The Crown Heights community board's land use subcommittee voted against the project
Many Crown Heights residents have expressed their displeasure over the redevelopment of the Bedford-Union Armory, and now, Brooklyn Community Board 9's land use subcommittee has backed them up. DNAInfo reports that the subcommittee unanimously voted against the project at a meeting last night, which may make it more difficult for developer BFC Partners to get approval for the project.
Lats month, the city gave the green light for BFC to begin the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP); as part of that process, the development needs approval from the City Council and, ultimately, Mayor Bill de Blasio before it moves forward. City Council member Laurie Cumbo, who represents the area, along with a bevy of other elected officials (including Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James), recently announced that they would not support the project in its current form.
The subcommittee vote may indicate (or influence) how the full community board will vote when it decides on the armory's fate later this month.
At last night's meeting, many of the same complaints were lodged against developers; namely, that the plan in its current form does not provide enough affordable housing, and that there shouldn't be condos in the development. As we previously reported, last year locals demanded that the redevelopment project be entirely affordable, considering the fact that it's being built on public land.
"It seems like a fool's deal to give away land for a hundred years for a basketball court and a swimming pool," Fred Baptiste, a member of CB9, said at the meeting.
In a statement provided to DNAInfo, a BFC Partners spokesperson reiterated that there are community stakeholders who support the project, and that the developers still want to transform the building "from an empty space into a place that truly serves Crown Heights families."
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