As the city draws close to a decision on which developer will take over the Kingsbridge Armory, two community groups with a history of animosity and sharply divergent tactics have formed a partnership to become the united voice of the community and negotiate a benefits agreement with the winning bidder.

One of the two finalists for the Armory project — either the Kingsbridge National Ice Center or Young Woo & Associate’s Mercado Mirabo — could be chosen as soon as the end of the week, although the Economic Development Corporation, which is managing the selection process, is remaining tight lipped.

Many observers expected a decision by the end of last year, but Hurricane Sandy may have pushed the decision onto the back burner.

“We continue to make progress towards a selection that will achieve the vision for this important site by creating jobs and generating economic investment in the Bronx,” said EDC spokesperson Kyle Sklerov.

Sklerov said the EDC is in the final stages of negotiating with the developers and hoped to make a decision soon.

Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, representatives from the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance, a grassroots organization centered around the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and Community Board 7, a government-sanctioned group of volunteer members, sat down to talk strategy at the board’s office in Bedford Park.

“The best thing we can do is have a united front,” said Board 7 Chairman Paul Foster. “So regardless of what developer comes or is selected, we need to say, ‘these are the things we want, these are the things we need for our community.’”

Alice McIntosh, a KARA leader, passed out index cards at the meeting and asked everyone to write down what they wanted to see at the Armory in terms of community benefits.

What they found out from that exercise was that members of both groups appeared to be on the same page.

“We had three people say something about jobs, skilled jobs, local hiring, living wage jobs; five people that said something that works for the community, community space, community space funding, two people say something about schools, two people that talked about small business incubators or nonprofit office space,” McIntosh said.

The evolving partnership represents a remarkable turnaround from three years ago when both groups were involved in the city’s push to turn the Armory into a mega shopping mall.

From the beginning of that process, KARA pushed hard to have the developer, The Related Companies, sign a community benefits agreement that would guarantee living wage jobs ($10.50 an hour plus benefits or $11.50 an hour without benefits) to every employee who worked at the Armory.

Related Companies balked at this stipulation and a serious community benefits agreement never became part of the discussion. At the same time, the Board voted to approve the shopping mall project (though only in an advisory role) under the condition that Related enter into a benefits agreement. For the Board, however, living wage wasn’t a deal breaker.

Ultimately, backed by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, KARA worked to kill the project and succeeded when the City Council voted the shopping mall proposal down at the end of 2009. It was the first time a Bloomberg-backed development proposal was not approved by the City Council.

This time around, living wage is still part of the discussion, but not a deal breaker. Both Diaz, who has endorsed the ice center proposal, and local Councilman Fernando Cabrera, who has stayed neutral, say they are supportive of the partnership between KARA and the community board.

“The borough president has been saying all along that KARA needs to work with the community board and the City Council member, and we think this is a step in the right direction,” said John DeSio, communications director for Diaz.

Although Cabrera was out of town at the end of last week, his chief of staff, Greg Faulkner, who was involved in the Armory negotiations as head of Board 7 three years ago, said, “The Councilman believes a binding community benefits agreement must be a part of this process.”

Still, it’s unclear if the developers will be willing to negotiate with the new community partnership.

A spokesperson for the ice center group said he wouldn’t rule out working with any community group, but said the project, as it stands (including nine ice skating rinks and a free recreational program for area youth), “will provide every benefit the community has sought and more.”

The new united voice of the community, however, might not agree.

(Young Woo could not be reached for comment on whether they would negotiate with the new partnership by by press time for our print edition, but has offered $50,000 toward development of a school and has shown up to KARA events in the past.)

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