Sources say that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is looking to get involved in making the housing component of the Bedford-Union Armory redevelopment project 100 percent affordable.
Cuomo’s interest was piqued after he met with state legislators from the Crown Heights area on Monday and they brought up the issue. It also comes as Cuomo begins the rollout of his ‘Vital Brooklyn’ initiative to pump $1.4 billion into Central Brooklyn in eight integrated areas including affordable housing.
State Sen. Jesse Hamilton and Assemblymembers Diana Richardson and Walter Mosley along with Congressmember Yvette Clarke have thus far led the charge to make the housing component of the project 100 percent affordable as the neighborhood becomes increasingly gentrified, forcing out many longtime residents.
As it stands, the project calls for 330 rental units of housing, 50% of which will be affordable to low- and middle-income residents; and 56 condominium units, 20% of which will be affordable to middle-income.
The redevelopment will also include a new 67,000-square-foot recreational space featuring basketball courts, multi-sport courts and a competitive-length swimming pool to serve local youth sports leagues, senior programs and others. New commercial office space will be offered at discounted rates for local small businesses and non-profits in need of affordable rents.
Cuomo’s interest in the project comes just days after the four lawmakers received a response to their Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request served on the City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) regarding the proposed redevelopment of the Armory. Specifically, the lawmakers wanted to see the financials and other documentation regarding the city’s leasing for 99 years the city-owned armory to BFC Developers.
According the financials that the EDC sent back in response to the FOIL request, the total development cost will be about $196 million, of which $25.1 million will be recouped through both direct and indirect subsidies and tax credits. While there is a reduced cost for local residents to utilize the facilities there will be some fees for use of the basketball courts, swimming pools and other community facilities.
In regards to the recently released Bedford Union Armory Draft Scope of Work for an Environmental Impact Statement, the lawmakers believe there needs to be significant revisions to the “Indirect Residential Displacement” heading in the “Socioeconomic Concerns” section of the document.
The lawmakers believe that socioeconomic concerns and the risk of indirect displacement must be fully examined, no matter the configuration of the project. The current Draft Scope of Work, sets such an examination as somehow optional.
Cuomo’s possible oversite on the project would certainly up the ante in the ongoing political feud between the governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio, in whose jurisdiction the project rests.
It could also further erode de Blasio’s already lack of ethical trust perception as when the project was first awarded to BFC Developers it was in partnership with Slate Property Group.
Slate was allegedly involved in the sale of the Rivington House nursing home on the Lower East Side and turned into market rate condos. The matter is currently under investigation from authorities looking into corruption charges involving the de Blasio Administration’s alleged pay-to-play practices in City Hall.
Following protests from local housing advocates, de Blasio had Slate removed as project partners on the Armory.
