The Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance dominated the first official public hearing to discuss community hopes and concerns regarding the massive renovation of the 100-year-old landmark.

In doing so, the Alliance (otherwise known as KARA), organized by the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and consisting of local groups, residents, clergy, labor and retail unions, hoped to advance its efforts to become the voice of the community as it negotiates a benefits agreement with the developer, The Related Companies.

The hearing — the first of several to be conducted by the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) — marks the beginning of the city’s extensive land review process (known as ULURP) and will help determine the scope of the city’s environmental impact statement (EIS). Residents delineated how they felt the project would impact the community so that their concerns would be studied in the EIS.

Before the hearing even started, a group of about 40 KARA supporters stood out in front of the Bronx Library Center, just blocks from the Armory, holding up signs, talking to television reporters and chanting slogans.

Inside the library’s basement auditorium, the hearing began with words from Jesse Masyr, Related’s lawyer and spokesman, who gave a short overview of the “Shops at the Armory” project, which will include 897,860 square feet of new uses, including retail stores, a cinema, fitness center, restaurants and community space (see sidebar).

Bronx Council Members Joel Rivera and Oliver Koppell followed Masyr. Both mentioned the hard work of KARA and called for the signing of a binding agreement to assure that the community benefits from the project.

Members of Community Board 7 also stressed the importance of a benefits agreement, raised concerns about traffic and parking, and made a plea for the inclusion of healthy eating options, perhaps including a new supermarket.

Both CB7 and KARA say they’re interested in getting some tangible community benefits in writing and want (and are opposed to) many of the same things, though the new supermarket is a CB7 idea. The owners of Associated Supermarket, who are located across the street from the Armory and members of KARA, are adamantly opposed to that idea.

After the community board, KARA members dominated the rest of the testimony. One by one, they spoke for the allotted three minutes about what they wanted (local jobs, good wages, more community space, place-holders for local businesses) and what they didn’t want (more traffic, congestion, chain stores, gentrification) out of a revamped Armory.

Local resident Marvin Almengor spoke with the seasoned eloquence of a practiced politician, quoting Robert F. Kennedy and saying the community is “standing on the precipice of history.” Doug Cunningham, the pastor of a new local church, worried that the mall would encourage more consumerism. And Pat Jewitt, a union representative, called for a Project Labor Agreement in addition to a community benefits agreement.

Masyr said he left the hearing deeply impressed with the community’s knowledge of the original scoping document and how sophisticated and articulate their comments were. He said two issues stood out from the developer’s perspective: environmental concerns, specifically how increased traffic will impact a borough besieged by asthma, and socio-economic concerns, such as how local businesses will be affected.

KARA activist Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter said the hearing gave KARA an “opportunity to remind Related that we represent the community and that we have serious concerns.”