Brooklyn Politicians File Freedom Of Info Request To City On Bedford Armory Proposal

This post was written by Kings County Politics in partnership with Patch:

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Four state politicians, including Bed-Stuy's congresswoman, Yvette Clarke, filed a Freedom of Information Law request on Wednesday with the city’s Economic Development Corporation to get all the details including the financials of the proposed Bedford Union Armory development. Clarke was joined by state Sen. Jesse Hamilton, Assemblyman Walter Mosley and Assemblywoman Diana Richardson.

All of the officials represent in their respected offices the city-owned Armory site at the Bedford Avenue/Union Street intersection. For a good part of last year they have made repeated requests of the Economic Development Corporation and the contract holder, BFC Partners, to make public details of the proposed development, including the financials.

The four lawmakers recently wrote an op-ed for Kings County Politics demanding that the project include 100 percent affordability on all the housing. Under the deal announced in December 2015, the city will enter into a 99-year lease with the developer for a portion of the 330 rental units, which will be 50 percent market rate and 50 percent affordable. The proposal also includes a commercial building containing a sports and recreational facility, a community event space and office space.

"When you’re entrusting someone with a valuable asset – a community asset – you need to examine the fine print," said Hamilton, who authored the letter. "Advocates and neighborhood residents all need an opportunity to evaluate each aspect of this Bedford Union Armory development proposal. We still have not had our most basic questions answered, with the numbers to back up the claims being made by BFC Partners and the New York Economic Development Corporation. Are we as a community getting fair treatment, a reasonable deal, and on terms the community can afford?"

Specifically, the lawmakers are asking in their letter the projected profits to the developer, the expectations of the developer, the timeline of the project, the penalties for failing to live up to any of the terms of the agreement (including timeline, affordability of apartments, quality of construction, et cetera), environmental impact during construction and after completion and details on any benefits that the Economic Development Corporation is offering, including loan guarantees and other indirect subsidies.

"When we permit a private company to develop a public resource, we have an obligation to insist on a transparent process where the benefits to the public are clearly outlined and there are provisions that require compliance," Clarke said. "At this point, the Economic Development Corporation has not yet released information to the public or to elected officials that would allow for a full and fair evaluation of the Bedford Union Armory developer’s proposal."

"We need to know the details about the benefits of this development for the Crown Heights community as well as the step-by-step process by which those benefits will be achieved," Clarke added.

"I stand with my colleagues in government today asking for information pertinent to the future of the Bedford Union Armory Project," Mosely said. "If this developer truly wants to engage in open and honest dialogue with the community, why are they forcing the elected representatives of the community to issue a FOIL request about the financing of the project? We must ensure that this project is reflective of the needs of Crown Heights and I will continue to fight until it does."

"There has been an increasing sentiment of distrust due to the lack of transparency of BFC Partners and the New York Economic Development Corporation regarding details and financials of the Bedford Union Armory," said Richardson. "It is vital that the community gets the opportunity to make a reasonable assessment of this project to determine if they are getting a fair share."

The project originally had two developers, BFC Developers and Slate Property Group, in a joint venture. But Slate dropped out after local housing advocates condemned the real estate group for its involvement with the contentious sale of the Rivington House, a Lower East Side nursing home turned into market-rate condominiums.

The Armory issue is fast becoming the cause celebre of Crown Heights, and could also have political implications as City Council Member Laurie Cumbo (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights) supports the project, although she has of late shown a willingness to renegotiate it.

Cumbo is expected to face a tough primary challenge from Ede Fox, who this week formally filed a campaign committee with the city Campaign Finance Board allowing her to start raising money for the race.

Photo via Kings County Politics