KINGSBRIDGE ARMORY TASK FORCE ISSUES FINAL REPORT

In Brief - here is our summary

   It is recommended that New York City retain ownership of the Kingsbridge Armory.

   There are three models recommended with two other options that would be to costly. All models show various occupation of the three levels of the armory, the basement, the Head House area, and the Drill Floor. The basement area is to have market space or health related facilities. The Head House area is to have classrooms, community area, or retail office space. The Drill Floor area is to be a sports/concert area, or a food processing/catering hall, or a state of the art film production facility. 

   Estimated costs to create each model are listed including the minimum rental income to the break even point. It is also recommended that the Kingsbridge Armory be a mix of both public and private use. The history and size of the armory is listed, and the 267 page report goes into detail about the surrounding area of the armory.

Model #1 calls for a sports, wellness, and entertainment center.

Model #2 calls for Sustainable food industry and market.

Model #3 calls for a film studio with some retail space.  

 

A copy of the complete 267 page (which may take a while to download) report of the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force can be found at: http://bit.ly/kkq85L  

Today, the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force, co-chaired by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Council Member Fernando Cabrera, released its final report. The report documents the work of the Task Force, which was created following its announcement at the borough president’s 2010 “State of the Borough” address.  It includes a number of models for redevelopment that were proposed to the Task Force during the past year-and-a-half, and recommends that the City put forward a new “request for proposals” (RFP) for the armory.

In addition, the final report includes the completed work of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service’s Capstone Program, which assisted the Task Force in identifying models for the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory. The report includes a complete catalog of the work of the Task Force since it was formed in February 2010, recounting the various meetings the Task Force had with those parties interested in redeveloping the Kingsbridge Armory.

“During the past year, the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force met with dozens of individuals, organizations and businesses that expressed interest and submitted proposals for the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory. I am delighted with the level and variety of response we received,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Borough President Diaz noted that the mission of the Task Force was not to advocate for any particular redevelopment model for the Kingsbridge Armory, but to identify the range of opportunities for constructive and beneficial re-use of the site. As a result of the strong response, the Task Force is recommending that the Bloomberg administration issue a new RFP for the armory, soliciting proposals that respond to the economic development aspirations of the Bronx as well as the social and employment needs of the surrounding community.

“The work of the Task Force shows just how much interest there is in this historic structure.  It is time for us to move forward to get the job done.  This report proves that we can put together a proposal that not only brings development to the site, but does so in a complementary manner that takes into account the needs of the surrounding community and the Bronx as a whole,” said Borough President Diaz. “Mayor Bloomberg has stated that he is open to every good idea for the Kingsbridge Armory. This report illustrates the wealth of ideas and possibilities available for the Armory. I am ready to work together with the Bloomberg Administration to develop and issue a new RFP for the Kingsbridge Armory, and I hope that they will join us in working for the positive redevelopment of the armory.”

While there were some proposals that suggested purely private sector redevelopment of the Armory would be possible, none of these achieved the goals that the Task Force envisioned for this important site. As a result, the Task Force concluded that some type of public-private partnership would be required for the successful redevelopment of the facility, as has been the case with other armories across the city.

“I would like to thank my co-chair, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and all the members of the Task Force for their diligent work and contribution to the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force Report. This Task Force saw stakeholders from the community, government, public, and private sector contribute to the dialogue around the armory and this report represents an important initial step as we begin the process of developing the Kingsbridge Armory into an important community asset,” said City Council Member Fernando Cabrera, co-chair of the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force.

"We know that the Kingsbridge Armory has the potential to revitalize not only the Kingsbridge community or the 33^rd Senate District, but to create jobs and jumpstart the economy of the whole borough of the Bronx. I want to thank Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. for recognizing the potential for greatness we have in the Kingsbridge Armory and for his leadership on putting together a thoughtful report on how we as a community should move forward on breathing new life into the Kingsbridge Armory,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

“Opening up the discussion of the Armory’s future has allowed stakeholders to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with its redevelopment. We have built a foundation for the collaborative effort that is needed to turn this vacant property into a community asset,” said Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City.

“The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation’s participation in this Task Force was time well spent.  We were able to see for ourselves the large number of private as well as nonprofit entities interested in participating in the Kingsbridge Armory’s redevelopment,” said Marlene Cintron, president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation.

“On behalf of the Building and Construction Trades Council let me first thank the Borough President and the members of the Task Force for their hard work and the seriousness with which this issue was addressed. We look forward to a successful conclusion to the RFP process so that our members can get to work building a world class facility within the Kingsbridge Armory that will benefit all stakeholders in this project,” said Jack Kittle, political director of District Council 9.

"The take away from the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance's (KARA) work with the Task Force is the armory is screaming for redevelopment as a community serving multi-use facility.  KARA  has included a model in the report which builds upon what Capstone submitted and shows how the that armory can be kept in public hands, financed through a public-private partnership, and be a ground breaking resource for our community-creating good jobs, training programs, cultural and athletic opportunities, and space for small businesses to thrive,” said Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, President of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition.

"I am proud to have served on this Task Force with a leader like Ruben Diaz Jr who sees the potential of the Bronx based on its considerable assets, and not a just as a victim of its unfortunate past.   Our Kingsbridge Armory work is just one of what I hope to be many more examples, that value our urban density and diverse economic network in ways that can help the Bronx to grow into something greater - and not continue to mire the Bronx in the shockingly low expectations of past and present leaders - both inside and outside of the Bronx," said Majora Carter, President of the Majora Group.

Co-chaired by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Council Member Fernando Cabrera, the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force was made up of Majora Carter, environmental consultant; Marlene Cintron, president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation; Paul Foster, chairman of Bronx Community Board #7; Jack Kittle, political director of District Council 9; Steven McInnis, political director for the New York City District Council of Carpenters; Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a board member of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition; Ned Regan, former state comptroller; Gustavo Rivera, State Senator; Jack Rosen, Chief Executive of Rosen Partners LLC; Steven M. Safyer, MD, President and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center, and Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City.

 

 

SENATOR RIVERA PASSES HIS FIRST BILL AS STATE SENATOR

S. 5734A CHARITABLE BAIL ORGANIZATION LEGISLATION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY

Senator Gustavo Rivera (Bronx) passed legislation today in the New York State that will allow charitable organizations to post bail. This legislation he introduced was inspired by a pilot program that set out to find a solution for individuals who cannot afford to post bail and has proved successful in Bronx county.

“Thousands of New Yorkers are held in jail each year because they simply cannot afford to post a few hundred dollars bail,” said Senator Rivera. “Every day, people plead guilty to crimes, regardless of guilt, because they can’t afford bail and just want to return home to their families and avoid time spent in jail. For individuals like the residents of the 33^rd Senate District that I represent, even just a few days of incarceration can have devastating consequences: job loss, eviction, and for non-citizens, deportation.”   

"For far too long, the poorest of the poor have been held in jail without a conviction for any crime because they couldn't afford even small amounts of bail,” said David Feige of the Bronx Freedom Fund. “Allowing charitable organizations like the Bronx Freedom Fund to post that bail is a giant step towards evening the scales and recognizing that pretrial justice shouldn't be about the size of your wallet."

"We thank and congratulate Senator Rivera for his tremendous leadership on legislation whose positive impact will be felt not only by thousands of Bronx residents but throughout New York State,” said Robin Steinberg, Executive Director, The Bronx Defenders.

S. 5734A is based on a pilot project in the Bronx where a fund called the Bronx Freedom Fund was created to allow charitable organizations to post small amount of bail for individuals who could not afford it.  The result was that 95% of people bailed out returned to every court date, and 50% of clients had their cases dismissed or had cases not result in criminal convictions.  This legislation was also passed in the Assembly, where it was brought to the floor by Assembly Member Jeff Aubry (Queens )passed A. 8158 in the State Assembly by 145 to 0.

***STATEMENT***  ON  CITYTIME

In response to questions about today’s additional criminal charges relating to CityTime, New York City Comptroller John C. Liu issued the following statement:

“Today’s announcement unfortunately sheds more light on just how flawed the management of the CityTime project was,�  said Comptroller John C. Liu. “According to the indictment ‘virtually the entirety of the more than $600 million that was paid to SAIC was tainted directly or indirectly, by fraud.’ New Yorker’s can hope that this will eventually lead to restitution for the hundreds of millions of dollars paid on an out-of-control project, years overdue and, ten-fold over budget.

Comptroller John C. Liu’s Record on CityTime

Jan. 1, 2010 Comptroller John C. Liu takes office, and makes the elimination of fraud, waste and abuse his top priority.                                                                                                                          Feb. 9, 2010 Rejected additional contract related to CityTime.
Feb. 25, 2010 Initiates audit of CityTime Project Oversight.
Mar. 3, 2010 Liu calls on Mayor to freeze all payments associated with CityTime; appoints new representative from the Comptroller’s Office to OPA.
Sept. 28, 2010 Liu and Mayor Bloomberg announce agreement to finish installation of CityTime at no additional cost.
 

How Come That Kid Who Lives Outside New York City Got My Seat In The Charter School?

   A little known fact was brought out last night about the two New Visions Charter High Schools that will replace the current Kennedy High School starting next school year. Since the two new charter schools are SUNY authorized the admission criteria if different than that of a regular New York City run public school. Of the seats available in each new charter school first preference is given to current students, second preference is given to siblings of those enrolled students, next comes students from the local school district, after that comes students from the entire city school district, and finally all students from any where in New York State have preference on any seats that may still be open.

   Since the application process is over for the two new charter high schools it was reported by New Visions how students were chosen for the two new schools. Since more students applied than there were seats the admission process criteria went into effect. Since this is the first year of the two new charter schools there were no returning students, and there were no siblings of enrolled students either. All district 10 students who applied were given seats, and since there was more demand than seats the remaining seats went to students from the other school districts in the Bronx and other boroughs outside of the Bronx. 

  In a particularly strange note New Visions said that several applicants for seats lived in the city of Yonkers, but because all seats were taken by New York City students the Yonkers residents were not accepted. When questioned the SUNY representative confirmed that according to New York State Charter School regulations it would be possible for out of city students (anywhere in New York State) to attend New York City charter schools.  The City of Yonkers has one charter school located on Warburton Avenue that is a K-8 school, and it could wind up that some of those graduates could find seats in the two new charter high schools that replace Kennedy High School in the future.

   As the State Education Law states that that local school districts fund local charter schools, your New York City tax dollars could wind up paying to educate students from outside of the city. Even worse is that your child may not get a seat in a New York City charter school because the sibling of a child who may live outside the city could wind up with that seat.

Assemblyman Castro Passes Child Care Provider Protections through Assembly

          Assembly Member Nelson L. Castro (D- Bronx County) announced the passage of Assembly Bill A.8243.  This legislation amends the current anti-retaliation laws to add the operation of a group family day care home or family day care.  This bill adds group family day care home and family day care home to the list of protected activities that a landlord is prohibited from targeting a tenant for.

 

            Current state law established by statute and judicial precedent allows for the operation of group family day care homes and family day care home within a residential property.  Landlords are already prohibited from retaliating against tenants that engage in rights protected by New York State Law. 

“This bill will bring a peace of mind to this industry which provides an essential service that enables men and women to continue working for their families and feel secure that their children are well taken care of,” said Tammie Miller, Chapter Chair, UFT Home Day Care Providers.  “We are grateful and pleased that this legislation has passed its first hurdle and we hope that our partners in the Senate will do the same and ultimately Governor Cuomo will sign it into law.”

             “Child care providers have been unprotected and targeted.  Once this legislation passes the Senate and is signed by the Governor, this industry will have a tool to conduct business without fear of harassment or retaliation,” said Assembly Castro.  “Currently there are more than 25,000 child care providers in New York, majority owned and operated by women.  For the past 15 years this industry has made significant contributions to our great state and should receive all the rights and protections afforded to similar establishments.”

This legislation will apply to day cares operated pursuant to section 390 of the social service law, which requires licensing or registration with the Office of Children and Family Services.  The day cares must also be operated out of dwellings that are in compliance with New York State Building and Fire Prevention Code.  

 

Mayor Bloomberg: Worse for Gay Marriage than Me

By Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr.

New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) has released the following statement:

"New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been spending a lot of time and money in Albany to show how much he wants New York’s marriage laws redefined.

If we want to document the facts, one of the biggest impediments to same sex marriage rights in New York has been by Mayor Bloomberg.

In a Manhattan Court in 2005 Justice Doris Ling-Cohen ruled that gay marriage was legal in New York.  At the time this ruling was celebrated as a victory for gay marriage rights advocates.

New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided that gay marriage was wrong for New York and ordered New York City's attorneys to appeal this decision.  That appeal resulted in New York's highest court ruling that there is no right to marriage for same-sex couples under the New York State Constitution.  That litigation has caused a lot of fighting and has cost a lot of money.

Now this year, because Mayor Bloomberg sees that Goveror Andrew Cuomo and other leaders are getting close to a victory on gay marriage legislation, he has been spending a lot of his money to make people forget what he did.

I believe that Mayor Bloomberg must be credited as having done a lot more than I have done to prevent gay marriage from being legal in New York."

 

Congressman Anthony Weiner Resigns

   Its now official, Congressman Anthony Weiner has resigned after three weeks of trying to stay in his congressional seat. The final blow may have come from his wife Huma when she returned yesterday from an overseas trip with her boss U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

   According to the United States constitution when a vacancy occurs in congress the governor of the state must call a special election within 70 to 80 days after the vacancy occurs. The special election for the 9th Congressional  District could wind up happening on Primary Day September 13th, since the poll sites are in operation on that day. 

   Wiener's resignation announcement came at the same senior center that Weiner announced his candidacy for his first public office of City Council in 1992.

   Names that are being bantered about to replace now former Congressman Anthony Weiner include former City Council members Eric Gioia and Melinda Katz, and current City Councilman Mark Werprin. On the Republican side there is Councilman Eric Ulrich who could be backed by former mayor Rudy Giuliani.