Elected Officials, Labor, Community and Religious Leaders Demand Armory Developer Sign Community Benefits Agreement
KINGSBRIDGE HEIGHTS, N.Y., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — On Saturday, October 27, 2007 at a mid-day rally in the Bronx, community, religious and labor groups, united under the umbrella of the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), demanded that the soon-to-be-announced developer of the Kingsbridge Armory deal with them.
KARA wants the Armory redevelopment to reflect the needs of the community and insists the developer negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement. KARA’s members include the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, SEIU 32 BJ, and the New York City Building Trades.
Jeff Eichler, Coordinator of the RWDSU’s Retail Organizing Project, said, “The RWDSU, as the Retail Union in NYC, knows that retail is an important component in all the development that is taking place throughout the City. But, all too often, the permanent jobs, the retail jobs, are poverty jobs that do not build or enhance our communities. We have joined KARA to ensure this does not happen at the Armory. Here the jobs must be union jobs with living wages and benefits.”
KARA’s Community Benefit Principles have the support of a number of elected officials, including City Council member Maria Baez, the representative for the district, a majority of the City Council’s Bronx delegation, Assemblyman Jose Rivera, Congressman Jose E. Serrano, Comptroller William C. Thompson and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.
City Councilmember Joel Rivera said, “The chosen developers of the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment project must understand that this project is a result of years of advocacy by members of the surrounding community and local elected officials. I expect the voice of the community to be loud and clear in the development process and that a community benefits agreement can be negotiated.”
Public Advocate Gotbaum said, “The four new schools the community is calling for would provide the needed classroom space to reduce overcrowding in the Bronx public schools. KARA’s vision will create more living-wage and union jobs in the community and improve the lives of students and families. If we expect to meet the DOE goal of a 70 percent graduation rate, we need provide smaller class sizes to ensure the success of our students. We can help rebuild and revitalize the Northwest Bronx, but we should do it while prioritizing our students’ best interest and incorporating the community’s input.”
The Bronx is still the poorest urban county in the country. The unemployment rate in Kingsbridge Heights is 18 percent and a third of its population is below the poverty line. In the Northwest Bronx, over 40,000 students are packed into overcrowded and inadequate schools. There are no movie theaters, bookstores, and few cultural amenities. KARA’s vision for the Armory includes employment for local residents in construction, retail and more with permanent jobs that pay a living wage and have union protections and benefits, four small schools seating 2,000 students, a state-of-the-art recreation center, and a variety of retail outlets.
Community resident and KARA activist Efrain Quintana said, “Without better schools and resources for our kids they end up in trouble and on a fast track to Rikers. The Armory project offers an opportunity to turn things around.”
SOURCE Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition
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