Simone Development Announces Mindful Medicine: Plants and the Human Connection at The Gallery of ARTFul Medicine
Artist Rebecca Hutchinson explores the healing power of plants, nature, and human connection through hand-built vessels, pulp paintings, and video
BRONX, NY (July 20, 2026) – Simone Development Companies is pleased to host Mindful Medicine: Plants and the Human Connection, the latest exhibit at The Gallery of ARTFul Medicine in the lobby of Simone Development’s Hutchinson Metro Center’s Tower One at 1250 Waters Place in the Bronx. The exhibition, featuring work by artist Rebecca Hutchinson, is open to the public with viewing hours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit is on view through September 11, 2026.
Photo Credit: Lori Adams Photography
Mindful Medicine: Plants and the Human Connection celebrates the history of apothecary, medicinal plants and the essential role of nature in supporting health and healing. Through hand-built vessels, handmade pulp paintings, and video, Hutchinson invites viewers to consider the beauty, resilience, and vitality found in the natural world, as well as the deep connection between plants and human wellbeing.
The exhibition includes nine hand-built, non-fired paper-clay mâché vessels created from a mixture of clay, recycled culled library books, and handmade paper made from discarded clothing. The vessels are adorned with hand-drawn illustrations created in collaboration with artist Mallory Wetherell, depicting herbs with historical pronounced benefits to health and healing. The work reflects ceramics’ long tradition of using plant motifs on vessel forms as decoration and as symbols of vitality, identity and presence.
“Rebecca Hutchinson’s work encourages close looking,” said Jodi Moise, director of the Fine Arts Program and Collection at Montefiore Einstein. “The intricacy of her materials and the sensitivity of her process reflect the spirit of The Gallery of ARTFul Medicine, where art becomes a way to explore healing, science, nature and the human experience.”
Hutchinson’s practice is rooted in observation of the natural world, drawing inspiration from what she sees through the lens of resilience and resourcefulness. For Mindful Medicine: Plants and the Human Connection, she spent eight months creating the exhibition’s vessels, inviting viewers to engage closely with the works and discover the intricate details throughout the exhibition.
This exhibit is sponsored by The Fine Art Program and Collection at Montefiore | Einstein, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Simone Development Companies, with special thanks to Professor Jon Stone at neurosymptoms.org and Robert Wilson, Co-chair, Director, FND Hope International. Montefiore’s Fine Art Program and Collection at Montefiore Einstein is featured on the Bloomberg Connects app. For more information on the latest Gallery of ARTFul Medicine exhibit visit: www.montefiore.org/artprogram.
About Simone Development Companies
Simone Development Companies is a privately owned, full-service real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of healthcare, mixed-use, retail, office, industrial, and residential properties. The company’s reach extends across New York City and its suburbs including Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey.
Over nearly five decades, this third-generation, family-owned business has built a portfolio exceeding 7 million square feet. The organization’s vertically integrated team manages every stage of the project lifecycle, from finance and construction to leasing and property management. Simone Development Companies is set apart by this comprehensive approach, a commitment to long-term asset ownership, and a proven track record of transforming vacant and underutilized sites into vibrant developments that elevate communities.
Learn more at https://simonedevelopment.com/
Autism nonprofit inks 25,000-square-foot Bronx lease as it expands programs
From: https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2026/06/24/quality-services-for-autism-bronx-lease.html
A nonprofit organization serving children and adults with autism is relocating to 1200 Zerega Ave. in the Bronx after inking a 25,000-square-foot lease at the property.
Quality Services for the Autism Community is leasing nearly 13,000 square feet on the second floor in addition to more than 12,000 square feet of outdoor space. The nonprofit was previously located at the Bronx Center at 1010 Underhill Ave.
A spokesperson for Simone Development, the Zerega Avenue building owners, said the nonprofit chose to relocate to “support its expanding programs and operational needs in the borough.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome QSAC to 1200 Zerega Ave. and to see this site now fully leased with a mission-driven organization that brings real added value to the Bronx,” a spokesperson for Simone Development said in a statement.
The asking rent was not disclosed, but the average asking rent for the Bronx in the first quarter of this year was $31.24 per square foot, according to Colliers.
Josh Kleinberg of Colliers represented Quality Services for the Autism Community on the deal. Simone Development was represented in-house alongside Mathew Diana of DY Realty.
The two-story, 95,646-square-foot building features both warehouse and office spaces.
Quality Services for the Autism Community Signs Long-Term Lease at Simone Development Companies’ 1200 Zerega Ave. in The Bronx
Latest Deal Brings Popular Flex Property to Full Occupancy
BRONX, NY (June 24, 2026) – Simone Development Companies has announced that Quality Services for the Autism Community (QSAC), a nonprofit organization serving children and adults with autism, has signed a long-term lease for 12,891 square feet of second-floor space and 12,377 square feet of outdoor area at 1200 Zerega Ave. in The Bronx. QSAC is relocating its Bronx Center to the property to support its expanding programs and operational needs in the borough.
Simone Development was represented by its in-house leasing and legal teams alongside Mathew Diana of DY Realty, while Josh Kleinberg of Colliers represented QSAC.
“QSAC provides critical services to children and adults with autism and their families throughout New York City and Long Island, and we’re proud to support that work,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies. “At Simone, our vision is to support the communities we serve through the acquisition, development, and management of well-located, high-quality properties. We’re thrilled to welcome QSAC to 1200 Zerega Avenue and to see this site now fully leased with a mission-driven organization that brings real added value to the Bronx.”
The two-story, 95,646 square-foot building includes abundant on-site parking and offers quick and convenient access to the Hutchinson River Parkway, the Bruckner Expressway, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the #6 subway line Zerega Avenue Station, and multiple bus routes.
ABOUT SIMONE DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES
Simone Development Companies is a privately owned, full-service real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of healthcare, mixed-use, retail, office, industrial, and residential properties. The company’s reach extends across New York City and its suburbs including Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey.
Over nearly five decades, this third-generation, family-owned business has built a portfolio exceeding 7 million square feet. The organization’s vertically integrated team manages every stage of the project lifecycle, from finance and construction to leasing and property management. Simone Development Companies is set apart by this comprehensive approach, a commitment to long-term asset ownership, and a proven track record of transforming vacant and underutilized sites into vibrant developments that elevate communities.
Learn more at https://simonedevelopment.com/
Autism nonprofit expands, relocates in the Bronx
A New York nonprofit focused on supporting children and adults with autism has moved and expanded its Bronx center.
Quality Services for the Autism Community’s Bronx education facility is now in an approximately 25,300-square-foot space at 1200 Zerega Ave. in Unionport, a neighborhood in the northeastern portion of the borough. The new location includes roughly 12,900 square feet of space on the second floor and 12,400 square feet of outdoor space that the organization will use to support its programs and operations in the Bronx.
The nonprofit, which was founded in 1978 and serves more than 2,700 people in the New York area, was previously in a smaller space at 1950 Eastchester Road in Morris Park. It officially moved into the Zerega Avenue location in the spring, bringing the two-story, roughly 95,600-square-foot building to full occupancy.
A representative for landlord Simone Development Cos. declined to share the asking rent or specific length for the lease, noting only that it is a long-term deal. Industrial asking rents at 1200 Zerega Ave. range from $15 to $19 per square foot, according to CoStar data.
Simone Development was represented in-house for this deal alongside DY Realty’s Mathew Diana.
Simone Development President Joe Simone said in a statement that the company is “thrilled to welcome [Quality Services for the Autism Community] to 1200 Zerega Avenue and to see this site now fully leased with a mission-driven organization that brings real added value to the Bronx.”
Colliers’ Josh Kleinberg represented the nonprofit in the deal. He cited the building’s ample parking spots as one of the reasons the organization was interested in the building, noting that “They have a hard time finding parking space in the boroughs.”
Quality Services for the Autism Community President and COO Cory Polshansky did not respond to a request for comment before press time.
In October, the organization signed an approximately 42,000-square-foot lease to open a new Queens center at 222-25 Jamaica Ave. in Jamaica. It joins a tenant roster at 1200 Zerega Ave. that also includes construction materials distributor Kamco Supply Corp. and furniture manufacturer Anthony Lawrence Belfair.
Simone Development and NYC School Construction Authority Sign Long-Term Lease to Create Bronx STEAM Center at Hutchinson Metro Center Atrium
New 54,245-SF Center Marks Major Public-Private Investment in Career-Connected Learning, Expanding Bronx Students’ Access to Healthcare-Related Opportunities
Bronx, NY – June 12, 2026 – Simone Development Companies announced that the New York City Construction Authority (SCA) has signed a long-term lease to establish the new Bronx STEAM Center in 54,245 square feet across two floors at the Hutchinson Metro Center Atrium, a three-story, 361,857 square-foot mixed-use property located at 1776 Eastchester Road in the Bronx. The new lease marks a major public-private investment in career-connected education for Bronx students, significantly expanding access to hands-on learning, industry-aligned training, and healthcare related career pathways in one of the city’s most important hubs for healthcare, education, business, and innovation.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) schools integrate interdisciplinary, hands-on learning to foster creativity, problem-solving, and real-world application. A cohort of 11th and 12th graders from selected Bronx partner high schools spend at least half of their day in a work immersive environment after choosing one of the specific pathways housed within the STEAM Center. In partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx STEAM has initially launched offerings in high demand healthcare and technology pathways, including Certified Nursing Assistant, Cybersecurity, and Medical Assisting.
In addition to Montefiore Einstein’s partnership, the Bronx STEAM Center’s placement at the Hutchinson Metro Center opens the possibility for synergies with many organizations among the more than 80 leading healthcare providers, businesses, government agencies, and educational institutions at the campus. Students will gain direct exposure to the industries and employers shaping the borough’s future.
“Bringing the Bronx STEAM Center to the Hutchinson Metro Center is incredibly meaningful not only for participating students and for our campus, but for the borough as a whole,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies. “This transformative project is more than a new educational facility. It reflects the power of public-private collaboration to create long-term opportunities in the Bronx. It will deliver a modern, flexible learning environment designed to prepare students for careers in healthcare, technology, engineering, design, and the applied arts. We are especially proud to partner with our long-time tenant Montefiore Einstein to help bring the first-ever healthcare-focused career pathway to the Bronx STEAM Center as we support these ongoing initiatives shaping the next generation of NYC thinkers and creators.”
“The Bronx STEAM Center represents the kind of future focused learning our students deserve. This center creates a bridge between rigorous academics and meaningful careers, while anchoring long term opportunities for young people and families in the Bronx,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “The center highlights the importance of having a dedicated space for student centered, hands on experiences in an innovative model, and I look forward to seeing it open the door to college and career opportunities and lifelong success.”
“CEI is proud to serve as the lead community partner of the Bronx STEAM Center — and to stand alongside Montefiore Einstein, Simone Development, and the extraordinary leadership of Principal Maha Hasen and her team in bringing this vision to life,” said Dr. Meisha Porter, Visiting Senior Fellow, Center for Educational Innovation. “Through this partnership, CEI will bring its expertise, relationships, and citywide platform to bear in support of the Center’s growth — connecting students to industry, strengthening resource development, and helping build the ecosystem of partners this work demands. The Bronx is primed — and its young people deserve infrastructure that matches their ambition. The Bronx STEAM Center is exactly that, and we are honored to help develop it.”
Simone Development’s in-house leasing and legal teams, along with outside counsel from Adler & Stachenfeld LLP, negotiated the transaction directly with the SCA. While the permanent space is under development, programming is currently operating at a temporary site within Mercy University’s Bronx campus at 1200 Waters Place at the Hutchinson Metro Center, serving 100 students from 10 Bronx high schools. The new center will significantly expand capacity and allow Bronx STEAM to serve over 700 students from partner high schools across the borough. The space will feature industry aligned classrooms, labs, and makerspaces designed to support interdisciplinary STEAM learning and real world applications.
The Bronx STEAM Center is the NYC Department of Education’s second of this kind. The first to open was the Brooklyn STEAM Center in 2017, located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Brooklyn STEAM Center now serves 600 students across 12 career pathways including cybersecurity, HVAC, video production, manufacturing, and culinary arts. The Bronx STEAM Center was among seven new schools that opened citywide for the 2025–2026 school year, with the goal of bringing a STEAM Center to every borough and expanding access to world-class education, accelerated learning, and career pathways for thousands more students.
About Simone Development Companies
Simone Development Companies is a privately owned, full-service real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of healthcare, mixed-use, retail, office, industrial, and residential properties. The company’s reach extends across New York City and its suburbs including Long Island, Westchester County, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey.
Over nearly five decades, this third-generation, family-owned business has built a portfolio exceeding 7 million square feet. The organization’s vertically integrated team manages every stage of the project lifecycle, from finance and construction to leasing and property management. Simone Development Companies is set apart by this comprehensive approach, a commitment to long-term asset ownership, and a proven track record of transforming vacant and underutilized sites into vibrant developments that elevate communities.
Learn more at https://simonedevelopment.com/