Apple in Riverdale? No, thanks

To the editor:

Vasco Da Silva’s desire to bring an Apple Store to Riverdale shows how out of touch he is with the realities of commercial real estate or the priorities of the residents of Riverdale – or both (“Realtor to Apple: Come hither,” Jan. 22).

Apple builds their stores in areas of high density and high commercial traffic – Grand Central Station, Lincoln Center, 59th and Fifth.  They do not invest

In residential neighborhoods to build traffic – they go where they can get the most bang for their buck from the volume of people already there.

And who says the residents of Riverdale want an Apple Store?  If by some miracle Apple decided to come here, it would be to attract people from all over the Bronx and lower Westchester – not foot traffic from the neighborhood, presenting the same problems of traffic congestion and parking that Montefiore threatens — only more so. 

Yes, it is important to suggest alternatives to Montefiore on the site, but how about something in tune with the mom-and-pop character of shopping in Riverdale, not Mr. Da Silva’s fantasy of attracting high-end retailers to Riverdale to turn it into “the next Brooklyn.” 

Mark Gothelf