Bedford-Union Armory Public Hearing In Crown Heights Draws Supporters, But Mostly Protesters

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Mayor Bill de Blasio's office held a hearing Tuesday night on a controversial plan to redevelop Crown Heights' historic, city-owned Bedford-Union Armory.

(Scroll down to re-live the drama through Patch's live blog from the hearing. And if you haven't already, make sure to sign up for Patch's local newsletters and breaking news alerts from Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Lefferts Gardens.)

BFC Partners, the private company chosen by the city to redevelop the former National Guard armory, wants to turn it into a combination sports facility, office building and apartment complex. It would be called "Bedford Courts."

Here's what it looks like now:

And here's a rendering of what it would look like under the developer's plan:

Opponents of the plan — including elected officials at the municipal, state and federal levels — have been loud and fierce. Their core concern? That the project's housing component, half of which would be affordable enough for low-income residents and half of which would rent or sell at market rate, will only speed up gentrification in the neighborhood.

For more background, here is some of Patch's previous coverage of the redevelopment project:

• Armory Developer Hires Nonprofit To Help Ease Community Rage
• Local Politicians Demand To See Money Trail Behind Bedford-Union Armory
• Developer's Plan To Transform Armory 'Not Acceptable,' Crown Heights Leaders Say
• Imagine If the Bedford-Union Armory Were Transformed Into 100% Affordable Housing

Here's a recap of the hearing, seen through Patch's live blog from the scene.

5:40 p.m.

A group of around 50 to 60 demonstrators have gathered on the steps of Jackie Robinson High School. They're chanting slogans like "Kill the deal!" and "Fight fight fight, housing is a right!"

5:50 p.m.

Skip Roseboro, a protest organizer from New York Communities For Change, says into a megaphone: "Here we have the mayor and the city coming up with a plan that's going to give developers the Armory — and give them taxpayer money to come develop it."

Bertha Lewis from The Black Institute is up next.

"I don't know about you," Lewis says to the crowd, "but I'm tired of being sick and tired of trying to choose between which developer is a little nicer or better than the other one. They're all pigs at the trough."

6:15 p.m.

Protesters have begun making their way over to the hearing.

Esteban Giron with the Crown Heights Tenants Union tells Patch as he walks into the auditorium that he lives "just down the block" from the Armory. "We've seen an increase in landlord harassment and rents being exorbitantly high all of a sudden as a result of these deals in Crown Heights," he says.

"The amount of affordable housing in this project is insulting," Giron adds.

6:30 p.m.

A bunch of folks from the Local 79 union are here, too, to encourage developers to hire union labor as they rebuild the Armory.

Some NYPD community affairs officers are also standing by, keeping an eye on things.

6:55 p.m.

Just as BFC officials begin going over the basics of their proposal, a bunch of their supporters suddenly enter the room, holding signs with messages like "Vote yes" and "I support the Bedford-Union Armory." They all take a seat near the front.

Meanwhile, some jeers break out from the rear seats as BFC reps start listing proposed housing prices for Bedford Court.

7 p.m.

Things are starting to get heated.

Geoffrey Davis, a district leader for the New York State Assembly district covering Crown Heights, sticks up for the project, saying its recreational facility will be vital for local kids who need somewhere to play. (Davis co-runs an anti-violence nonprofit that would get reduced-price office space in the Armory — one of the developer's various olive branches to the community.)

"You're a sellout!" someone yells at Davis from the audience.

7:10 p.m.

More drama!

Giron, the protest organizer who spoke earlier, just sent us a text message saying: "The people who walked in with pro-armory signs are workers who are employed at BFC development sites. It's a total sham!"

7:15 p.m.

The public comment period has begun. Kimberly Grant, a Crown Heights native affiliated with Local 79 who opposes the project, says during her three-minute speaking window: "This area has become so unaffordable that people have to uplift their families and move somewhere affordable."

7:20 p.m.

For what it's worth, another public commenter whose name we didn't catch just dropped the first F bomb of the night.

7:35 p.m.

Bertha Lewis — the protester from The Black Institute who said earlier that all developers are "pigs at the trough" — just snapped at the woman ringing the three-minute warning bell during public comment.

"I don't care nothin' about your bell," Lewis says.

In the end, though, Lewis does end up finishing within her allotted time — to a standing ovation from a few enthusiastic members of the crowd.

7:50 p.m.

A rare pro-development speaker named Brian argues that "the luxury or market rate component makes the project happen. That's what makes the money."

Brian is immediately met with boos and hisses from the crowd. "Who's paying you?" someone shouts. "Where do you come from?"

Taking the high road, though, is Skip Roseboro, one of the organizers from the protest earlier. He stands up and tells everyone to listen to Brian.

8 p.m.

A couple more of the project's supporters take their turn on the mic.

Eli Cohen, a Crown Heights resident since 1973, says his kids would benefit from a new rec center in the neighborhood. "What else is there for our young people in our community to do but come here?" he says.

8:05 p.m.

Another neighborhood resident named Vaughn Armor, pictured below — also a member of New York Communities For Change — has just served what is bound to be the sickest burn of the night.

BFC, he says, stands for "Bad For Communities" and "Bad For Crown Heights."

8:15 p.m.

A statement from BFC Partners hits our inbox. It reads:

BFC is fully committed to revitalizing the Bedford-Union Armory and providing much-needed recreational facilities, affordable housing and affordable office space for the Crown Heights community. Our team continues to incorporate community feedback, as we have throughout this process, and we always welcome additional input from local stakeholders.

The economic realities of cross-subsidizing a new rec center and the lack of housing subsidies mean that 50% affordability is the only option currently available at the Armory. Each job we undertake requires us to strike the right balance to ensure success for the project and achieve community goals that serve local families.

8:20 p.m.

Christine Parker, a Crown Heights resident in favor of BFC's proposal, says she is hopeful the affordable housing component is "not a song and dance."

"I believe the developers come here in good faith," she says. When she's interrupted by boos from the audience, she says: "Excuse me, I'm talking."

8:30 p.m.

Reps from another couple of the nonprofits who would get cheap office space from BFC speak in favor.

Bill Howard from the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, pictured below, says: "Nonprofits will benefit from being in that building. There's no place on the face of the moon that I can get 3,500 square feet of space at $6 a square foot."

8:40 p.m.

Dion Ashman, pictured below, is the last — and arguably most dramatic — speaker of the night.

He starts by saying he doesn't need a mic. "I vehemently disagree with this project," he says.

Pointing to a rendering of the project, Ashman says: "I worked in the prison industrial complex for 26 years. That looks like a prison."

Ashman turns toward BFC officials. "Whoever your architect is, they suck," he says.

8:45 p.m.

That's a wrap. The crowd is filing out, some getting in a few final chants of "kill the deal!"

Again, to get all the latest updates on this development, sign up for Patch's local newsletters and breaking news alerts from Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Lefferts Gardens.

Live blog photos by Marc Torrence/Patch. Photo of the Bedford-Union Armory by John V. Santore/Patch. Project renderings courtesy of BFC Partners

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Tuesday, March 7