Council Begins Hearings On Harlem's La Hermosa Church Development

HARLEM, NY — The New York City Council has begun hearings on a Harlem church's plan to build a 30-story residential tower near Central Park in order to finance the construction of a new house of worship.

The council subcommittee on zoning and franchises held a public hearing Monday to discuss La Hermosa Church's application for zoning variances at its Central Park North and Fifth Avenue corner site that would overrule current zoning regulations and allow for the high-rise tower. The subcommittee did not hold a vote on the project Monday, which is currently in the city's Uniform Land Use and Review Procedure (ULURP).

Applications filed with the city earlier this year requested that La Hermosa's site be rezoned from a medium-density district to one of the densest districts allowable by the city's zoning code. Other applications in the church's proposal would modify height and setback regulations for the planned building, waive parking requirements and designate the site a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing zone, according to an Environmental Assessment Statement filed with the Department of City Planning.

La Hermosa Church announced that more than 200 Harlem residents, labor unions such as 32BJ SEIU and community groups such as music education nonprofit Sol La Ti and churches that grew out of La Hermosa have signed on to support the project. The church has framed the development of a 30-story residential tower as necessary to save La Hermosa because the institution can no longer keep up with its financial needs. The current church building — built as a dance hall more than 100 years ago — is not ADA-accessible and has an aging HVAC system. Many of the church's spaces that once hosted community events are now vacant, church officials said.

"Too often, local religious institutions are unable to keep up with their capital needs and are forced to close their doors. We are proud of this project, which will not only protect our congregation for the future, but bring joy and music to Harlem," Pastor Dan Feliciano of La Hermosa Christian Church.

Places of worship around New York City are taking similar paths in order to stay afloat.

If La Hermosa's applications are passed by the city the new Central Park North development will rise 339-feet-tall with about 189,000 total square feet of residential floor area and 37,000 square feet of community facility floor area, according to the public records. The development would contain 131 market-rate apartments and 52 income-restricted apartments, church officials said.

Local Community Board 10 voted overwhelmingly to oppose La Hermosa's applications in June with only two of the board's members in favor of the redevelopment. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer also recommended the city reject La Hermosa's application. The City Planning Commission approved the application during its Oct. 15 meeting, and the City Council has a 50-day period to review the project and vote on a resolution.

The City Council's next zoning subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19. The council's land use committee meeting is scheduled to meet twice this month on Nov. 12 and Nov. 20.