For an area and a borough plagued by unemployment and poverty, it seems obvious the Bronx’s long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory ought to be filled with jobs, opportunities and the promise of economic growth. The question, however, is not whether the Armory ought to be filled, but what should fill it.

The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, a grassroots group that is the beating heart of the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), recently hosted a candlelit vigil and press conference, hoping to ensure a positive outcome for the major changes about to take place in their neighborhood.

As NWBCCC President Alice McIntosh reiterated several times during the rally, their goal was to make sure that “their voice is at the table.”

Yet, even toward the end of the rally, it was unclear exactly what this meant.

The figurative table made many appearances throughout the evening. Attendees echoed goals voiced by leaders, asserting they want “living wage jobs” ($10 an hour plus benefits or $11.50 an hour without benefits) and “community space,” but no one provided a clear view for how to incorporate these goals in the redevelopment of the Armory.

The leading bids, the Kingsbridge National Ice Center and Mercado Mirabo from Young Woo & Associates, are being considered by KARA, insofar as they are willing to uphold their responsibility to the community. Both say they will provide about 170 permanent living wage jobs. (Young Woo says Mercado Mirabo will provide more than 800 jobs total.)

“Both of these developers are viable options,” said McIntosh.

Doug Cunningham, pastor at the New Day Church and a NWBCCC leader, echoed a similar sentiment. “They both have potential and are worth talking about,” he said.

For Cunningham, a living wage standard, stamped in writing, is quite clearly the number one priority. “The issue is getting a deal we can count on,” he said. “We want something that stakeholders can sign, that can be enforced in the future.”

Implementing a contract, or so-called community benefits agreement, which contains an enforceable living wage standard, is a practical initiative that will require the compliance of the contracted bidder and ensure the Bronx benefits from redevelopment.

However, the KARA’s deal also includes many aspects beyond required hourly rates. Volunteers handed out a list of “Community Benefits Principles,” which included living wage jobs, community space, priority access for Bronx residents, the exclusion of big box retail, the creation of non-competitive small businesses, and a public school (which was not once mentioned at the rally).

“The Bronx has a certain flavor,” McIntosh said of the ultimate goal. “The culture of the Armory needs to reflect that.”

While the Bronx Borough President and several other local elected officials (but not Councilman Fernando Cabrera who represents the Armory) have pledged their support for the ice center, those at the rally did not express an explicit preference for one bid over the other.

The rally ended as the final speaker urged people to hold their hands up to the Armory and pray.

Asking for divine intervention and guidance may be the most focused effort produced by the rally.

Otherwise, they also succeeded in affirming what one young man said, as he lit his candle in preparation for the approaching vigil: “There’s just a ton of empty space in that Armory.”