Harlem City Council member Kristin Jordan Richardson has gone silent over developer Bruce Teitelbaum’s new proposal to build a $700 million apartment project, One45, at Lenox Avenue at West 145th Street.
Richardson’s office told us that she was “working on a statement” to respond, but didn’t know when it would be ready.
Richardson famously refused to back Teitelbaum’s plan that would create 915 new apartments on the underused site because making half of them “affordable” weren’t enough for her taste.
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Teitelbaum yanked the rezoning proposal last year, knowing that the Council wouldn’t try to override Richardson’s veto. The body usually defers to the district representative.
Teitelbaum now plans to re-start the rezoning process. His letter to Richardson about what he now calls “One45 Harlem For ALL” put her on the spot. If she again balks, he’ll use part of the land as a truck depot and another part for about 60 market-rate apartments, both of which are allowed without rezoning.
Teitelbaum invited the Council member to “join me in direct talks with no pre-conditions, no ultimatums or rigid demands.”
The discussion should be “face to face,” his letter said, and suggested that Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine could help arrange the meeting. Levine, like most other elected officials, are strong supporters of Teitelbaum’s plan.