Simone Development Companies joined leadership and staff from New York Blood Center to mark the grand opening of a new Bronx Donor Center at the Throggs Neck Shopping Center. The 4,000-square-foot facility is located at 815 Hutchinson River Parkway in the Throggs Neck/Ferry Point community and was introduced with a ribbon-cutting attended by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, local officials and healthcare leaders.
The donor center is New York Blood Center’s 21st location in the Tri-State area and its first permanent site in the Bronx. With this opening, New York Blood Center now maintains a standing donor center presence in all five boroughs of New York City, expanding access for residents who previously had to travel outside the borough for regular donations.
The project responds to a notable decline in blood donations in the borough, where contributions have fallen by nearly 40% in recent years even as area hospitals continue to see demand for blood products grow. By situating the center within an established shopping center, New York Blood Center and Simone Development aim to make donation visits easier to incorporate into daily routines for residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson joined elected officials and representatives from healthcare institutions in highlighting the importance of a stable blood supply for local hospitals and emergency services. Their participation at the event underscored the role of healthcare-focused users as part of the broader commercial ecosystem in retail centers serving dense residential communities.
Joe Simone, president of Simone Development, noted that New York Blood Center chose the Throggs Neck Shopping Center for its Bronx expansion and emphasized the addition of what he described as a critical service to nearby communities and healthcare institutions. The opening integrates a mission-driven medical use into a retail setting, positioning the shopping center as a hub not only for goods and services but also for community health needs.
For the Bronx commercial real estate market, the arrival of New York Blood Center at Throggs Neck Shopping Center illustrates continued demand from healthcare and nonprofit users for accessible, street-level space. It also reflects how neighborhood shopping centers can align with public-health priorities while driving consistent traffic to their tenant mix.
