NARR: At a community board meeting in the North Bronx tensions were running high over a vote for a land use recommendation located on Gun Hill road. The 400,000 square foot piece of land has been vacant for almost 100 years. But the question of what to do with the land created a dichotomy between the citizens and the board members at the meeting. Councilman Andy King was also there to urge the board to educate themselves on what they are voting for; predicting the land will be used for an outlet mall…
ANDY KING: “They’re expertise is getting tended for outlet malls. So if it looks like a duck it quacks like a duck you can answer the question if you want to. Alright? Be educated and don’t get mislead by any glitz or glamour on anybody else’s agenda cause at the end of the day we have to live in this community when everyone has packed up and gone and made a dollar.”
NARR: Other community members expressed the needs of the community, Reverend Carol Hamilton a social worker and member of Speaker for a Better Bronx relayed the community’s need for housing…
REVEREND CAROL HAMILTON: “I am not against developing the lot, however I actually am advocating for affordable housing. Not another retail outlet as Councilman Andy King mentioned.”
NARR: While other members of the community, like Pamela Hamilton-Johnson, see a need for another school…
PAMELA HAMILTON-JOHNSON: “I am a former school board president in this district, we are over-crowded, we still have trailers in this district, our children have to come out of trailers that have expired that have rodents and squirrels and raccoons in them and they need to have a building. It is very easy to ask the DOE was is the criteria for a school building.”
NARR: Charlie Samboy, a representative of the city addressed each of these claims and added that there were many things that were misrepresented by the community and the board…
CHARLIE SAMBOY: “The deed of sale will specify language explicitly restricting them from creating an outlet center. They do not have any experience um building outlet centers either here in New York nor in Washington D.C. nor in Westchester County where uh they have several retail centers… The school construction authority doesn’t have money to build a school in this district. Charter schools typically do not pay rent. Um that is something that would be um catastrophic for this project and not make it financially feasible.”
NARR: But when it came time to vote some community members didn’t back down from their right to speak out and made final attempt to change the board’s mind.
REVEREND CAROL HAMILTON: “Why don’t you tell the people that they have a little bit of control?
WILLIAM HALL: Excuse me, excuse me sir, sir you’re out of order. Alright, Ms. Gibson.
REVEREND CAROL HAMILTON: Tell the people the truth!”
NARR: After a long and intense meeting the board voted yes to a retail center in order to still have a “seat at the table” when developers start building in the future. Their next opportunity to sit will be a meeting with the Bronx Borough president on Tuesday April 4th at the Bronx Courthouse. From Fordham University, I’m Gracee Mattiace.
