For Immediate Release
May 18, 2017

Office of

New York City Council Member

Laurie A. Cumbo
Contact:
  Kristia Beaubrun, 718- 260-9191
COUNCIL MEMBER LAURIE A. CUMBO, NYC COMPTROLLER SCOTT STRINGER, PUBLIC ADVOCATE LETITIA JAMES, BOROUGH PRESIDENT ERIC L. ADAMS, ASSEMBLYMAN WALTER T. MOSLEY, COUNCIL MEMBER JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS OPPOSE 
BEDFORD-UNION ARMORY PROPOSAL
Coalition of Elected Officials Stand United to Demand Mayor de Blasio Build Low-Income Housing; Not Luxury Condominiums
Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo (center) and coalition of elected officials announce their opposition to the current Bedford Union Armory proposal.

BROOKLYN, NY - New York City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley, Council Member Jumaane D.Williams, and a coalition of community leaders gathered on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall to announce their opposition to the proposed Bedford-Union Armory development.

Put forward by the de Blasio administration earlier this year, the current proposal prioritizes luxury condominiums over low-income housing. New York City's top elected officials called upon Mayor de Blasio to go back to the drawing board and create a plan that meets the needs of the communities they serve.

Council Member Cumbo and elected officials announced their opposition to the project just days before the de Blasio administration is expected to certify the project.

Standing as a united front, the City and State officials promised to withhold capital funding until a project was delivered that eliminated luxury condominiums and adhered to the demands of the community.

"Since the very beginning our message has been clear: We will not allow public land to be used for the purpose of luxury condominiums. The fact that we delivered this position to the developer prior to the presentation of this plan is an insult to the Crown Heights community. I stand here today with my colleagues in government to demand Mayor de Blasio go back to the drawing board and produce a plan that meets the needs of my Brooklyn neighbors. It's important that we have a developer that helps enhance our community, meets with the trade unions, commits to hiring locally, and builds this project with the highest safety standards available. Brooklyn deserves better and the development proposal put forward by our Administration simply does not reflect the needs of our rapidly gentrifying neighborhood," said Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo.

"The proposed redevelopment is not sufficient to meet the needs of Crown Heights, namely the dearth of affordable housing for residents at risk of losing the community they love. The reactivation of the Bedford Union Armory is an important project, and it is more important than ever that we get it right. I stand with our community, and I ask every stakeholder to do the same," said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams.

"We're sending a loud and clear message: We will not accept a plan that pushes out the people who built this community. Affordable housing should be just that - affordable. The Armory can be the model for responsible development in the city. That's exactly why we're standing up and speaking out," said Comptroller Scott Stringer.

"Put simply, this proposal does not suit the needs of the community and must not move forward. This development is an opportunity to provide desperately needed affordable housing to the neighborhood, yet the proposal includes unnecessary luxury condominiums. The developers must go back to the drawing board and create a proposal that serves this community, not one that insults it," said Public Advocate Letitia James.

"Our city is in the middle of a housing crisis, we need projects that include affordable housing - not luxury condominiums. Mayor de Blasio needs to go back to square one and create a proposal that meets Brooklyn's housing needs. I stand with my colleagues and will withhold the critical funding for this plan as long as the luxury component remains," said Assemblymember Walter T. Mosley.

"In a time where so many New Yorkers are struggling to find affordable quality housing, it is imperative that we bring as many targeted low-income housing options as possible to this city. I congratulate Council Member Cumbo's leadership in rejecting the current proposal and pushing conscious demands of real affordability over luxury condominiums," said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings.

"The current proposal to redevelop the Bedford-Union Armory would create housing units that are simply unaffordable for most of the families now living in Crown Heights. We need real affordability, particularly when many families in the neighborhood are at risk of displacement, and even homelessness. I am proud to join my colleagues in calling on the Economic Development Corporation to return to the drawing board to create a plan that truly benefits longtime community residents," said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09).

"We thank Council Member Laurie Cumbo and the other elected officials for recognizing that the Bedford-Union Armory plan is deeply flawed and does not represent the community needs. We especially thank her for her support on the issue that any developer chosen for Bedford Armory meet with the New York City trade unions, utilize local hire, and make sure construction is done at the highest level of safety standard," said Patrick Purcell, Jr., Executive Director, GNY LECET Laborers & Employers Cooperation and Education Trust.

New York City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo represents the 35th District, which covers Bedford-Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Fort Greene and Prospect Heights. She serves as Chair of the Committee on Women's Issues and a member of several committees: Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations; Finance; Higher Education; Public Housing; and Youth Services. Council Member Cumbo also chairs the Women's Caucus; is a member of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus; and the Jewish Caucus.

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