Some residents are protesting a plan to rezone Jerome Avenue between 167th and 184th streets.

City planning officials say the area is ripe for residential development.

But longtime residents say they think the rezoning will attract new tenants who can afford higher rents and drive them out of the neighborhood.

The Bronx Coalition for a Community Vision sent the Department of City Planning a letter demanding more affordable housing than the rezoning plan includes.

"We need housing for low-income people," says resident Madeline Mendez. "It's not just the upper class."

The group is also asking that local construction workers be hired and trained to carry out the new development.

City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson pledged to fight to maintain the area's affordability.

The Department of City Planning released a statement of its own, saying that it would work with stakeholders to ensure affordable housing options remain while providing protection against displacement.