Some Harlem residents are unhappy with a proposal to build two new high-rise buildings, and staged a protest against the project on Jan. 3. The local community board followed up and unanimously rejected the planned project at its meeting on Jan. 5
The vote by Community Board 10 came near the end of a tense, three-hour meeting in which members and neighbors once again pressed developer Bruce Teitelbaum to change the income levels and sizes of the roughly 220 affordable units that are included in the project — along with more than 600 market-rate homes, Patch.com reported.
Developer One45 hopes the project will be completed by 2026.
The proposal to turn a vacant lot in the Lenox Ave. and 145th Street area into a civil rights museum and two high-rise apartment buildings has angered some neighbours. About 50 turned up for the protest, WCBS-TV reported.
Before starting construction, developers will need the city’s approval to rezone the block to allow for more dense construction and get special permits to waive height and parking limits, among other changes, Patch.com reported. The community board was to hold a final vote on Jan. 5 — though its input is not binding — before a final vote by the City Council sometime next year.
“If we have a game at the Yankee Stadium, it’s becomes even more challenging trying to get through the community. The congestion is my biggest concern,” resident Millicent Redick, 53, said.
Council member Kristin Richardson Jordan spent her first Monday as an elected official rallying with the group. She told CBS2 that stopping the displacement of long-time Harlem residents is important, and she is concerned some are being persuaded to think the development is a good idea.
“When there are new developments, there’s often a carrot, there’s often a bread crumb or a carrot dangled in front of us. It’s incredibly insulting, but the bigger picture is that this is a whole bunch of market rate housing masquerading as somehow being for the community and it’s not,” Jordan said.
That museum focusing on Black history will sit on the same property in which the The Rev. Al Sharpton‘s organization will be headquartered, the broadcaster reported.
Despite the community board’s objections, Tettlebaum said he will continue pursuing the project.
He reiterated a pledge made during the meeting to approach Mayor Eric Adams’s administration for a possible tax subsidy: which, if granted, would allow for more affordable units to be built, Patch reported.
“I will join any stakeholder who wants to join with me to do that,” he said.
