Five acres of hope: that’s what the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition has long felt the Kingsbridge Armory, a long-abandoned fortress built in 1917 to train soldiers for World War I, can and should be. A place run by and for the Bronx’s 1.4 million people, where they can live, work and have a stake in their own future.
This vision is one step closer to reality after the NWBCCC signed an unprecedented agreement with 8th Regiment Partners, the developer selected by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to redevelop the Armory. The agreement incorporates key elements of the Together for Kingsbridge plan NWBCCC created for the site, after speaking with more than 4,000 Bronx residents about their priorities.
“We’re proud to have secured a model that reflects what the community has always called for: shared governance, community ownership and real investment in our people,” said Sandra Lobo, Executive Director of the NWBCCC, part of the People’s Action national network of grassroots powerbuilding groups.
“Through community-owned condos, democratic decision-making and a structure for long-term investment in local businesses and workers, this agreement begins to fulfill our collective vision of building a more just, resilient and self-determined Bronx,” Lobo added.
Among the elements of the agreement are:
- – one fifth of the site will be reserved for community use, with 25,000 square feet for community, workforce and cooperative business development, and 100,000 square feet for light manufacturing which would otherwise be displaced from the borough
- – approximately 450 units of permanently affordable rental housing
- – 20,000 square feet for small and local businesses
- – high environmental standards and labor protections
- – community ownership, through a Community Council co-convened by NWBCCC, and a Community Benefit Fund to provide ongoing support to the initiatives
“NWBCCC has been at the heart of every conversation—listening, organizing, and showing up for Bronx residents on the ground,” said State Senator Robert Jackson. Their leadership is exactly what’s needed to ensure this development delivers real justice, real investment, and real results for the people of the Bronx.”
“It is encouraging that a historic organizing force from our community will have a seat at the table in the Armory’s transformation process,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “Our community’s aspirations, needs, and concerns about this development must be thoroughly reflected in a legally binding Community Benefits Agreement that includes enforceable anti-displacement measures to protect small businesses and clear frameworks for community ownership and revenue-sharing mechanisms to directly benefit local residents.
With the agreement, the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment project now advances through the through New York City’s public approval process, with a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) review. The project has a commitment to $200 million in funding from New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with $2 million from Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, $12 million from City Council Member Pierina Sanchez, and a $1.05 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
The transformation of this historic castle in the heart of the West Bronx is more than a redevelopment project; it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to spark economic growth, empower our neighborhoods, and deliver on a promise of equity and opportunity, “ said Gibson.
