Harlem's One45 Project Rejected By BP Over Affordability Concerns

HARLEM, NY — The Manhattan borough president is recommending that the city reject the two-tower "One45" rezoning in Harlem, unless developers make the project more affordable for renters and commit to a slew of community improvements that could win his support.

Borough President Mark Levine issued his eagerly awaited recommendation on Tuesday, marking the latest step in the monthslong public review process that the project is passing through.

The proposal by developer Bruce Teitelbaum entails a pair of 363-foot-tall towers that would rise on the corner of 145th Street and Lenox Avenue. They would include over 800 apartments, offices, a museum devoted to the northern Civil Rights Movement, and a new headquarters for the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, whose existing home is being bulldozed to make way for the project.

Levine's objections largely mirror those raised by City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan and by Community Board 10, where One45 has faced intense resistance.

The number of affordable apartments — roughly 220 under the current plan — should be increased to 50 percent of all units in the project, or more than 400 in total, Levine said. He added that the units should be "family-sized," as opposed to small studios, and pegged to income levels that are "appropriate" for the neighborhood — another point of contention raised by some neighbors.

"Every opportunity to build affordable housing in Manhattan deserves serious and careful consideration if we are to truly address our housing affordability crisis," Levine said in a statement.

"However, after listening closely to the community’s concerns and analyzing this project closely, I do not believe that this proposal maximizes the affordable housing opportunity that this site presents, and it fails to respond to the very important issues raised by Harlem residents."

Meanwhile, Levine asked Teitelbaum to work with the MTA and Department of Transportation to monitor One45's "impacts on transportation infrastructure" — a likely reference to the nearby 145th Street subway station, which some residents fear would be unable to handle an influx of new riders due to its unusually short platform.

Levine's non-binding recommendation sends the project to the City Planning Commission, which now has until late April to vote on the rezoning. If most of its 13 members vote to approve it, One45 will advance to the City Council, which would likely hold a final vote over the summer.

Backers say that One45 would be an economic boon to the neighborhood, creating much-needed housing, retail space that would revitalize the 145th Street corridor, and a cultural amenity in the form of the Museum of Civil Rights.

Teitelbaum — a former staffer for ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani – has also touted One45's environmental benefits. Included in the proposal is a geothermal energy system that would be built beneath the towers, powering nearby blocks including the Esplanade Gardens development, and forming what Teitelbaum calls the "first residential, district-wide green energy plan in the country."

Besides the developers, supporters of One45 include the construction workers' union Laborers’ Local 79, which announced Tuesday that it had begun a major campaign to urge local officials — including Levine — to support One45.

"More than 300 of our union’s members and their families are generational Harlem residents who live in the New York City Council district where One45 will be built," said Mike Prohaska, Local 79's business manager, in a statement. "Our Harlem members will not only #BuildOne45 from the ground up, but actively work with the local community, the developer, and elected officials to make sure it is built right"

Prohaska acknowledged local concerns about "gentrification and displacement" surrounding the proposal, but said his union wanted to shape the project "rather than sitting on the sidelines without a seat at the table."

Jordan, the newly elected City Council member, has been One45's most vocal opponent, and her position could threaten the project once it reaches the Council. But some reporting has suggested that Jordan is relatively isolated from her Council colleagues, raising the possibility that they could approve One45 over her opposition — a rare step, since the body typically defers to the local member's wishes.

Levine's other demands for developers include building new community spaces at Brigadier General Charles Young Park; ensuring that a rooftop open space included in the project is open to the public for 150 days per year; hosting free, wellness-based programming; and adding components to "disincentivize car ownership," such as bike amenities.

"With such few undeveloped, City-owned sites in the neighborhood, it is crucial that privately owned sites like these offer the most to the community—including and extending beyond affordable housing," Levine said Wednesday. "I encourage the developer to make stronger affordable housing commitments, committing to mitigating streetscape congestion, and offer meaningful open space improvements and resources."

The no-vote by Levine is hardly a death knell for One45. Last year, then-Borough President Gale Brewer recommended disapproving the contested New York Blood Center rezoning on the Upper East Side, only to later help broker the deal that allowed the rezoning to pass.

Related coverage:

• Harlem Board Rejects One45 Development, But Battle Continues
  
• Harlem Board Grills One45 Developers Over Affordability, Impact
• Harlem's Massive 'One45' Development Faces Neighbors' Scrutiny
• Harlem's New Action Network HQ To Tower Over Neighborhood