Swath Of Harlem Fast-Tracked For Development By State

HARLEM, NY — The state has designated a chunk of northern Harlem as a "brownfield opportunity area" — a new label that could usher in development, environmental improvements and other public space upgrades in an under-served part of the neighborhood, according to officials.

The designation applies to the Bradhurst area, which spans roughly 40 blocks between 145th and 163rd streets, running along the Harlem River. Announced by state officials on Monday, its main driver will be tax breaks given to projects that contribute to the area's revitalization.

Though Bradhurst includes landmarks like Jackie Robinson Park and the Esplanade Gardens apartment complex, the area suffered from decay and abandonment in the 1970s and '80s — then benefited from revitalization in recent decades.

Still, Bradhurst has a ways to go, according to a recent study by Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, which will serve as a framework for the neighborhood's development. Problems include a dearth of retailers and job opportunities, a hilly landscape that makes it hard to get from one part of the neighborhood to another, and a lack of access to the Harlem River waterfront, which residents once enjoyed before the construction of the Harlem River Drive.

New York's brownfield program, already implemented in 44 other areas around the state, aims to "encourage private-sector cleanup and redevelopment" of contaminated land, known as brownfields, as well as other "vacant and abandoned sites" that could contribute to economic growth.

In Harlem, the designation is unlikely to cause any immediate changes. But property owners could soon begin taking advantage of the tax credits, if their development proposals are deemed in line with the "goals and priorities" of the Bradhurst opportunity area.

Those goals, as laid out by HCCI's study, include improving physical connections and waterfront access in Bradhurst, fostering small business growth, creating recreational opportunities, updating zoning regulations to allow for more growth, and developing a plan for "reinvigorating" the area under the 155th Street Viaduct.

The 134-page study governing Bradhurst's future was released in 2019 — the culmination of work that began in 2005 alongside the neighborhood's residents, according to Dr. Malcolm A. Punter, president and CEO of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement.

"The [state] designation of the Bradhurst area is a momentous achievement that will be a key driver for community led real estate development as envisioned by the community residents," Punter said in a statement.

Others praising the designation included Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and State Sen. Cordell Cleare, who said it would "move Harlem’s transformation forward by facilitating worthwhile, beneficial investment and improvement in formerly vacant and abandoned sites that will now serve our people."

Read the full study on the Bradhurst revitalization project here.