“River-to-River” Rezoning Plan Achieves Milestone

The City Planning Commission voted on Monday to approve its plan to transform the face of 125th Street, while local Harlem activists vowed to continue fighting against the city’s vision.

The commission’s nearly unanimous decision to approve the 125th Street corridor for rezoning came at a key point along the city’s standard land use review process, during which time City Planning scrutinizes and debates the bulk of the urban design before moving the proposal forward to City Hall. Commission Chair Amanda Burden called the vote a “great milestone.”

The city’s plan, commonly known as the “River to River Rezoning,” has been a subject of contention for Community Boards 9, 10, and 11. Each of the boards has cited numerous problems with the CPC’s intentions for their districts, such as the suggested Arts and Entertainment requirement that would require 60,000 square feet of commercial area to devote 5 percent of its space for “cultural” use. In December, CB’s 9 and 11 voted for the city’s proposal under the condition that the plan would be modified, while CB 10 rejected the city’s proposal unless it was altered according to the board’s standards.

Lynette Velasco , chief of staff to Councilwoman Inez Dickens (D-Morningside Heights and Harlem), explained that, while Dickens supports the city’s vision for 125th Street, she has made a concerted effort to ensure that the plan properly allows for sufficient affordable housing.

“Rezoning is a reality. Change is a reality. And in order for you to secure that change that will benefit your community, you need to be at the table negotiating. If you don’t vote, you have no vote. She has made her voice loud and clear,” Velasco said. “She wants more affordable housing. And it’s affordable housing not only for working class people but also for people who are out of work. Of course, Harlem is the international black mecca of the world.”

Monday afternoon’s commission meeting grew heated when several activists in attendance began to protest loudly the rezoning proposal, with one crying out that it is “centralized planning, Soviet style.” The protesters were removed by on-site police, but continued to give an impromptu press conference outside the Department of City Planning’s headquarters.

Both CB 10 and the Municipal Arts Society have lodged complaints with the CPC Environmental Impact Statement, complaints that both parties claim were not taken into proper consideration before Monday’s vote.

CB10 claimed that if City Planning had its way, 125th St. revitalization effort would displace residents, develop overly tall buildings that would cast shadows on landmarks, and lead to an increase in traffic that would pose public health risks to an area that has already seen an increase in asthma cases. MAS released similar comments, calling for an aggressive affordable housing strategy and a limit on building heights—towering structures, they said, would draw attention away from historical landmarks and ruin the cityscape. MAS also suggested waterfront access.

“We still think that the comments that we made to the draft environmental...are still valid,” said Susanna Sthaller, Senior Planner at MAS. “They [the CPC] do take them [MAS’ suggestions] into consideration. But whether they act on that is another question.”

“What we’re seeing here with that rezoning is the continuation of a displacement effort by the real estate industry to destroy and attack low income communities, communities of color, obviously, and working class communities,” said Coalition to Preserve Community’s Tom DeMott, CC’ 80, who is also an active member of Voice of The Everyday People. “The diverse ... are all under attack.”

“This decision here, this vote today, was really an egregious—I would call it a gutting—of the potential of our diverse city to be able to survive,” DeMott added.

CB 10 member Julius Tajiddin expressed dismay at what he saw as a dismissal of protests against the plan.

“The next step is to try to convince our city council member representative to agree with the community that this plan is broken,” Tajiddin said. “You can’t just dismiss intelligent arguments, and we felt that they did. They paid no attention to our claims.”

Tajiddin also criticized Commission Chair Burden for voting on the plan, since it comes from the Department of City Planning itself.

“She voted on her own plan,” Tajiddin said. “You can’t say that she doesn’t have some type of pecuniary interest in getting this plan pushed through."

But Burden emphasized the proposal’s focus on positive development to “enhance” an area of the city that some see as in need of a boost.

“The worst thing that could happen to Harlem is to allow for uncontrolled development. And this provides controls on development and incentives ... for arts, culture and entertainment. So it’s really win-win-win for the community, and it’s been very participatory,” Burden said.

alix.pianin@columbiaspectator.com