Back to square one: nothing new at the Kingsbridge Armory

Posted on 01. Nov, 2010 by Vishal Persaud in Uncategorized

Almost a year later, after the showdown and defeat over the development of a looming structure in the northwest Bronx, neither the borough or the city have taken major steps to rectify any concrete plans for the unused bastion.

The bitter battle over the Kingsbridge Armory left everyone involved in the dispute, community activists, politicians, and developers, with a sour aftertaste, and nothing to show for the lengthy debates and years spent on plans for the structure.

Unfortunately, tensions are still high at the cost of development for the borough with the highest unemployment rate and poverty levels.

“We’re not privy to anything at this point,” said Lenny Caro, president of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce.

The Bronx borough president, Ruben Diaz, Jr. released an open community letter two weeks ago that stated the project won a planning award from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

So, if the politicians and Bloomberg administration can’t figure it out, students and faculty at NYU will. Back to square one.

Politicians from across the city, but especially those in the Bronx, have yet to come to terms with the project’s demise in the City Council, and ultimate alienation from the Bloomberg administration.

“I think the administration has drawn a line in the sand that they’re not going to move on this issue,” said Scott Levenson, president of The Advance Group, a lobbying firm based in New York City.

Since the City Council voted down the proposed mall development project last December at the 575,000 square foot behemoth on the corner of Kingsbridge Road and Jerome Avenue, few efforts have been made by the city to concede and cooperate with Bronx community activists and politicians. Yet, those same activists and politicians have not done much either, but have made some strides to restart the conversation.

Earlier this year, the Bronx borough president, Ruben Diaz, Jr. created a Kingsbridge Armory Task Force with a host of prominent New York City figures – but there was no representative from the Bloomberg administration named to the task force – a telling sign.

“They [the Bloomberg administration] need to concede that they have to be partners with the Bronx borough president,” said Levenson.

The main issue of contention over the Kingsbridge Armory was the dispute to mandate the proposed developer, Related Companies, pay its workers at the project a living wage – $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without benefits.

Proponents of the living wage provisions, namely the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) and the Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition (NBCCC) along with Ruben Diaz, Jr. were adamant to include the provision in the terms agreed to with Related Companies.

But Related refused, even after the proposal cleared major hurdles in the city’s land use review procedure, ULURP.

“We have to open every consideration of what could be a positive use at that space,” said Gustavo Rivera, the new state senate-elect from the 33^rd district and member of the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force.

But without the help of the city and the Bloomberg administration, local Bronx community groups and the borough president can only get so much done.  In order to attract the kind of development the Bronx needs, the Bloomberg administration needs to step in.

Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.