CROWN HEIGHTS — The planned Bedford-Union Armory redevelopment has its first tenant lined up.
The organizers of the neighborhood’s famous West Indian Day Parade will move their headquarters to the city-owned former military building on Bedford Avenue, set to be repurposed by developers at BFC Partners, the group said Tuesday.
The West Indian American Day Carnival Association, currently operating in a small Rogers Avenue storefront, has agreed to a 10-year lease in the armory’s “head house” — the two-story brick outcropping located on the Bedford Avenue side of the 138,000-square-feet building, representatives of BFC said.
The agreement is contingent upon the city approving the project through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, a months-long process that requires separate approvals from the City Council and mayor.
If completed, eight to ten community organizations will use 25,000 square feet of space in the building set aside for “locally based nonprofits,” said BFC principal Don Capoccia.
“We think that it can become a real focal point for the community,” he said.
Offices will be offered to the organizations at below-market rental rates, he said; WIADCA’s space costs approximately $6 per square foot — well below the going rate of about $20 to $25 per square foot for office space in Crown Heights, according to local commercial real estate experts.
“Securing a permanent home for West Indian cultural leadership is a huge victory for our Crown Heights community,” said William Howard, president of WIADCA, in a statement provided by BFC. “We commend BFC Partners for their commitment to providing truly affordable office space that will enable us to keep celebrating and sharing our traditions for generations to come.”
Replies
Am I missing something here? So after nearly 50 years of existence and generating billions for New York City are we suppose to happy that WIADCA may now have a home? Who are the bigger fools them or us? Why doesn't WIADCA own half of the city? The West Indian Carnival has generated more money for the city than Trump or George Steinbrenner ever did or could. Who are they trying to fool?
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