August 8, 2023
Governor Hochul, US Rep. Espaillat, and Mayor Adams held a news briefing this morning in the Kingsbridge Armory. The sum of $200 Million has been dedicated to developing the space, half each from the City and the State. Request for proposals will go out in September and be returned by the end of the year, indicating the project is on a fast track.
The interior space of this armory is enormous, boasting ~180,00 sq ft. Several big airplanes could probably fit in there with enough room left over for some tanks and lots of troops. The ceilings are incredibly high at 120′ feet, and of course this landmarked brick building is sturdy as a fort because it basically is a fort. When built over a century ago, it was the biggest one in North America. The location is great too. Forham U, Bronx Sci, and Lehman College are all nearby, as is the Jerome Avenue el, and the VA Hospital. A couple of bus routes run by it too. A security guard told the Gazette that a big wooden structure off to the side was built for a movie production. Even though it was the size of a house, it was dwarfed by the sheer volume of the armory’s interior.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying the generally rundown and seedy condition of the armory. Light filtered dimly through a wall of filthy windows that probably haven’t been cleaned in years. Rusty doors looked like they might drop off their hinges at any moment.
Governor Hochul:
“You’ve heard about projects before. People, elected officials have stood here in this space declaring, “It’s a new day. We have a new vision and things are going to happen.” They said the same thing. They had the same mission, they had the same enthusiasm, right? We got some yeses to that. Is that an amen over there?
“But they failed. They failed to do something with this fading fortress. It’s been vacant, unused, primarily, for almost 30 years. A baby born that time when the military walked away may now even have their own children today. A whole generation has passed, and nothing happened.”
Representative Espaillat:
“If you take a look at what happened in Harlem, with the Empowerment Zone, hundreds of millions of dollars went there. But that was for a whole district. This is $200 Million for this building. It’s got to be the biggest investment, for one site, from government, in the history of the Bronx. It’s got to be. And so, I am so proud, and happy, for what the Governor and the Mayor have done.”
Espaillat reminded listeners that the Bronx was the epicenter of the pandemic, and that when they were looking for a test site, they found it right down the block, across from Lehman College. So, he concluded, this project will show the World that the Bronx is back.
Mayor Adams:
Mayor Adams reminded everyone that this is the “Get Stuff Done” administration. His outlook is that he has just four years and so there’s no time to waste, he explained.
“I gotta get it done, now. Every time we say ‘let’s do something’ people come up with a reason why we can’t do it and they want to kick the can down the road. That’s not happening in this administration. Bold vision, unafraid to try, and you know what? Sometimes we’re gonna fail, that’s right. But so what? We all fail. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being dedicated. And you’re not gonna have a more dedicated administration.”
Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition was on hand to witness the historic announcement and to distribute a news release that said, in part:
“Public investment of this scale at the Kingsbridge Armory is significant given the decades of public and private disinvestment and displacement that grassroots groups across the Bronx have organized to disrupt and transform. Yet the traditional economic development playbook will yield short term gains and exacerbate the systemic challenges faced by community members.If invested responsibly, this $200 million can contribute toward just labor standards, building shared community wealth, and result in long term economic stability for the Bronx. The community and workers that will build, patronize, and ultimately sustain a project must share in the wealth it generates and make decisions collectively to invest back into the health and well-being of the Bronx and our region.”
So,, what exactly is going to be there? I’ve read two stories about it and neither has said what it’s going to be developed into!
The RFP (Request for Proposals) is supposed to go out next month and be returned with project ideas by end of the year. Then the City will pick one & fund it with that $200M.