CB10 Blasts 125th St. Plan

Before a raucous, frequently hostile crowd, the Department of City Planning presented its proposal to rezone 125th Street at a Community Board 10 public hearing Wednesday night.

While the hearing—which was at the Oberia Dempsey Center—began on a somewhat cordial note, the audience’s opposition to the proposal became more vocal throughout the night, until one citizen made what appeared to be threats against City Hall’s representative. The meeting was promptly adjourned in response to the incident.

The plan to rezone 125th Street entered the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure on Oct. 1, and is now being reviewed by Community Boards 9, 10, and 11. Many members of CB10, which represents central Harlem, have expressed opposition to the plan, which includes creating high-density developments on 125th Street and mandating in certain areas that space be set aside for arts-and-entertainment-related facilities in any new development of over 60,000 square feet.

Beatrice Sibblies, chair of economic development for CB10, set the tone of the evening after a presentation by City Planning representative Edwin Marshall. “When Harlem was zoned back 40 years ago, there were only a limited number of streets that were commercial,” Sibblies said. “That is why 125th Street is as it is. ... When residential buildings go up, we lose the commercial heart of our community. And when we lose the commercial heart of our community, what is Harlem?”

Almost everyone who spoke expressed hostility to the rezoning. Michael Henry Adams, a 23-year Harlem resident and graduate of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Program, criticized what he saw as the city’s high-handed approach, saying, “The city has become ingenious at appearing to solicit participation at the same time as they ignore us.” Cheering and chanting followed his comments.

Nellie Bailey, co-founder and director of the Harlem Tenants Council, also garnered applause for her claim that “spineless elected officials” such as Representative Charlie Rangel, D-Harlem, were at fault for not doing enough to stand up for Harlem.

After slightly more than two hours, the meeting came to an abrupt halt when one speaker accused Marshall of being a sellout and yelled “I’m gonna burn it down!” before being escorted out of the room. Many in the audience began chanting and speaking loudly in response to his remarks, and after a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to calm the audience, CB10 chair Franc Perry adjourned the meeting.

CB10 First Vice-Chair Jabari Osaze, who also chairs the board’s Land Use Committee, expressed regret that the meeting could not continue, especially given the board’s public opposition to the rezoning. “We’ve been negotiating with City Planning for over a year, ... and the people who spoke from the Community Board spoke on behalf of the various committees,” Osaze said.

Carolyn Nowell, a 52-year Harlem resident who spoke at the meeting, was upset that the meeting didn’t last longer, but urged community members to speak their minds, asking, “Why is no one stepping up to the plate and saying, ‘No, it cannot be’?”

Jordan Fraade can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.