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Stated Meeting: Kingsbridge Armory Defeated by the Council

Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Photo (cc) 2006 mercurialn.

Shoving the debate over paying living wages into the spotlight, the City Council rejected a proposal from the Bloomberg administration and developer Related Companies yesterday that would have turned an empty, gargantuan armory in the Bronx into a shopping mall.

The move was a rare one by the 51-member body, which up until now has not rejected a major land use proposal put forward by the Bloomberg administration. The project, known as the Kingsbridge Armory, was estimated to cost about $300 million and would have provided a community in the northwestern section of the city's poorest borough with about 2,200 jobs.

The redevelopment project was rejected by a vote of 45 to 1, with Councilmember Helen Sears as the lone vote to move the project forward. Councilmember Melinda Katz, the chair of the council's land use committee, abstained due to a potential conflict of interest.

At the center of the rejection of the redevelopment, which had been years in the making, was a community proposal to force the project's potential business owners and its developer to pay "living wages." Community leaders defined a living wage as more than $10 an hour.

Good Jobs, More Traffic?

Opponents cited city, state and federal tax breaks for the developer -- $18 million from the city and state alone -- as one impetus for the living wages requirement, according to the Drum Major Institute. Some officials, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and community groups argued the public deserved well-paying jobs in exchange for taxpayer subsidies.

"We see how the interest of the people has prevailed over corporate America," said Diaz, the foremost public opponent of the project, following the council vote. "We here maintain that the notion that any job is better than no job no longer applies.

On the other hand, the developer argued the project would not be viable if it included a mandatory requirement for mall shops -- think Cinnabon -- to pay living wages.

In a statement, Joanna Rose, spokesperson for Related Companies said, "While we have always offered various additional community benefits, the conversation never moved beyond a singular agenda -- seeking to mandate wages on all future retail tenants, an issue that was always outside of the control of Related as a landlord."

She continued: "This was never about the money involved, but about outside groups imposing artificial wage demands that do not exist anywhere else in New York City or New York State that were then adopted by the Bronx borough president and Bronx council delegation without any independent critical analysis. These demands simply made the project unviable."

Other labor and business groups criticized the council yesterday for voting down the project, citing a floundering economy and a 10.3 percent unemployment rate. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was at the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, said in a prepared statement that the council's vote signaled that the "Bronx was not open for business." Further, he said, regulating living wages is "not the role of the public sector."

"As a result of today’s vote, we can say one thing for sure: There will be no wages paid at all at the Kingsbridge Armory for the foreseeable future," Bloomberg said.

At City Hall yesterday, council leaders said other factors contributed to the Kingsbridge Armory rejection, including traffic and environmental issues. Councilmember Joel Rivera of the Bronx said a traffic study conducted by the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance, a community group opposed to the project, found the redevelopment would have brought an additional 1,500 cars to the area during peak hours. The area is already congested and plagued by high asthma rates, which can be attributed in part to high diesel fumes, Rivera said.

Beyond Kingsbridge

Officials at the council said they want to see development at the Kingsbridge Armory, which has stood vacant for more than 10 years. But, as a caveat, it has to be development that suits the community and its needs.

The mayor has five days to veto the council's vote on Kingsbridge, which the council could then override. Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who said the Related project was "simply not the right proposal" for the armory, confirmed that there were enough votes to override the mayor's veto, which could happen as early as next week.

Those that opposed the project, including Councilmember Annabel Palma, who heads the body's Bronx delegation, and Diaz, hope this project will set a precedent for other publicly subsidized proposals that go before the council. Palma and Bronx Councilmember Oliver Koppell have introduced legislation (Intro 1105) that would require businesses or corporations to pay a living wage if they receive public subsidies for economic development or community assistance.

Yesterday city and community officials said they hope the Kingsbridge vote would start a broader conversation on this type of requirement.

"When Mayor Bloomberg makes his way back from Copenhagen, he may think that this fight is over," said Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. "Well, he's mistaken: As far as we're concerned the battle for middle-class jobs for New Yorkers has only just begun."

More than 140 cities nationwide have adopted a living wage ordinance.



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Citizens Union

You're on an older version of the site, please click here to view the current site

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MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES FOUR APPOINTMENTS TO THE LOWER MANHATTAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BOARD

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today was joined by Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) Chairman John Whitehead to announce the City's four appointments to the LMDC Board. The LMDC is the joint State-City Corporation formed to oversee the revitalization of Lower Manhattan in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. The appointments are Attorney Sally Hernandez-Piñero, President and COO of Merrill Lynch E. Stanley O'Neal, Architect Billie Tsien, and President of the Alliance for Downtown New York Carl Weisbrod.

"I am very satisfied that we have been able to attract the caliber of excellence exhibited by the group assembled here today," Mayor Bloomberg said. "Each one of these individuals is incredibly accomplished and I am confident that they will serve the City's interests well. They will help guide our effort to rebuild and memorialize those we lost. Together we will create a Lower Manhattan of the future which surpasses everyone's expectations."

"I couldn't be more pleased with the Mayor's selection of these excellent individuals," said LMDC Chairman Whitehead. "They will add invaluable expertise for the Board's task of directing our efforts to rebuild and revitalize Lower Manhattan."

Sally Hernandez-Piñero is an attorney in private practice. Most recently, Hernandez-Piñero was Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs at The Related Companies, LP, a real estate development organization. Prior to that she was a managing director at Fannie Mae, an attorney with Kalkines, Arkey, Zall & Bernstein, chairwoman of the New York Housing Authority, and Deputy Mayor for Finance and Economic Development. Hernandez-Piñero serves on the boards of Con Edison, Dime Savings Bank of New York, the American Museum of Natural History, and the United Way of Greater New York. She earned a BA at Wesleyan University and a JD at New York University School of Law.

E. Stanley O'Neal is President and COO of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. and a member of the Board of Directors of Merrill Lynch. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 1996, O'Neal was with General Motors Corporation of New York and Madrid, and held various finance-related positions from 1978 to 1986. O'Neal earned a BS from Kettering University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Billie Tsien is principal owner and architect at Tod Williams Billie Tsien and Associates, an architecture firm in New York City. Tsien maintains an active teaching career parallel to her practice and has taught at Parsons School of Design, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Harvard University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Texas at Austin. Tsien is also on the boards of the Architectural League, the Public Art Fund, and is a vice president of the Municipal Art Society in New York City. She earned a BA at Yale University and a Masters of Architecture from UCLA.

Carl Weisbrod is President of the Alliance for Downtown New York. Prior to that, he was President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Director of the Mayor's Office of Midtown Enforcement, Executive Director of the City Planning Commission, President of the New York State 42nd Street Development Project, and founding Chairman of the New York City Loft Board. Weisbrod is a trustee of the Ford Foundation, the September 11th Fund, and NYU Downtown Hospital. He earned a BA at Cornell University and a JD at the New York University School of Law.

About the LMDC
The LMDC is a joint State-City corporation formed by the Governor and Mayor to oversee the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan. The LMDC is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors -- seven appointed by the Governor, four appointed by the Mayor -- and is chaired by John C. Whitehead. To assist in its mission, the Corporation has formed several Advisory Councils and a general Advisory Committee comprised of federal, state and city elected officials, business and civic leaders to represent the interests of various constituencies affected by the September 11th attacks. The Councils will provide input on such issues as transportation and infrastructure, business development and retention, residential concerns, development, tourism and the arts, and the planning of an appropriate memorial.

Stated Meeting: Kingsbridge Armory Defeated by the Council

Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Photo (cc) 2006 mercurialn.

Shoving the debate over paying living wages into the spotlight, the City Council rejected a proposal from the Bloomberg administration and developer Related Companies yesterday that would have turned an empty, gargantuan armory in the Bronx into a shopping mall.

The move was a rare one by the 51-member body, which up until now has not rejected a major land use proposal put forward by the Bloomberg administration. The project, known as the Kingsbridge Armory, was estimated to cost about $300 million and would have provided a community in the northwestern section of the city's poorest borough with about 2,200 jobs.

The redevelopment project was rejected by a vote of 45 to 1, with Councilmember Helen Sears as the lone vote to move the project forward. Councilmember Melinda Katz, the chair of the council's land use committee, abstained due to a potential conflict of interest.

At the center of the rejection of the redevelopment, which had been years in the making, was a community proposal to force the project's potential business owners and its developer to pay "living wages." Community leaders defined a living wage as more than $10 an hour.

Good Jobs, More Traffic?

Opponents cited city, state and federal tax breaks for the developer -- $18 million from the city and state alone -- as one impetus for the living wages requirement, according to the Drum Major Institute. Some officials, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and community groups argued the public deserved well-paying jobs in exchange for taxpayer subsidies.

"We see how the interest of the people has prevailed over corporate America," said Diaz, the foremost public opponent of the project, following the council vote. "We here maintain that the notion that any job is better than no job no longer applies.

On the other hand, the developer argued the project would not be viable if it included a mandatory requirement for mall shops -- think Cinnabon -- to pay living wages.

In a statement, Joanna Rose, spokesperson for Related Companies said, "While we have always offered various additional community benefits, the conversation never moved beyond a singular agenda -- seeking to mandate wages on all future retail tenants, an issue that was always outside of the control of Related as a landlord."

She continued: "This was never about the money involved, but about outside groups imposing artificial wage demands that do not exist anywhere else in New York City or New York State that were then adopted by the Bronx borough president and Bronx council delegation without any independent critical analysis. These demands simply made the project unviable."

Other labor and business groups criticized the council yesterday for voting down the project, citing a floundering economy and a 10.3 percent unemployment rate. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was at the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, said in a prepared statement that the council's vote signaled that the "Bronx was not open for business." Further, he said, regulating living wages is "not the role of the public sector."

"As a result of today’s vote, we can say one thing for sure: There will be no wages paid at all at the Kingsbridge Armory for the foreseeable future," Bloomberg said.

At City Hall yesterday, council leaders said other factors contributed to the Kingsbridge Armory rejection, including traffic and environmental issues. Councilmember Joel Rivera of the Bronx said a traffic study conducted by the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance, a community group opposed to the project, found the redevelopment would have brought an additional 1,500 cars to the area during peak hours. The area is already congested and plagued by high asthma rates, which can be attributed in part to high diesel fumes, Rivera said.

Beyond Kingsbridge

Officials at the council said they want to see development at the Kingsbridge Armory, which has stood vacant for more than 10 years. But, as a caveat, it has to be development that suits the community and its needs.

The mayor has five days to veto the council's vote on Kingsbridge, which the council could then override. Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who said the Related project was "simply not the right proposal" for the armory, confirmed that there were enough votes to override the mayor's veto, which could happen as early as next week.

Those that opposed the project, including Councilmember Annabel Palma, who heads the body's Bronx delegation, and Diaz, hope this project will set a precedent for other publicly subsidized proposals that go before the council. Palma and Bronx Councilmember Oliver Koppell have introduced legislation (Intro 1105) that would require businesses or corporations to pay a living wage if they receive public subsidies for economic development or community assistance.

Yesterday city and community officials said they hope the Kingsbridge vote would start a broader conversation on this type of requirement.

"When Mayor Bloomberg makes his way back from Copenhagen, he may think that this fight is over," said Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. "Well, he's mistaken: As far as we're concerned the battle for middle-class jobs for New Yorkers has only just begun."

More than 140 cities nationwide have adopted a living wage ordinance.



Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Gotham Gazette is published by Citizens Union Foundation and is made possible by support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Altman Foundation,the Fund for the City of New York and donors to Citizens Union Foundation. Please consider supporting Citizens Union Foundation's public education programs. Critical early support to Gotham Gazette was provided by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

© 2024 Citizens Union Foundation 501(c)3, All rights reserved | Citizens Union Foundation Privacy Policy

Stated Meeting: Kingsbridge Armory Defeated by the Council

Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Photo (cc) 2006 mercurialn.

Shoving the debate over paying living wages into the spotlight, the City Council rejected a proposal from the Bloomberg administration and developer Related Companies yesterday that would have turned an empty, gargantuan armory in the Bronx into a shopping mall.

The move was a rare one by the 51-member body, which up until now has not rejected a major land use proposal put forward by the Bloomberg administration. The project, known as the Kingsbridge Armory, was estimated to cost about $300 million and would have provided a community in the northwestern section of the city's poorest borough with about 2,200 jobs.

The redevelopment project was rejected by a vote of 45 to 1, with Councilmember Helen Sears as the lone vote to move the project forward. Councilmember Melinda Katz, the chair of the council's land use committee, abstained due to a potential conflict of interest.

At the center of the rejection of the redevelopment, which had been years in the making, was a community proposal to force the project's potential business owners and its developer to pay "living wages." Community leaders defined a living wage as more than $10 an hour.

Good Jobs, More Traffic?

Opponents cited city, state and federal tax breaks for the developer -- $18 million from the city and state alone -- as one impetus for the living wages requirement, according to the Drum Major Institute. Some officials, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and community groups argued the public deserved well-paying jobs in exchange for taxpayer subsidies.

"We see how the interest of the people has prevailed over corporate America," said Diaz, the foremost public opponent of the project, following the council vote. "We here maintain that the notion that any job is better than no job no longer applies.

On the other hand, the developer argued the project would not be viable if it included a mandatory requirement for mall shops -- think Cinnabon -- to pay living wages.

In a statement, Joanna Rose, spokesperson for Related Companies said, "While we have always offered various additional community benefits, the conversation never moved beyond a singular agenda -- seeking to mandate wages on all future retail tenants, an issue that was always outside of the control of Related as a landlord."

She continued: "This was never about the money involved, but about outside groups imposing artificial wage demands that do not exist anywhere else in New York City or New York State that were then adopted by the Bronx borough president and Bronx council delegation without any independent critical analysis. These demands simply made the project unviable."

Other labor and business groups criticized the council yesterday for voting down the project, citing a floundering economy and a 10.3 percent unemployment rate. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was at the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, said in a prepared statement that the council's vote signaled that the "Bronx was not open for business." Further, he said, regulating living wages is "not the role of the public sector."

"As a result of today’s vote, we can say one thing for sure: There will be no wages paid at all at the Kingsbridge Armory for the foreseeable future," Bloomberg said.

At City Hall yesterday, council leaders said other factors contributed to the Kingsbridge Armory rejection, including traffic and environmental issues. Councilmember Joel Rivera of the Bronx said a traffic study conducted by the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance, a community group opposed to the project, found the redevelopment would have brought an additional 1,500 cars to the area during peak hours. The area is already congested and plagued by high asthma rates, which can be attributed in part to high diesel fumes, Rivera said.

Beyond Kingsbridge

Officials at the council said they want to see development at the Kingsbridge Armory, which has stood vacant for more than 10 years. But, as a caveat, it has to be development that suits the community and its needs.

The mayor has five days to veto the council's vote on Kingsbridge, which the council could then override. Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who said the Related project was "simply not the right proposal" for the armory, confirmed that there were enough votes to override the mayor's veto, which could happen as early as next week.

Those that opposed the project, including Councilmember Annabel Palma, who heads the body's Bronx delegation, and Diaz, hope this project will set a precedent for other publicly subsidized proposals that go before the council. Palma and Bronx Councilmember Oliver Koppell have introduced legislation (Intro 1105) that would require businesses or corporations to pay a living wage if they receive public subsidies for economic development or community assistance.

Yesterday city and community officials said they hope the Kingsbridge vote would start a broader conversation on this type of requirement.

"When Mayor Bloomberg makes his way back from Copenhagen, he may think that this fight is over," said Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. "Well, he's mistaken: As far as we're concerned the battle for middle-class jobs for New Yorkers has only just begun."

More than 140 cities nationwide have adopted a living wage ordinance.



Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Gotham Gazette is published by Citizens Union Foundation and is made possible by support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Altman Foundation,the Fund for the City of New York and donors to Citizens Union Foundation. Please consider supporting Citizens Union Foundation's public education programs. Critical early support to Gotham Gazette was provided by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

© 2024 Citizens Union Foundation 501(c)3, All rights reserved | Citizens Union Foundation Privacy Policy