New place on Bronx map: Grace Belkin Way

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Honoring a friend, celebrating a life and reflecting on a legacy were the spirit of the morning as local leaders and residents gathered on Saturday to see the intersection of W. 246th Street and Henry Hudson Parkway named in honor of Grace Belkin.

She was the first district manager of Community Board 8, and one who served for more than 30 years. The location of Grace Belkin Way also has a special meaning. It sits one block from Briar Oaks, where Ms. Belkin lived for more than 40 years.

“We’re standing here and we couldn’t be happier, and the whole Belkin family is beaming with pride and happiness,” David Belkin, Ms. Belkin’s son, told The Press before the naming ceremony.

Ms. Belkin’s daughter, Eve Jedda, who became teary-eyed and whose voice grew heavy with emotion, said the naming of the street after her mother made her “proud, so proud.”

The feeling was shared by friends and elected officials as they spoke about Ms. Belkin and her work on behalf of the community.

“I feel very proud to have been a seriously close friend of Grace Belkin’s and somebody who worked with her for every moment of her working life here in the community,” former Councilwoman June Eisland told The Press. “We first met in the League of Women Voters in the early 70s when we had little children and we had a joint babysitter for all the young moms and our interest was learning about government.”

“She called the shots from the point of view of helping the community. Never for herself or for helping any particular faction. She was a straight shooter,” Ms. Eisland said.

Councilman Andrew Cohen, who co-sponsored the bill to name the street in Ms. Belkin’s honor, credited her with helping preserve the character of Riverdale amid attempts at over-development.

“I think when people are concerned about development, development would be far out of control without her work on the 197-a plan,” Mr. Cohen said. “That permeates everything we do here.”

City districts’ 197-a plans are community plans guiding local development. They are named so because they are authorized by Section 197-a of the city charter.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who had known Ms. Belkin for over 40 years said: “She was a great partner in fighting for our community and that’s what we want in elected officials but that’s also what we want in our district manager. She’s really the model for any other district manager around the city.”

Ms. Belkin, who served as Community Board 8’s district manager under six mayors, died in 2013 at the age of 82.
“Whenever we drive up, we will always look at the sign with love in our hearts,” Mr. Belkin said at the naming ceremony. “We are grateful that our mom’s legacy will live on with this great honor.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill on Aug. 3, co-naming 65 public spaces in the city in honor of prominent New Yorkers. Grace Belkin Way was among the new names authorized by the bill.

Grace Belkin, June Eisland, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman Andrew Cohen, Grace Belkin Way, Eve Jedda, David Belkin, Lisa Herndon

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