Why Defend Harlem movement wants City Hall to keep its eye on One45 project

A stream of people marched down Lenox Ave. in Harlem from 145th Street to Mount Olivet Baptist Church at 120th Street. They were followed by a hearse in what seemed to be a somber gathering. But it was not a funeral. Instead, marchers were taking place in a symbolic mourning of a proverbial “death’ in Harlem, meaning the displacement of longtime residents of the community. “We wanted to not just do a press conference or event simply in front of the One45 project,” said Kai Cogsville, who created the Defend Harlem online campaign. “But we wanted to get our religious leaders and other community organizers to walk down Lenox Avenue with a hearse to show if we don’t get some real support from the city and other electeds…that will be really the death of Lenox Avenue.” On June 25, organizers and faith leaders from Defend Harlem, the campaign of the NY Interfaith Commission for Housing Equality, marched in Central Harlem with community members demanding action be taken for affordable housing. The group specifically called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other city officials to address and subsidize the new One45 housing project to make it more affordable for the surrounding community.

“That was something we were thinking of doing months ago and [on June 25] … everything [was] coming together. Hopefully, we will continue this momentum with something in the near future as well.”

In May, the group held a rally and press conference on the steps of City Hall. For more than a year, they have been active around making the planned 1,000-unit development, set to be at 145th and Lenox Ave affordable for actual Harlem residents making between minimum wage and $65,000 so that it more accurately reflects the income levels of the area.

Marchers included Darializa Avila Chevalier, Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th Congressional District, Assemblymember Jordan Wright, former City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, and Candace Niles, who is running as an independent candidate in the district.

“I ask that our socialist mayor follow through on those socialist principles when it comes to Central Harlem. Make the One45 project affordable,” Jordan said in her remarks. “We can’t talk about housing for all and not talk about housing in Central Harlem.”

While Jordan was in office, she pushed for at least 50% of the development to be affordable but was unable to secure those rates. In the most recent approved plan with City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, only 20-30% are listed as affordable. However, organizers have pointed out that even within that smaller metric, it is still not truly affordable in matching the income levels of the community, requiring roughly $20,000 more.

Project developer Bruce Teitelbaum was reportedly open to making rates more affordable with a housing subsidy, something the group is urgently calling for now with the help of the mayor.

“We will not be zoned out,” Rev. Dr. Dedrick Blue said during the press conference at City Hall. “Mr. Mayor. Come and talk to us. Stand with us.”

Defend Harlem leaders have called for at least 400 of the 1,000 units to be actually affordable. The current plan consists of three towers, one with 90 fully affordable units for seniors, one at market rate, and a third that has the potential to be more affordable.

“What we’re saying to the mayor is that the second tower can be 100% affordable for people who are earning between $35,000 and $65,000,” Blue said. “It is a shovel-ready project, and a few million dollars is enough to create 400 units.”

Blue was one of more than 400 to be selected to join Mamdani’s transition team earlier this year. However, he says he has not been able to get a meeting or any kind of response from the mayor on this urgent project.

“There hasn’t been a whole lot of meeting and dialogue except for those whom they want to dialogue with,” Blue said. “We have yet to receive a response.” He emphasizes that he and Defend Harlem have sent letters to the offices of the mayor and deputy mayor, even reminding them that he was a member of the transition team.

“Don’t put my name on your transition team, and you can’t pick up the phone, and nobody can even have the courtesy to write us back. We were there because of the work we do,” he continued. “Now, because we are doing the work, you don’t want us there?”

Chevalier, who defeated incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the June 23 primary, was attending a Defend Harlem event for the first time.

“We need affordable housing for all and I’m going to fight tooth and nail for that across the country, but here in Harlem is where we have to start that fight,” Chevalier said during the rally following the march.

However, Niles, a longtime Central Harlem resident who is challenging Chevalier in the November general election, also challenged what she said.

“I still don’t think she addressed it,” Niles said, critiquing Chevalier’s remarks. “It was very vague. If you’re going to be representing this community, you need to know every facet of this community. It can’t just be what you think they need; it has to be what you know they need. I know Project One45 has been a thorn in our side for a while now.”

Jordan is hopeful that Chevalier will be able to deliver for the community and credits her for both showing up to march and not being bought by AIPAC.

“I do feel there is an effort to connect with Central Harlem. She’s already shown [she is] not just gonna connect with the gatekeepers…her accountability is to the people,” Jordan told the Amsterdam News. “I am hopeful we will see a different type of politics coming from her.”

However, she acknowledges Chevalier’s campaign could have done more to reach Harlem’s Black community during the primary campaign in which many sat out.

“The residents in Central Harlem, particularly Black residents, felt like neither Darializa nor Espaillat were speaking to Central Harlem’s longtime Black residents,” Jordan added.

It is not solely housing that Defend Harlem has advocated for. Following her remarks, Blue pointed Chevalier to large renderings of “Harlem on the Hudson,” an economic initiative from the Commission that they have advocated for in recent years. The plan would allow for the Henry Hudson waterfront and West Harlem Piers to become an economic generator and be owned by a local Harlem development company. They say it is an alternative way to spur development and support local Harlem residents and businesses.

In May, Mamdani released the 112-page Block By Block housing plan outlining ways to create 200,000 new affordable units. Defend Harlem leaders noted that Harlem was not mentioned once, urging the mayor not to forget the most vulnerable community.

Also in attendance was Andres Orejuela, an organizer with The West Harlem Community Preservation Organization, who was also at the City Hall rally. He highlighted another new housing development set to replace the Heritage Health Center at 1727 Amsterdam Ave, which serves 40,000 patients.

He says Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg should listen to the alternative plan proposed by Manhattan Community Board 9, and his group, with 250 truly affordable family-size units, while providing 60,000 square feet for health care services, compared to the current plan of 199 units with only 31 family-size units.

“We are asking the city not to choose between housing and healthcare. We want both,” Orejuela said. “We are asking for a seat at the table…because the community has real, sensible solutions.” – with additional reporting by Tandy Lau, Amsterdam News staff reporter