East Harlem neighbors opposed to proposed Timbale Terrace affordable housing project
NEW YORK -- A proposed affordable housing complex on city-owned land in East Harlem is facing an uphill battle to win community board approval.
Timbale Terrace would turn an NYPD parking lot along Park Avenue between East 118th and 119th streets into hundreds of affordable housing units, but the community has concerns about the proposed tenants perpetuating the drug problem that already plagues the area.
Part of an effort by the Housing Preservation and Development office to convert under-utilized city-owned spaces into affordable housing, the 19-story tower would include new parking for the 25th Precinct, 240 one-to-three-bedroom apartments for families, and the new home of the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance, complete with a performance hall.
"It was important for us to find the right use to bring that area alive," Diane Louard-Michel, executive director of Lantern Community Services, told Community Board 11's housing committee.
"It's sort of like the sweetener of the deal that is actually not good for the community," said Harlem East Block Association manager Eva Chan.
Chan said the problem with the proposal is the rest of the residents. Lantern Community Services would also oversee 99 apartments for individuals in need of supportive housing, addiction recovery, and severe mental health help. The organization already operates two other buildings on the block, which neighbors blame for constant concerns with drug use.
"Even the police cannot stop them," Chan said, referring to the precinct next door. "So how would adding 100 more people in there help? If I were a drug dealer, that's where I'm gonna go."
Developers defend the decision to add drug treatment, saying those tenants will receive constant supervision through a program that helps subsidize their rent. Yet, the community is urging them to consider options for the elderly or even artists, prioritizing populations that are being priced out of Harlem.
"The equation does turn out for a better situation of having residents with services," Michelle Ponce with MEGA Development told the CB11 housing committee.
"Right, but the financing is a choice," responded 116th Street Block Association executive director Candy Vives-Vasquez. "You choose to have that as a financing or not."
"Financing affordable housing is really a balancing act where we need to really try to bring as many resources as we can to make this affordable housing happen," said Felipe Cortes, the city's assistant planning and predevelopment commissioner.
Lantern has created a community advisory committee to listen to the feedback in an effort to adjust the attitude of neighbors ahead of a vote.
"We're earnest," Louard-Michel emphasized. "We're in it, and we're really trying to address all those issues because we also live on 118th Street."
The full community board will not make a final decision until the fall, allowing both sides time to hopefully come to a compromise.
Data gathered by the Harlem East Block Association and the Greater Harlem Coalition shows their neighborhood has the highest concentration of drug treatment programs in the entire city.
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