearest sign of how Throggs Neck's main corridor changed in 2026. The visible changes on East Tremont Avenue this year came from the BID and from neighbors, not from a wave of new storefronts. Planters became memorials. A neglected lot was cleared in a matter of days. A small number of businesses opened, mostly on side streets. This fall's calendar runs past all of it, and the Bronx Veterans Day Parade, if it keeps its usual route, will pass the new memorials for the first time.
How 26 flower planters became 25 memorials
The planters came before the memorials. Former Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez secured $130,000 in City Council funding, which went to the city Department of Transportation through a partnership with the BID. It paid for 26 planter locations across the district, first planted with flowers, plants and trees as a beautification project.
When America's 250th anniversary came around, the BID gave the planters a second use. Jaen contacted veterans associations around Throggs Neck to find local veterans to feature. The first three memorial planters were unveiled outside Patricia's restaurant at the BID's Flag Day celebration, and the rest were finished in July. Jaen gave his reason plainly: "This was done to honor our veterans, who don't get enough acknowledgement."
The Bronx Times reports that the planters now draw visitors from out of state. Relatives are traveling, or planning trips, to New York to see family members honored in the neighborhood they once called home. The BID is also working with local elected officials on an added veterans tribute at DeRosa O'Boyle Triangle, on Dewey Avenue between East Tremont and Edison avenues. The Bronx Times report gives no design or timeline for it.
The same office cleared a lot in days
The BID took on a second project in September. The Throggs Neck Volunteer Ambulance Corps property on East Tremont Avenue had become neglected and overgrown, and concerns had been raised about it. Jaen coordinated a cleanup within days of hearing about it, and about 65 feet of overgrowth was cleared at no cost.
Longtime members are now asking what comes next. People connected to the corps want to see it running again. "TNVAC was a big part of this community for a long time, and I would love to see it become that again," said one of them, who has longstanding ties to the corps. "The cleanup is a great first step, but I think we have an opportunity to do something bigger here."
There is no formal reopening plan, and the Bronx Times notes that many questions would need answers before the corps could return. For now, the cleanup is the only visible change at the property. Like the planters, it came from a few people deciding to fix one thing on the avenue.
What did open, and where
New businesses did arrive this summer, but the list is short. Only one of them sits directly on East Tremont.
- Geronimo's II, at 3211 Philip Avenue, held its grand opening on Friday, August 14. The Italian deli sells sandwiches, cold cuts, pasta and prepared foods. Owner Frank Bevilacqua said keeping the name was "a tribute" to Anthony DiGirolamo, the late neighborhood deli owner.
- Hand In Hand, at 3552 East Tremont Avenue, opened July 3. It is a flexible workspace you can book by the hour, day or week. Founder Nia Thomas calls it an "integrated network model and community hub," with private wellness, media and professional-office suites.
- The Ferry Point Park playground reopened after a $3.1 million NYC Parks reconstruction, which the department announced as complete on July 17. The rebuild added new play equipment, a relocated spray shower, shade trees, a drinking fountain and drainage upgrades.
Geronimo's II fits the same pattern as the planters. A new business opened under a name chosen to honor someone the neighborhood already knew. Hand In Hand is the one new storefront on the commercial stretch the BID manages, and it rents space by the hour rather than selling goods.
The fall dates on or near the corridor
Here is the calendar in order, with each date's status. Some are confirmed and some are still estimates.
- Thursday, October 15, 7 p.m. Bronx Community Board 10 holds its Full Board meeting and Public Hearing at 2049 Bartow Avenue, according to the board's tentative October calendar. This is the public setting where neighborhood projects like the DeRosa O'Boyle Triangle tribute can come up.
- Thursday, October 22, 6 p.m. The Throggs Neck BID holds its gala at Villa Barone Manor, 737 Throggs Neck Expressway. It is billed as marking America's 250th birthday and the community's progress. The journal-ad deadline listed on the BID's page has already passed, so check with the BID about tickets before planning around it.
- Halloween weekend, around October 31. Throgs Neck Little League and Assembly Member Michael Benedetto are hosting a celebration at the league field, with a parade at noon and a costume contest at 2 p.m. The league lists its address as 150 Throgs Neck Boulevard. The announcement says "around Oct. 31" and gives no firm date, so watch for an update closer to the weekend.
- Expected Sunday, November 8. The Bronx Veterans Day Parade has been held recently on the Sunday before Veterans Day, which points to November 8 this year. That date comes from the pattern of the 2024 and 2025 parades, not from an announcement, so treat it as expected, not confirmed.
The Little League field has its own momentum this fall. About 200 people came to its "Nashville in the Neck" fundraiser on August 28. League President Dan O'Connor said the league wants the field to be a place "where our Little League families and the surrounding community can come together."
The parade route, held against this year's additions
The Bronx Times notice for the 2024 parade gives the full route. It started at noon at Lafayette and East Tremont avenues, continued along East Tremont Avenue, turned onto Randall Avenue and the Throggs Neck Expressway, and ended with a ceremony at Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park. Coverage of the 2025 parade confirms it again ran along East Tremont Avenue through Throggs Neck and ended at the same park.
The 2025 grand marshals were Sgt. First Class Ron Garcia, Navy Electrician's Mate Austin T. Richardson and Marine Lance Cpl. Michael McNerney. The closing ceremony included a boots, rifle and helmet memorial and a dog-tag tribute to service members who had died.
At last year's parade, the planters held flowers. This year, if the route holds, marchers on East Tremont will pass 25 planters showing local veterans' faces, names and years of service. The project is tied closely to the parade itself. Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ron Watson, who chairs the Bronx Veterans Parade Committee, spoke at the BID's Flag Day celebration where the first three memorial planters were unveiled.
That overlap is what this fall adds to the avenue. The memorials have been in place since July, and the parade ran along East Tremont in both 2024 and 2025. November will be the first time the two meet. The parade committee's 2026 announcement will confirm the date, start time and grand marshals.
Following how a commercial corridor like East Tremont changes over a year is part of what we do for clients across The Bronx. It's the same kind of close reading we gave the funding behind Morris Park Avenue's changes a few miles west. If you have questions about your block in Throggs Neck, or want to talk through what this year's changes on East Tremont mean for a home nearby, the team at Maria Porco-Rosa is glad to talk. Get in touch and find your piece of the Emerald Coast here at home in the East Bronx.
