Earlier today, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and City Councilman Fernando Cabrera announced a big-name lineup of "heavy hitters" to serve on a task force that they hope will come up with a new plan to put the massive and long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory to use for the community.
With this task force, which the borough president first mentioned (with very few details) at his State of the Borough speech earlier this month, Diaz and Cabrera are trying to reignite the push to redevelop the Armory, which has been vacant since 1994.
In December, much to Mayor Bloomberg's chagrin, the City Council, with the strong support of Diaz, shot down a proposal to turn the Armory into a retail shopping mall. Less than a month ago, Bloomberg told the Daily News that he doubted the Armory would be developed in his lifetime.
"There's this notion that the armory will stay vacant for the next decade," Diaz said. "But there's no reason why we can’t work together [with the Mayor] and put out another RFP [Request for Proposals].'
The 10-member task force is made up of people with wildly diverse backgrounds, from a community board member to a former Republican state official.
"I wanted a committee with folks that are respected citywide and statewide," Diaz said in an interview this afternoon.
At first glance: mission accomplished.
Monday, March 22, 2010
New Kingsbridge Armory Task Force, A Team of 'Heavy Hitters,' Diaz Says
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Committee Armory Vote Scheduled for Thursday
[Update, 2:26 p.m., according the City Council's online agenda for the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee tomorrow morning, the four land use changes that Related and the EDC are applying for with regards to the Armory project are up for discussion (and a vote?). They are listed as agenda items 2 through 5. There have been rumors swirling that the vote will get pushed back until next Wednesday, but we haven't been able to confirm anything.]
Tomorrow, the City Council Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee as well as the Land Use Committee, are scheduled to vote on whether or not to recommend approval of the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment to the City Council. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the development on Dec. 9.
Over the past weeks, the developer, Related Companies, and the Bronx City Council delegation have been at a standstill over the main issue of the shopping mall development: providing a living wage ($10 an hour plus benefits) for retail workers. If both factions refuse to back down, both the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee and the City Council appear poised to reject Related’s proposal and start from scratch.
Related insists that including a living wage requirement will deter retail companies from setting up shop in the mall. They believe the community will benefit from the 2,200 jobs created during and after construction of the mall, regardless of wage level.
Meanwhile, the Bronx delegation, along with an apparent majority of the Zoning and Franchising Subcommittee, hold that guaranteeing living wage jobs is a small fee for Related to pay, since they stand to make a bundle off of the development. They say the jobs currently being offered at the proposed Armory mall would do nothing to lift a community mired in poverty.
Besides rejecting the proposal, the subcommittee could vote to modify the proposal and, in return, gain 15 days for the Bronx delegation to negotiate with Related. Last week, Bronx Councilman Joel Rivera, who sits on the Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee, said he would like to push the final City Council voting deadline from Dec. 9 to Dec. 21.
The Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) fears that delaying the vote will only allow the Bloomberg administration, which is in favor of the development and against living wage guarantees, more time to influence Council members.
“[Related has] had well over two years to negotiate,” said KARA’s Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter. “They met with the Bronx delegation twice and they have left them empty handed."
Check back on the blog tomorrow for an update of how the subcommittee votes on the proposal.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
City Council Grills Armory Developer on Living Wage
KARA supporters gather outside of City Hall to protest the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory without a living wage.Requiring developers of city property to guarantee a living wage for retail employees may have seemed far-fetched to some observers six months ago.
Not anymore.
At the City Council’s hearing on the Related Companies’ proposal to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a giant shopping mall, virtually the entire Zoning and Franchising Subcommittee, (which will be the only Council committee to hold a hearing on the project) grilled company representatives on the living wage issue.
Council Member Larry Seabrook, who sits on the committee and represents the northeast Bronx, said that overall unemployment figures don’t reflect the vast numbers of jobless in the borough’s African American and Latino communities – a figure he cited as 55 percent. He said he believed the project would not be harmed by a living wage requirement. “I don’t think providing living wages will destroy the project,” he said.
Another member of the committee, Eric Gioia of Queens, said the only way that workers will survive on a minimum wage is if “the government subsidizes workers through food stamps.” He added that without a community benefits agreement (CBA), Related will “keep the neighborhood poor.”
Meanwhile, the Bloomberg administration, which presented a united front with Related, held to their position that the proposed deal with Related (which includes millions in tax breaks and bargain-basement price tag of $5 million for the facility) is the best that can be achieved.
“We have the best project we can possibly get,” said Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber. “We want to make sure we don’t miss this opportunity to begin construction.”
And Related spokesman Jesse Masyr told the committee that requiring living wage jobs ($10 an hour with benefits) was not realistic. The retailers “can go anywhere else in the Bronx,” he said, adding later, “We wouldn’t be doing any justice promising something we can’t guarantee.
Other members pressing Related on the living wage were Robert Jackson, Albert Vann, Helen Sears and Joel Rivera, who has taken a leadership role among the Council delegation in opposing the project without a negotiated CBA.
“In my book, this is an economic exploitation project,” Rivera said. Later he said, “We need to change the conversation with the administration.”
Even Council Member Oliver Koppell, who has been the least enthusiastic about a living wage requirement among the Bronx Council delegation, put the heat on Related. Citing a New York Times story from this week about other cities that have had living wage agreements, Koppell, who doesn’t sit on Zoning and Franchises, told the company, “I would like to see a presentation that shows me why [living wages] cannot be financed.” He also suggested that the Council might want to pass a living wage law.
The hearing room was packed with members of the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), which includes union members as well as local residents and activists. Members of construction unions, however, spoke in favor of supporting Related’s plans even without a CBA.
Because the committee felt it needed more time to question city officials, they have scheduled a public meeting on Nov. 23, but the public will not be able to testify.
The nine members of Zoning and Franchises, which is chaired by KARA supporter Tony Avella of Queens, as well as the full Land Use Committee, must vote on the project by Dec. 9.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, who has taken a firm stance on the living wage requirement, summed up his argument, which seems to be gaining traction just as Mayor Bloomberg, whose mayoralty has been defined by its partnership with developers, suits up for a third term.
“I do want to see new jobs created in my borough,” Diaz testified. “But these jobs must be created in the right way. The old model, that any job is better than no job, is no longer acceptable.”
This piece was written by Jordan Moss and reported by Molly Ryan and Jordan Moss.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
New from the Norwood News
Bronx News Roundup, September 30
Yesterday, the New York Times detailed the conflict between Related Companies and the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) over the proposed supermarket at the Kingsbridge Armory. In the article, a representative for Related said that the developer was not going to let the supermarket issue end the plans for the armory, but he insisted that Related would not give in to KARA's demand for a living wage requirement.
Thirsty for a taste of the Bronx? Try Bronx Pop-- Bronx BP Ruben Diaz's soda of choice, according to the New York Daily News. For more information on Bronx Pop, check out our blog posting on the product published two weeks ago.
Last Friday, Stella D'Oro factory workers picketed outside of Goldman Saks, an investor in Lance Inc. (the owner of the factory), and then marched to City Hall in an effort to keep the cookie factory in Kingsbridge. Lance Inc. recently announced that they plan on closing the Bronx factory and moving production to Ohio.
A survey done by the US census bureau found that the Bronx continues to be the poorest urban county in the country. According to the survey, 380,000 Bronx residents live below the poverty line.
Happy Anniversary BronxTalk! The show will celebrate its 15th anniversary next Monday with a special hour-long episode. For more information on the show's history, click here.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Diaz Stalls on Amory Project, Waits for Response on Draft Benefits Agreement from Developer
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. has asked for and received an extension on his deadline to submit his recommendation to the city regarding the Kingsbridge Armory mall project, saying he wants to see how the developer responds to a proposed Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).
Diaz is in the process of weighing the pros and cons of the Related Companies’ land use review application, which, if approved, would pave the way for the developer’s plan to turn the 575,000-square-foot Armory into a retail shopping mall. He was supposed to say whether or not he supports the project by early next week, but, with the extension, he now has until Sept. 8.
Earlier this week, Diaz’s office sent Related a draft of an agreement that would bring the community addition benefits from the project aside from new shopping options and low-paying retail jobs. The agreement was a collaborative effort between Diaz’s office, Community Board 7, the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) and local elected officials.
“We do not want to say yes or no on the ULURP application until we have some idea from the developer regarding their direction on the CBA,” said Diaz spokesperson John DeSio, in a e-mail.
According to Greg Faulkner, the chairman of Community Board 7, which voted yes on the project on the condition, among others, that a substantial and enforceable CBA be signed by Related, the draft CBA included a living wage requirement for tenants at the Amory mall, something KARA has lobbied hard for over the past year.
Related has said it will walk away from the project before including living wage requirements. Related officials could not be reached by the time of this post, but we'll keep trying. The Riverdale Press reported that Related is still reviewing the CBA document.
Also included in the draft CBA are local hiring goals, labor neutrality (to protect unionization efforts) and mechanisms to protect and create affordable housing in the area.
The CBA also included language excluding a big-box supermarket at the Armory. Related had carved out space in the Armory for a 60,000-square-foot supermarket and Board 7 members had voted to support a new supermarket with organic food options. But Morton Williams, a local supermarket chain, had lobbied hard against an Armory supermarket and had the support of the entire Bronx delegation to the City Council.
CBA’s have become common practice for big development projects in California and have gained popularity in other parts of the country, but the few signed in New York City have been criticized for being unsubstantial and lacking true community involvement. The Armory CBA would be the first driven by community voices, including Board 7 and KARA.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Maria Baez Shows Up to Support Local Supermarkets
After noticeably missing BP Ruben Diaz’s public hearing on the Kingsbridge Armory’s redevelopment process, 14th District City Councilwoman Maria Baez took to the streets yesterday afternoon to support local supermarkets. These smaller, localized supermarkets feel threatened by the large-scale supermarket included in the plans for the redevelopment of the armory.
In the past, Baez has been criticized for not being actively involved in the redevelopment of the armory, especially since it falls within her district. However, yesterday Baez said the Kingsbridge Amory redevelopment is “a very important priority” for her.
Yesterday afternoon, Baez (center) stood her ground outside a C-Town Supermarket on the corner of University Avenue and Fordham Road supporting local businesses and “opposing big box stores.” Baez holds that if Related Companies, the developer, builds a shopping mall with a brand name supermarket, “thousands of local jobs” will be lost in the process. Instead of filling the armory with large corporate stores, Baez said the Kingsbridge Amory should be transformed into “a place where our children can go, a recreation center.”
Standing tall behind Baez at her press conference outside of C-Town was the owner of the supermarket, Jose Frias and a handful of other local supermarket and bodega owners. In the press release for the event, Frias said, “Maria Baez recognizes the contributions that small business owners have made to the Kingsbridge neighborhood.”
Despite Baez’s press conference at C-Town, the Morton Williams supermarket appears to be the major opponent to the Kingsbridge Armory supermarket. Since Morton Williams is located directly across the street from the armory, competition would be fierce between the two potential food stores.
Although Baez did not specifically mention Morton Williams, she was clearly sending out another message unrelated to supermarkets: Vote for me! With signs reading “Vote Maria Baez” plastered on walls lining the C-Town, Baez chose to combine campaigning for reelection with her opposition to the Kingsbridge Armory supermarket.
After the conference, Baez briefly discussed the Kingsbridge Amory Redevelopment Alliance’s (KARA) fight for securing a living wage at the future stores in the mall. “I have been working with KARA and there is a lot that we need to look at and address,” she said.
As for negotiating a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with Related Companies, Baez said that if reelected, this would be the third time she has been involved in a CBA, so she is familiar with the process.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Community Board 7 Conditionally Votes To Approve Armory Mall Plan
We'll have a full story up on the blog and on the Norwood News Web site by this afternoon, but for now, we wanted to report the news that Community Board 7 voted last night to approve The Related Companies' city-backed and publicly-subsidized project to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a giant mall.
The vote was only advisory, but it moves the project up the food chain.
There were a handful of dissenting votes, but a large majority of the 27 board members in attendance voted to recommend the project with a list of conditions, including the signing of a binding and enforceable Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).
It remains far from certain what community benefits that agreement will include, but Chairman Greg Faulkner and the bulk of board members said they felt voting yes with conditions would be the best way to stay involved in and have input in the project as it goes forward.
Earlier in the day, Related sent a letter to the Board agreeing, in very broad (some said vague) terms, to the Community Board's conditions.
Speakers at the meeting, including members of the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), representatives of the Jerome Avenue-based supermarket chain Morton Williams, Assemblyman Jose Rivera and a couple of people who said they'd been burned by Related in the past, sternly implored Board members to vote it down.
The Board now has 13 days to send their voting record and other materials to Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. who will then have 30 days to deliberate on whether or not to support the project. After that, the project goes to City Planning and then to the City Council.
Tune in later for the story on last night's hearing, which turned very interesting toward the last hour and a half.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
End Game at Kingsbridge Armory; And Hey, What About Schools?
Tonight formally opens the public review known as the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) as Community Board 7 convenes a required public hearing on the redevelopment of the Kingsbrige Armory. The meeting starts at 6:30 at Lehman College. Click here for details. The Board itself will vote (which is only advisory) on July 14.
But this is closer to the end of a long saga than the beginning of a land use battle. The Norwood News has been writing about this issue for 16 years (here's a link to archive of Norwood News armory stories dating back to 1998). I began writing about it as a freelancer for the Norwood News in 1993 when the National Guard first vacated the main building (the head house and drill hall) and then-District 10 Superintendent John Rehill proposed turning the entire facility into an education complex.
If you're new to the subject, this overview in the New York Observer covers most of the essential issues and conflicts, the main one being the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance's demand that retailers at the development pay workers a "living wage." Alex Kratz wrote about the living wage issue in the Norwood News a couple of months ago.
Speaking of the living wage issue, three pastors involved with KARA penned an op-ed in the latest issue of the Norwood News (will hit the streets and the Web by tomorrow morning) calling on Community Board 7 to vote no on the Related Plan since it doesn't include a living wage provision.
Meanwhile, Community Board 7 chair Greg Faulkner has indicated that the Board will probably vote for the Related proposal with conditions. He feels that's the only way to have leverage with Related when a Community Benefits Agreement gets crafted. If they just vote no, he believes the developer will just move on to the next level of review and ignore the community.
What everyone seems to agree on is that this massive landmark shouldn't be redeveloped into just a shopping mall and that a big chunk of community space should be in the final plan. Though the Rehill fantasy of transforming the facility into a giant complex of public schools obviously never materialized, getting public schools into the mix was a driving force for local parent activists. The Armory, after all, is at Ground Zero for the worst crowding in District 10, which in turn has long been the second or third most crowded district in the city. Three short blocks away, kids at PS 246 are still crammed into classes that were designed as dormitory rooms in a home for the blind. Somehow they've managed to fend off the portable classroom craze that has sucked up almost every other school yard in the district.
Foor a long time, it seemed that while schools wouldn't be allowed inside the armory (the Landmarks Commission definitely wouldn't have allowed developers to punch holes in the facade to allow for the necessary light, etc.) the annex buildings and the property they're on behind the armory could accommodate two or three public schools. It was a major priority for the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition until the Department of Education poured cold water on the ideas more than a year ago.
The RFP (request for proposals) didn't include the annex buildings behind the armory because the Guard still occupied them. But it seems like the Guard may have a new home in Wakefield. Schools at the Armory may happen after all -- but probably only if KARA brings as much heat to this issue as they have to the living wage.
We'll be there tonight. So will peace activist Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame -- who Community Board 7 has enlisted to attend. Stay tuned. We'll have frequent updates on the blog in the coming days and weeks.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Supermarket War at Armory?
According to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted to the city on May 14, Related Companies is planning to build space in the gigantic Kingsbridge Armory for a 60,000 square foot supermarket.
Morton Williams, which operates two Bronx supermarkets, including one directly across the street from the Armory, said if Related puts in a supermarket in their Shops at the Armory mall, they will be forced to close both Bronx grocery stores, according to Crain's.
Since the beginnign of the redevelopment process, Morton Williams, which is part of the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), has adamantly opposed the inclusion of a supermarket at the new Amory mall.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Residents Rally for Armory Benefits at City Hall
About 100 Bronxites converged on the steps of City Hall earlier today to demand that the Related Companies negotiate a community benefits agreement for the Kingsbridge Armory. Members of KARA (the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance) and other northwest Bronx residents demanded schools to be included on Armory grounds, 2000 seats optimally, as well as union jobs during construction and living wage jobs after completion.
-Photo and reporting by Graham Kates
