“Build more schools! Build more schools!” about 100 Bronx residents shouted in unison at a rally on the steps of City Hall on April 24, three days after the city officially announced its selection of Related Companies to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory.

They hoped to send the message to the city and developer that a community benefits agreement still needs to be negotiated before construction begins. Specifically, they called for four schools to be built adjacent to the armory and a guarantee of good jobs during and after reconstruction takes place.

On April 21, the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced it had chosen Related Companies to conduct a $310 million renovation of the expansive armory on Kingsbridge Road at Jerome Avenue.

Related’s project, called “Shops at the Armory,” includes a large department store, dozens of smaller stores, a movie theater and restaurants. Absent from the plan are schools, which many west Bronx residents and community activists have been pushing the city to include in the redevelopment for years.

In its original request for proposals, the EDC reserved space for at least two schools to be built on the northern exterior of armory, where two auxiliary buildings now sit. A National Guard unit currently occupies one of the buildings.

The rally, which was organized by the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), featured emotional testimony from Bronx residents who have waited since 1996 for the selection of a developer for the armory. KARA wants to be the voice of the community during any community benefits agreement talks.

“The Kingsbridge Armory was built to serve and protect our community,” Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a founding member of KARA, told the crowd. “Let’s make it a beacon of hope again.”

Yuni Omotoso, a 21-year-old Fordham Hill Oval resident, said he wants Related to agree to “at least four good schools, union jobs, and a community space, something like a YMCA.”

While the rally focused on negotiating with the Related Companies, the city Department of Education (DOE) also took some heat for failing to address cramped classrooms and a stark lack of facilities.

Angel Gonzalez, a high school student at the Leadership Institute who spoke to the crowd, said he has never borrowed a book from his school, because it does not have a library due to overcrowding.

The DOE would not immediately comment on whether a school at the armory is still a possibility. But as recently as last November, agency officials maintained that schools at the site were unnecessary because the Bronx has seen a decline in school enrollment.

That does not seem to reflect some parents’ experiences. “The DOE says there’s declining enrollment in the Bronx, but when my daughter comes home and says there are 46 kids in her French class, I have to ask where the declining enrollment is?” said Pilgrim-Hunter.

KARA members maintain that the armory should house enough school space to accommodate at least 2,000 seats for students.

Protesters also urged Related to employ union laborers at “living wage” and to provide preference to residents of local Community Boards 7 and 8 (those closest to the armory) for employment.

The city’s “living wage” standard is $10 per hour, or $10.50 without benefits.

In addition, the members of KARA are seeking community space for social programming, and outdoor public space on armory grounds.

Janel Patterson, a spokesperson for the EDC, said the city would leave it up to the community and the developer to hammer out a community benefits agreement. She added that the EDC has formed an advisory task force made up of local stakeholders, including KARA and other community leaders and local elected officials, to weigh in as the process moves forward.

Related will also have to deal with the community through the city’s land review process, which will go through Community Board 7 and the Bronx borough president’s office.

CB 7 Chairman Greg Faulkner, who did not know about the rally until afterwards, said, “Obviously, we’re excited, but we also want to make sure we have a strong community benefits agreement as well as a project labor agreement.”

Although Faulkner has not signed on with KARA, he said he supports the group’s issues. He talked about fighting for good jobs during and after construction as well as the need for more schools. “Schools are the No. 1 priority for [CB7].”

Joanna Rose, a spokesperson for Related, said, “Related looks forward to working with the community and all the stakeholders to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory and continue the renaissance of the Bronx.”