This following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

 

Members of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) were back organizing, yet again, to ensure residents living in the shadow of the majestic Kingsbridge Armory have a say in how the iconic, city-owned structure will finally be used, following news that the latest proposal has reportedly been shelved. Community members came from all over The Bronx for a recent rally, though most were from the Armory’s surrounding area.

 

As reported at length previously, developers behind the most recent proposal, the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC), ended up in a court battle with the City in early 2022, after it was alleged the developer, KNIC LLC, did not deliver on agreed financing arrangements for the project. The developer had disputed these claims, as reported. A “community benefits agreement” had been negotiated with various community stakeholders as part of the ice center development deal, but that now also hangs in the balance, pending the final outcome of the legal dispute.

 

At the rally and press conference organized on Aug. 25, outside the landmark building, Juan Nuñez was introduced as the “new Armory leader” for NWBCCC. He wasted no time in describing his role regarding the building’s future. “[We’re here] to launch the next phase of the Kingsbridge Armory campaign,” he said. The conversation revolved around keeping the Armory in The Bronx for the Bronx community as well as providing jobs to people in the community.

 

Above is a video presentation made by student interns from the Mission Society’s “Learning To Work (LTW) Program” and the American Planning Association a few years ago. After several months of research, canvassing the community and long hours of project development, in or around October 2020, the students shared how they planned to repurpose the Kingsbridge Armory into a Multi-Purpose Community Center for the Kingsbridge Community at large. Video courtesy of Kingsbridge Armory Project Young Planners via YouTube

 

“First, I want [to] say to you what we’ve been doing so far to ensure that this process is inclusive, transparent, and accountable,” he continued, before switching to Spanish. He listed local stakeholders, including Laborers Local 79, New Day Church, Nos Quedamos, and others who were invested in the final outcome of the project, both during its development and upon completion.

 

“We began to source a set of values and principles that should guide this process and help decide what will ultimately go into that armory,” Nuñez continued.

 

An art installation with a distinctive yellow and black color motif had been placed on the chain-linked fence, protecting access to the building on the day. Messages in English and Spanish read, “What if we owned it?” and “Our Bronx, Our Lives, Our Solutions” and “Our Armory!” Two young girls were seen sitting on the ground drawing hearts on a poster, the implication being, we understand, that the project should be rooted in love of community.

 

The process Nuñez refers to includes collecting surveys from local businesses, residents, and especially from young people. On the other end of the process is New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which has been handling the governmental procedures around the development, and is the agency responsible for producing a “public vision document” to help arrive at a final decision on the Armory’s future.

 

For its part, the EDC is also collecting information on best usage plans for the building. On its website, EDC has a page dedicated to the Armory, which reads, “In the coming months, in collaboration with our community partners, we will hold community meetings and visioning sessions, start an online public engagement survey, and lead small group discussions and walking tours to help us shape a community-driven future for the Kingsbridge Armory.”

 

One such walking tour took place with various elected officials on July 8, and included Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), District 14 City Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez, among others. Also present was the district manager for Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), Ischia Bravo, and members of both CB7 and NWBCCC. Gibson was apparently due to tour the building again in August with other stakeholders.

EDC will ultimately decide what the best use of the 180,000 square-foot, column-free structure will be, and this includes entertaining offers from various developers. This process of gathering input from residents, attracting developers, and selling the promise of a better future for the Armory has been ongoing for almost three decades, and judging from previous discussions at various community gatherings, the community’s patience is waning.

 

In Albany, for example, a similar-looking armory building appears to be actively used as both a sports venue for the Albany Patroons basketball team and as a convention arena, as seen in the attached photos.

 

When Norwood News spoke directly with local residents on the street on the topic of the armory’s potential use back in 2019, various ideas were floated, including a proposal for a large music venue, a community center, a museum, and a sports center. In addition, as reported, the idea of a Salsa museum had also previously been discussed among some other community members, and in 2020, a group of students from the Kingsbridge Armory Project Youth Planners created a video presentation of their findings (below), following outreach to the community on possible uses for the building.

A previous rally entitled, “Our Bronx, Our Lives, Our Solutions: A Fight for a Better Bronx,” was also held at the Armory on April 21 this year by NWBCCC and at previous visualization gatherings on the Armory’s potential use, Sandra Lobo, executive director of the organization, mentioned that due to the building’s protected status / regulatory requirements, there exist certain constraints around what exactly can be housed on the site.

 

The building was designated a landmark by New York City in 1974.  It was also listed on the New York State and the National Register of Historical Places in 1982. Ownership was transferred to the City in 1996, and promises of a renovated armory have been a staple of Norwood News stories and editorials since then. Most recently, during the pandemic, as reported, the building was used as food distribution hub.

 

A generation of residents have only known an empty, nearly abandoned armory, as the norm. Sanchez spoke to Norwood News previously about her childhood in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood, and how she wondered what would ever become of the building. She remains optimistic that with federal funding and local input, something special can be accomplished.

 

“I know how disconnected Washington D.C. can be from local communities,” she told Norwood News last year. “But this type of [infrastructure] spending [under Build Back Better] offers a glimmer of hope. It can transform The Bronx.”  She went on to point out that the armory “stands out for investment.”

 

On the Armory site, as also reported, are two adjacent annexes which are currently undergoing a $10 million renovation for military use by the U.S. National Guard. Meanwhile, Norwood News contacted EDC for details of the final ruling on the legal case with KNIC LLC regarding the main building, and were referred to court officials for more information. According to the latest court records, legal proceedings have been stalled since April 2022.

 

One Bronxite in the crowd during the press event thought the speeches on the day were promising, but maintained a wait-and-see attitude. Gregory Hernandez lives on the Grand Concourse near Yankee Stadium. He showed up to find out how community leaders plan to ensure the concerns of local residents will be heard.  “I’m a life-long Bronx resident, and I’ve known of the armory for over a decade now and the fact that that plan has been proposed about ice skating rinks, and a lot of bidding being done but it’s not really for the community,” Hernandez, 31, said.

Anyone who has ideas about what the local community needs can take a few minutes to fill out the following survey, which will also help inform how future funding is spent across the city. Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2022CNANYC. In addition, Bronx Community Board 7 is inviting residents to join them to help identify community needs and ideas for expense projects at 6 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 27, and Wed., Nov. 2, at The Bedford’s Community Room, 211 E 203rd St., Bronx, NY 10458. Call (929) 496 0748 or email kcabreracarrera@cb.nyc.gov for more details.

 

For his part, Hernandez has no illusions about the difficulty of re-creating a venue that would be inclusive of residents’ wishes, saying, “I understand that this is an uphill battle to make this for the community and by the community, actually make it inclusive, make it diverse, but beyond that, actually make it something that will be far more productive than just something that is for a profit or someone’s bottom line.”

 

*Síle Moloney and Miriam Quiñones contributed to this story.