Norwood News

Despite meeting face-to-face on at least two recent Saturdays, the Bronx City Council delegation and the Related Companies are not budging on the issue of living wage in the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment project.

This standstill might just be the kiss of death for the development.

Related insists that including a living wage requirement will deter retail companies from setting up shop in the mall. They believe the community will benefit from the 2,200 jobs created during and after construction of the mall, regardless of wage level.

Meanwhile, the Bronx delegation, along with an apparent majority of the Zoning and Franchising Subcommittee, insist that guaranteeing living wage jobs ($10 an hour plus benefits) is a small fee for Related to pay, since they stand to make a bundle off the development in addition to receiving tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. They say the jobs currently being offered at the proposed Armory mall would do nothing to lift a community mired in poverty.

If both factions refuse to back down, the Council appears poised to reject Related’s proposal and start from scratch.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, the City Council Zoning and Franchising Subcommittee, as well as the Land Use Committee are scheduled to vote on whether or not to recommend approval of the project once it goes in front of the full Council, which is scheduled for Dec. 9.

Without a community benefits agreement guaranteeing living wage jobs, the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), a coalition of unions, clergy and community groups, which has advocated for responsible development of the Armory for the past three years, is urging the Council to reject Related’s shopping mall proposal.

“The plan needs to be voted down,” said KARA’s Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter. “[Related has] not come to the community to negotiate a community benefits agreement. Most problems [with the development] cannot be solved.”

Another option would be for the subcommittee to vote to modify the proposal and, in return, gain 15 days for the Bronx delegation to negotiate with Related. Last week, Bronx Councilman Joel Rivera, who sits on the Zoning and Franchising Subcommittee, said he would like to push the final City Council voting deadline from Dec. 9 to Dec. 21. “In this case bureaucracy works in our favor,” said Rivera.

But Pilgrim-Hunter said Rivera has changed his mind since last week and will not push for a delay. 

KARA fears that delaying the vote will only allow the Bloomberg administration, which is in favor of the development and against living wage guarantees, more time to influence Council members.

“[Related has] had well over two years to negotiate,” Pilgrim-Hunter said. “They met with the Bronx delegation twice and they have left them empty-handed.”

Rivera could not be reached for a comment about Thursday’s vote, but it is clear that he will not cast his final vote in favor of the development without a living wage condition. “It is not like the community is desperate for retail,” Rivera said last week. “I would rather [the Armory] sit vacant and hold out for a better deal.”

After the subcommittee votes on the proposal, perhaps as early as Thursday morning, the proposal will be voted on by the Land Use Committee, possibly immediately following the subcommittee vote. Those are both advisory votes for the full Council. The next City Council meeting is on Dec. 9. “Generally the Council will follow the subcommittee’s recommendations,” said Michael Yellin, a KARA member.

In other words, what happens on Thursday will ultimately determine the project’s fate.

John DeSio, a spokesperson for Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr., who has openly expressed his support for providing living wage guarantees, said Diaz is still holding out for a last-minute agreement. “We understand that the votes are there [to reject the proposal without a living wage], and we hope we can come to an agreement with Related,” DeSio said in an e-mail on Tuesday.

On Thursday morning, on the steps of City Hall, KARA will hold a prayer vigil to remind Council members that developments like the Armory should benefit the community, not just the developer.

“We want [the Armory] redeveloped, but we want it done responsibly,” said Pilgrim-Hunter. “This particular plan, I believe, is going to be voted down and it will make way for a better developer who will work with the community and serve the community.”