An In-depth Look Inside the IDA Armory Meeting

Now that the Norwood News has done some quick live blogging about IDA's board meeting, we wanted to give a recap about what happened.

The Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) brought about 60 community members to the meeting. The board began by presenting general responses to comments made by the community at the public hearing last Thursday. Among its comments, the board tried to assure the audience that it used the proper channels to alert the community about a public hearing.

In addition, the board said that wages for future jobs at the armory will reflect the current average of minimum wage jobs in the Bronx. There were several times when community members yelled at board members, calling them "liars" and accusing them of creating "sweat shops at the armory." Chairman Seth Pinsky had to ask the audience to be quiet on two separate occasions.

After responses from the board, a representative for NYC Comptroller William Thompson motioned to postpone a decision until Related could provide detailed information on potential wages and employment opportunities at the Armory. This motion was seconded by a representative for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stinger. The board deliberated this for about 10 minutes and eventually IDA Chairman Pinsky accused Comptroller Thompson of making unfair accusations about Related's application.

Ultimately, the board voted against postponing a decision. The board continued its discussion about Related's application, as Pinsky reminded the board that Related was asking for benefits in the midst of an economic downturn. Pinsky acknowledged that the board had decided to provide capped benefits as the economic climate would eventually become more favorable. Pinksy continued to say that Related's proposal will bring much needed jobs to the community and provide better wages than what has been in the Armory in the past. (In response to this comment, there was an outburst by the audience with community members shouting at the board that the Armory has been vacant, which it has since 1993).

Pinsky concluded his comments by saying that the city's uniform land use review procedure(ULURP) is "the proper place for a community benefits agreement" where it can be "addressed through a legally sanctioned process."

When it was time to vote, all but two board members, Comptroller Thompson and Manhattan Borough President Stringer, voted in favor of giving Related $17.8 million in tax breaks. See below for Related's next steps.

In a statement, Comptroller Thompson said that he was "concerned that the IDA voted today on a project that is not allowed under its own policies." He continued to say that "the Kingsbridge Armory is not an industrial project, nor is it located in an Empire Zone, Empowerment Zone or Industrial Business Zone." Thompson also said that his office requested, but was denied, copies of all procurement documents that resulted in the selection of Related.

After the meeting, Norwood News spoke to Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter of KARA. "It's a sad day in New York when tax payers money is being used to put tax payers out of business," she said. "Related has taken living wages off the table. If they are not going to do it our way, it's not going to happen."

Community members were also concerned about elements provided in a powerpoint presentation during the meeting, such as a proposed building entrance on 195th street, which Pilgrim-Hunter said would prevent the construction of a school.

KARA plans to attend any ULURP meetings to prevent Related from proceeding any further until both parties can sit down and create a community benefits agreement. KARA will meet this Tuesday, at 6:30 at St. James Church, 2500 Jerome Avenue (and 190th). The meeting is open to the public.

Live Blogging From Armory IDA Hearing: Tax Breaks Approved, Land Use Review to Begin

So, despite the efforts of Bill Thompson and at least one other board member, the IDA has approved an estimated $17.8 million in tax breaks for the Related Companies to renovate the Kingsbridge Armory into a gigantic shopping mall.

Now, all that's left is for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be completed (something that will probably get done in the next month or so) and then the project will go through the city's land use review process, which will go through Community Board 7 (which is also working to secure further community benefits), the borough president's office (which has expressed support for benefits agreement) and the City Council (where Majority Leader Joel Rivera has expressed his support for a community benefits agreement). This will take a few months, probably.

This is a setback for the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA). It was hoping to leverage the IDA tax breaks into a community benefits agreement (CBA). But all is not lost; through the land use review process, they will stay be able to make their case that the community should get more out than a shopping center, low-paying retail jobs and some low-cost space for community programming.

Specifically, KARA wants Related to require employers at the Armory to pay living wages (about $10 an hour, plus benefits), give job preferences to local residents (during and after construction), offer more community space and allow employees the option to unionize.

The living wage requirement would be unprecedented in New York City, but has been included in CBA's for projects in California. Related hasn't talked specifics, but says it's willing to negotiate some type of benefits agreement, as it did for the Gateway Center Mall (the overhaul of the Bronx Terminal Market near Yankee Stadium). Though derided by critics as lacking community input, lacking reserved space for local merchants and being virtually unenforceable, that CBA has produced a good deal of job training and Related has reportedly complied with the terms it signed off on. (There are living wage and minority hiring provisions in the Gateway CBA, but they are not expressly enforceable with regards to the mall's future tenants,)

This is a complicated issue, one the Norwood News has reported on extensively and will continue to as the process moves forward. Again, stay tuned.

-IDA hearing reporting by Ivonne Salazar

Live Blogging From Armory IDA Hearing: Motion to Postpone

As we mentioned last night, the city's Industrial Development Agency (IDA), a wing of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), is voting today on whether to give Kingsbridge Armory developer The Related Companies an estimated $17.8 million in tax breaks.

Norwood News reporter Ivonne Salazar is attending the hearing and reports that a representative for Comptroller Bill Thompson has made a motion to have the vote postponed. It was seconded by another board member.

If it is postponed, it would mark a major victory for the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance which demanded the vote be postponed until Related sits down with them to negotiate a community benefits agreement (CBA). Related has been reluctant to do so leading up to the IDA's meeting.

Stay tuned...

Armory Update: City Votes Tomorrow on Rewarding Developer Tax Breaks

The New York City Industrial Development Agency (IDA) will decide tomorrow if the Kingsbridge Armory developer, Related Companies, should receive $17.8 million in tax breaks.

As we've reported in the Norwood News and on this blog, Related plans to turn the historic landmark into a shopping center. At the IDA's meeting last Thursday, community activists demanded the agency postpone its decision until the developer commits to negotiating a binding community benefits agreement (CBA). Activists are hoping to bring much needed resources to Bronx residents by ensuring that Related provides living wage jobs with benefits, community space for youth and seniors, and the option for employees to unionize.

The agency has a history of supporting big private development projects in the borough, including the Bronx Gateway Mall, Fordham Plaza and the new Yankees Stadium. Last Thursday, the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) organized a rally prior to the IDA's meeting. Several community leaders and elected officials, including IDA board member and City Comptroller Bill Thompson, urged the agency to postpone its decision until Related had sat down with KARA.

Related's development lawyer Jesse Masyr told the Daily News (story not posted online) they would sit down with KARA, but only as part of a larger community benefits panel that included Community Board 7 and members of City Council. Council member Joel Rivera spoke at KARA's rally last week and voiced his support for KARA getting a seat at the table. To this point, Related has been reluctant to negotiate with the alliance, which is made up of community groups, religious leaders, labor unions and elected officials.

A spokesman for Thompson said he couldn't comment on the matter until after the IDA's board met tomorrow morning.

The agency's full board of directors will meet tomorrow at the office of the Economic Development Corporation in downtown Manhattan, 110 William Street, 4th floor, at 9 a.m. Members of the community are welcomed to attend. The Norwood News will be at the meeting and posting an update as soon as the board votes. Stay tuned.

Bronx News Roundup, March 6

Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, jr. filed his petitions with the Board of Elections yesterday, making him the first candidate to ask to be included on the ballot for Bronx Borough President. Liz Benjamin reports that the ballot line will read "Bronx Unity Party," but the muscle behind him is Carl Heastie's new democratic machine, which claims to have collected 16,500 signatures for Diaz in just three days.
Diaz is set to formally announce his candidacy on Monday.

The so-called "gang of three" is back. Bronx State Senators Pedro Espada, jr. and Ruben Diaz, sr., as well as Brooklyn's Carl Kruger, are refusing to support the Ravitch plan, which would avoid huge MTA fare hikes and service cuts in part by imposing tolls on the Harlem and East River bridges.

The New York Observer notes that city comptroller Bill Thompson has become a much louder voice on the board of the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) since he began eying a run for mayor. The IDA is the city agency charged with arranging tax incentives for big development projects - like the new Yankee Stadium or the Kingsbridge Armory. Thompson participated in a rally this week demanding a serious community benefits agreement from the Armory developer (see below). More on that in this week's Norwood News.

Two former NYPD officers are facing a civil trial fourteen years after allegedly shooting two young robbery suspects over twenty times while they lay face-down on the sidewalk. The shooting was one of several which enraged citizens during Rudy Giuliani's tenure as mayor.

"Brazilian Modern," this year's orchid show at the Botanical Garden, is getting good reviews.

A Bronx woman has been named McDonald's Crew Person of the Year.

The Australian news media has developed a special interest in Bronx schools lately: this is the second Australian story this month to feature a Bronx school, this time the Bronx Lab School. (Last week's story, in another Australian paper, can be found here)

No Meeting, No Armory Tax Breaks, Groups Demand

Elected officials and KARA activists rally against tax breaks for Bronx developer, Related Companies, which plans to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping center.

Concerned Bronx residents expressed frustration on the steps of City Hall today as they rallied against giving tax breaks to the developer of the Kingsbridge Armory, Related Companies, which intends to turns the armory into a shopping center. The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) held a public hearing today to obtain community feedback on Related's application that requests $17.8 million in tax breaks.

The Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) organized the rally and has urged the IDA to postpone its decision until Related agrees to sit down with KARA and establish a Community Benefits Agreement that includes living wage jobs (40 hours/week at $10 an hour plus benefits), employment preference for Bronx residents, community space for youth and senior programs, schools to alleviate overcrowding, and the option for employees to unionize.

"This is probably one of the most important issues in the Bronx today," said Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera. "It's time that companies contribute more. We [Bronx residents] need a community bailout plan."

Councilman Oliver Koppell acknolwedged that the development project at the armory represents an opportunity to restore the historic landmark but he added, "Related must sit down with KARA and negotiate a proper agreement."

"We are not making outrageous demands," said Comptroller William C. Thompson. "We don't want to see development that pushes our people out."

During the hearing community leaders and residents, including representatives for Congressman Jose Serrano and State Senator Pedro Espada, urged the IDA to postpone its decision until Related agrees to meet with KARA.

IDA's board of directors will meet next Wednesday, March 11, at 9:00 a.m. (at IDA's office in downtown Manhattan, 110 William Street, 4th floor) to decide whether to reject or accept Related's application. The meeting will be open to the public and IDA encourages community members to attend.

More on the tax breaks issue in the latest issue of the Norwood News.

News Roundup for July 16

The Westchester Journal News reports that since Bee-Line buses started accepting Metrocards in April, a huge number of riders are boarding the buses to commute between Westchester and the Bronx.

The New York Times profiled 1150 Grand Concourse in yesterday's Streetscapes column, describing "Horace Ginsbern’s fantastical but neglected 1937 art moderne essay" as a mosaic that has escaped vandalism and grafitti all these years.

The Times reported Saturday on a rule change for the state's Industrial Development Agency that may threaten funding for the proposed garages at the new Yankee Stadium.

Liz Benjamin analyzes the 11th hour congestion pricing battles in the Daily News.

And the Daily News reports on the last hours of a father who was stabbed to death in University Heights Saturday.