Bedford-Union Armory Proposal Voted Down By Community Board

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — At a meeting packed with Crown Heights residents and community activists, a community board rejected a controversial plan to turn a Crown Heights armory into a recreation center, office space and condo tower.

The crowd at the auditorium cheered when the Community Board 9 vote was announced shortly after 10 p.m. While the board is only advisory in nature, a strong no vote could sway elected officials, who will cast votes of their own later in the city's lengthy land-use review process.

Still, the vote — 35 board members voted no, none voted yes and one member abstained — could send a loud message to elected officials about how the community feels about the project.

The board's land-use committee chair, Michael Liburd, also told the packed auditorium at M.S. 61 that the board will recommend some changes to the plan, such as more affordable housing and no luxury condominiums.

You can watch a replay of the meeting below. (The public comment portion starts at the beginning, and the actual vote takes place at the very end.

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SEE ALSO: Bedford-Union Armory Project Begins City Review: What You Need To Know

"We have heard the community and community board’s concerns loud and clear and we are working hard alongside the City and local stakeholders to make this project even better," a statement from BFC Partners submitted to the board said. "We are committed to revitalizing the Armory and making it a place that serves all Crown Heights families, and we are confident that a positive resolution will be reached during the ULURP process and this can become a reality."

A spokesman for BFC Partners declined to comment further.

Before the hearing got started from the auditorium at M.S. 61 on Empire Boulevard at the corner of New York Avenue, a group of protesters rallied outside of the school to make their voices heard one more time:

The key focus for critics of the project, drawn up by developer BFC Partners, is the housing component, which some say is not adequate enough to serve a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

That housing includes 330 rental units and 56 townhouse-style condos up for sale. Of those rental units, about half will go for market level prices, 30 percent will be available to families making less than 110 percent of the "area median income" ($85,437 per year for a family of three), 15 percent for families making under 50 percent ($38,835) and 5 percent for families making under 40 percent ($31,068).

They also want a commitment that builders will use union labor during construction. BFC Partners has struck a deal to use union labor to operate the facility.

Proponents of the project, though, think the new armory would create some much-needed community space in an area that has seen bowling alleys, movie theaters and skating rinks disappear as gentrification has swept through Crown Heights.

Many community leaders in favor of the project also don't see the housing portion as adequate enough but would rather approve the plan as-is so the armory doesn't continue to sit vacant.

Image via BFC Partners