Gov Signs Bill For Harlem Nonprofit HQ, Civil Rights Museum

HARLEM, NY — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Monday that will transfer a large plot of land in Harlem to the state's development agency, which will transform the current parking garage on the site into a multi-use development with offices, a museum and housing.

The Urban Development Corporation will take control of 121 W. 125th St., located between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, to facilitate the construction of a new headquarters building for the National Urban League, state officials said. The planned $270 million development will also house a conference center, the Urban Civil Rights Experience Museum and a conference center.

Retail space at the development will be offered to local nonprofits sch as 100 Black Men and Jazzmobile at below-market rates, state officials said. Affordable housing is also in the works for the site. The new development is expected to add at least 170 affordable apartments to the city's housing stock, but state officials did not reveal predicted income requirements and rents for the units.

"Harlem has a rich history and culture that should be celebrated, protected and enhanced for future generations," Cuomo said in a statement. "By signing this measure into law, we will help preserve Harlem's history, create more affordable housing and provide a home for not-for-profit and civic organizations like the National Urban League and 100 Black Men which do important work every day for communities of color across New York."

Harlem State Assemblymember Inez Dickens introduced the land transfer legislation in March, but the West 125th Street development has been in the works for nearly a decade. The bill was sponsored by Harlem's Brian Benjamin in the New York State Senate.

City and state development officials began soliciting bids for development plans at the West 125th Street way back in 2012, the New York Daily News reported at the time. Development at the site was supposed to facilitate a building boom on Harlem's main stretch, but in recent years private development of the block has surged while plans at the 121 W. 125th St. site have simply crawled along.

"Today I am proud to announce Governor Andrew Cuomo will be signing a key piece of legislation I proposed in the state assembly that will help bring the National Urban League back to its birthplace - Harlem, USA. Along with the return of this important institution, the project will also include 170 units of truly affordable housing and create a new home for Jazzmobile and 100 Black Men Inc," Dickens said in a statement.