(not the Armory at Bedford and Pacific that houses the large homeless shelter)
The huge armory at Bedford and Union occasionally hosts a concert, but is underused. That will soon change....
What do you want it to become?
You could jabber about your ideas and listen to the ideas of others on Monday.
Comments
Is it underused? I thought that the film folks kept it pretty busy year round?
I see it empty on many occasions, and think people have dreams of making it a rec center.
Getting the funding for such dreams will be difficult, but something I worth the effort if the support is there.
Tish and Marty are advertising this mtg, so a big part of me wonders whether we are about to be told what it will become, under the guise of gathering input.
I can't fault them for not trying to get things done.
http://teamtish.blogspot.com/2012/01/attention-community-discussion-on.html
I have been wondering what was in that building for years as I drive past.....
Here's what folks want it to become:
source: http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/01/various-uses-possible-for-bedford-armory/#disqus_thread
I've gotta admit, I think the commenter who thinks this may end up a flea market may be on to something.
NY1's got a report and some video of the space here: http://bronx.ny1.com/content/top_stories/153878/community-ponders-how-to-use-old-crown-heights-armory/
Suggestions included indoor track, after-school center, local archive, and Gotham Girls Roller Derby Arena.
There was talk of putting a track/rec center in the Bedford-Atlantic Armory awhile back, but that seems to have fizzled.
Also, email bkarmoryproject@gmail.com if you want to get a suggestion in to the NYU urban planning students who are prepping the report for Marty. It's all completely speculative at this point, of course, but that does mean there's plenty of time for an organized group of people to influence the process.
I realize I'm basically just re-posting this post (http://ilovefranklinave.blogspot.com/2012/01/midweek-links-safe-in-this-place.html) here, but it seemed worth repeating.
I'm interested in seeing what entity will run whatever it becomes.
Medgar Evers College seems like a logical choice.
We were concerned about the status of the Bedford-Atlantic armory so we attended the meeting. Both Marty & Tish made a point of saying that plans were still very much in the works for a community center there, with Tish saying that there is 14 million for this project. Back in Spring 2010 when this was a "hot" topic CBAAR (Coalition for Bedford-Atlantic Armory Reform) was promised a seat at the table when planning for the Armory started. That summer we got a new Commissioner of Homeless Services and we have been waiting to see what happens with the proposed intake center. There will be an update to this effect at Tuesday's Crow Hill meeting
FYI the mission of CBAAR is to reform the Bedford Atlantic Armory with the goal of improving the quality of life for all residents of Crown Heights North. We are committed to the following three positions
1. There will be no intake center at the Bedford Atlantic Armory
2. The Track & Field/Community Center will be developed responsibly with respect to the community that it will serve
3. Conditions and opportunities for the current residents of the Armory will be improved.
btw: while we want to save our organizing/fundraising/community voice for the Bedford Atlantic Armory, the Armory at Union will be serving our community as well and we DO want to be involved in that discussion, if there are people who are interested in that process and you would like to represent the Crow Hill Community please get in touch, Thanks
One of the ideas was a senior center.
I assume we wont actually require all of the local older adults attend any senior center that is created.
As a result, I can't see a senior center taking up more than about 10% of the space in the armory.
BTW, NYU Wagner students created a comprehensive report on repurposing the Armory for Marty Markowitz this week.
The pdf file exceeds Brooklynian's size limits, but I'll send you a copy via email if you PM me.
In order to attract non-profits and governmental agencies to the lowest income parts of the city, HRA takes over vacant city buildings and makes them Multi Service Ceters.
This location is too large, and likely too well off to become exclusively a MSC. ...but it could become a combination MSC - Rec Center if there was the right mix of sponsors and providers.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/downloads/pdf/Multi_Service_Center.pdf
Daily News says a Roller rink ? Seems kind of unimaginative, but inexpensive to build.
http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1102499
I think the roller rink idea is 100% nostalgia. People--myself included--really loved Empire Roller Rink. But apparently there's only one indoor rink in the entire city, so maybe there's demand? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/nyregion/28roller.html?_r=1
The space is large enough that it could be divided into two floors. A rent paying store (Target, Walmart, Pathmark, etc) could rent the first floor and the profit could be used to subsidize the second floor (gym, flea market, roller rink, etc).
The Target would only get leases for a maximum of 5 years, that way the city could give them the boot if they didn't hold up their end of the deal.
I definitely wouldn't want a Target or any other big box store there. Even though it has frontage on Bedford, the Armory is located in a residential neighborhood and the influx of cars or people that a big box would bring would really impact those folks living on Union, President and Rodgers. I'd rather see a recreational facility which I think would be less intrusive to the surrounding community. I also question why it can't continue to serve as soundstage and/or rehersal space. There is apparently a fair amount of usage currently, and if that were made permanent, maybe it would attract supporting businesses to the area, plus encourage partnership with MEC.
Why couldn't the big national chain be a Crunch or Eqinox or something similar? The neighborhood needs a gym!
A high end gym would work, but does the neighborhood have a large enough population that would $upport such a gym? If not, could the gym be a specialized facility that attracted people from all over the city, who would fork out big money to use it on an occasional basis?
The estimates to heat, cool and maintain the facility are around $1m a year. ...this exceeds the resources available from MEC or NYC Parks dept.
We need something that generates some $. I don't think a flea market or a roller rink could pull it off.
I don't know how much the film/concert people paid; they may have gotten a deal from NYS that is no longer possible now that building is owned by NYC.
I think the plan would work if you had multiple uses, similar to the Chelsea Piers setup. If you had a roller rink + bowling alley + gym/fieldhouse + rehersal space you could get multiple tenants in with multiple revenue streams. The problem comes from dedicating the entire facility to one use. But its more than big enough to accommodate multiple uses.
Then you can have MEC paying for access. For example MEC pays an annual flat fee to allow MEC students access to gym facilities. Cheaper than the school building its own space then having to pay O&M on that space. The secret is to build each individual piece so that it is large enough to support the revenue stream it needs to bring in, but not so large that it needs to charge ridiculous amounts of money for use of the space. Building flexible space that can accommodate many options,with one or two specialized premium use spaces(swimming pool, roller rink,etc)might be the ticket.
Although not politically popular, I can think of another use that comes with a somwhat ok funding stream:
Alternative to Incarceration.
Some of the funds that are presently spent to jail people on Rikers Island for misdemeanors could be used to create a day reporting center that focused on GED, drug rehab, vocational skills, etc.
Those who failed to report, or acted like pricks while at the center, would join their incarcerated peers at Rikers. I doubt the political obstacles could be overcome though....
An Armory in the Bronx might become an ice rink:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/nyregion/ice-center-proposed-for-kingsbridge-armory.html
8 months later, the deal is done:
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130423/kingsbridge-heights/kingsbridge-armory-become-worlds-largest-indoor-ice-center
Bedford and Union Armory-
Has our outgoing Boro President made any progress at filling you?
I liked the term in the article "national rink per person" average. Who keeps statistics like that??? In any event, I would think if an ice rink is built on Bedford that it does better than the old Empire Rollerdrome in its last years.
I doubt the city could support TWO ice facilities of this variety.
...hopefully there are lots of entities interested in this, and Marty (soon Eric Adams) is negotiating the best deal.
i mean, now that the velodrome isn't happening in Brooklyn Bridge Park....
Today, July 12, there is an article announcing that a lead investor has been found for the Kingsbridge site.
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/07/11/goldman-could-become-lead-investor-in-275m-kingsbridge-armory-project/
Part of me suspects they were able to attract investors as a result of them depending upon patronage from wealthy people in NJ, Manhattan and Westchester. ...it would take a really long time to be able to get that investment back just from people who lived in the surrounding area.
Do we need a plan that creates a "destination" like this, or could we create something that is inexpensive enough to be sustained by our rapidly changing neighborhood?
Update. Looks like the Armory is back to being a "possible" future rec center.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/park-slope-armory-crown-heights-article-1.1509895
Nov 7: A RFP for the development of the Bedford - Union has just been released.
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/11/the-city-wants-proposals-to-develop-the-bedford-union-armory/#comments
Here we go!
The plan to transform the big armory in the Bronx into an ice rink remains on track: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131210/kingsbridge/city-council-approves-kingsbridge-ice-skating-rink
I suspect that we will know what will become of "our armory" at Union and Bedford in the early Spring 2014.
I wouldn't mind it if their Bronx deal fell thru and they ended up here.
There is no exact timeline for when we will learn what the armory will become; the length of the review process depends on the volume and nature of responses received.
tick, tick, tick....
http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/44634/links-to-the-big-16-developments-in-western-crown-heights#Item_1
I do admit that we may be a little late. Also, we have little to no experience in operating large-scale indoor aquariums, nor do we have access to capital funding necessary to pull it off.
In such situations, there is rarely someone that is able to intervene and say, "you two grow up and get along, or no one is getting pizza".
The individual bidders (ie organizations) are free to share what they proposed, but are under no obligation to so. Many bidders try to keep the fact they submitted a bid confidential for a variety of reasons.
The org presenting on June 3 will likely say what they believe they know about the other bidders and their concepts, in order to make their own bid sound superior to those in attendance.
Once the contract is awarded, EDC will likely make a statement about what type of proposals it considered and list the various orgs that applied, in order to show that the process was thorough and fair.
In these situations, funders are looking for a substantional Organizational CV.
Merely living close to the project isn't going to be enough.
If I attend on June 3rd, I may ask questions re: same.
Affordable housing earns a proposal points in the present climate.
The speaker (F. Richard Hurley Esq.) believes at least 6 proposals were submitted. However, the bidders can't talk about their proposals until after the award.
This new "association of associations" is seemingly partial to Steiner, and let them use their name in the proposal.
If Steiner gets the award, he wants to make sure that most of the jobs go to local residents, and that "the community" has ongoing input and control.
He believes Steiner has a good shot at getting the award, but is afraid that Steiner will not follow thru on their assurances to him (and "the community").
If Steiner doesn't get the award, he wants to have similar "influence" over the bidder that does win. He wants EDC to mandate the winner abide by whatever demands this coalition creates.
This is not the same as the group referenced above on March 28th.
I do not believe the city has this ability.
The bidders are not allowed to speak until the award is made.
I am not under the impression this future mtg would influence which bid receives the award.
Here are links to the actual RFP that was issued: https://www.google.com/#q=nyc+edc+armory+union
BTW, the idea that EDC would stipulate that the successful bidder would abide by the "demands" of last nights coalition is fanciful. Bidders do not have to do things that were not in the RFP, and the EDC is not going to put itself in a position where it must force two entities to get along.
If the neighborhood wants locals employed at the new armory, they should make sure that locals know about the positions and then are prepared to convince the employer they are best for the job.
Otherwise, this will become a mere charade of hiring local.
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140606/kingsbridge-heights/kingsbridge-armory-project-on-thin-ice-amid-feud-among-its-developers
I seems that could happen at "our" armory as well.
First the idea of a Duane Reade/CVS on Nostrand, then a Trader Joes at the Armory... I would just die of happiness
Lots of eyes are on this site, and developer of the former Dunkin Donuts gas station may be taking a wait and see approach.
....I would.
Here is all I know: http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/38184/the-gulf-stationdunkin-donuts-at-ep-and-bedford-1550-bedford
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/merchants-iced-article-1.1872643?__hstc=109812634.4b324a351083243766f8b9a1c9dc5fd2.1394802287275.1405943628450.1405957454763.253&__hssc=109812634.10.1405957454763&__hsfp=309987890
Spoiler: Commercial rents are soaring in anticipation
The state isn't clear what it plans to do with it: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/07/28/state-calls-off-bidding-process-for-williamsburg-armory/
Rabbi Eli Cohen, the President of the
Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, Vaughan Tony from the Friends of Crown Heights, Frank Esquilin, the President of Crow Hill Community Association and Jacqueline Welch of Community Board #9 and Neighborhood Advisory Board #14.
"We all look forward to working together in our Community with the City on transforming the Armory to a community based location!"
--->This new "association of associations" is seemingly partial to Steiner, and let them use their name in the proposal.
If Steiner gets the award, he wants to make sure that most of the jobs go to local residents, and that "the community" has ongoing input and control.
He believes Steiner has a good shot at getting the award, but is afraid that Steiner will not follow thru on their assurances to him (and "the community").
If Steiner doesn't get the award, he wants to have similar "influence" over the bidder that does win. He wants EDC to mandate the winner abide by whatever demands this coalition creates. <---
However, as stated above, I do not believe they will be successful.
I suspect that the affordable housing component and the "big space" component must be arranged at the same time.
The latter might subsidize the former.