Norwood News

It appears that there is one final hitch in getting things going on the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory. For the project to include schools, the National Guard units that occupy the buildings on the northern perimeter of the facility need to find another home. 

If this is the stumbling block to issuing the long-delayed request for proposals (RFP) for potential developers, then everyone involved needs to start looking for a suitable space somewhere in the Bronx. Councilman Joel Rivera suggested the former military site across from Bronx Community College, but as we report in this issue, BCC already has plans for that site as the home for the Center for Sustainable Energy. 

Elected officials, community organizations and potential developers serious about this project should start canvassing the borough for a suitable property. 

Borough President Adolfo Carrión would be the logical official to lead the charge on this effort. His office could do a survey and report on the available space.

It’s been a decade since the Guard ceded the armory to the city. And it’s been almost a year since the city’s Economic Development Corporation promised to issue an RFP. It would be silly if we allowed this minor stumbling block to delay the rehabilitation of the armory any longer.