On September 23, City Councilman Yusef Salaam, developer Bruce Teitelbaum, and other city leaders gathered for a public forum at the National Urban League to discuss the controversial One45 housing development coming to Harlem, in an attempt to “demystify” some of the information. However, community members in attendance who were concerned about issues, such as the affordability of the proposed rental rates, said much of the event was disappointing.
The project, which has been in the works for several years, has garnered attention in recent months as groups like Defend Harlem, also known as the NY Interfaith Commission for Housing Equality, sounded the alarm.
Others on the panel included Assemblyman Al Taylor; Malcolm Hunter, president of HCCI and coordinator of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for the project; and Jelani Deshong, deputy director of intergovernmental affairs for the Mayor’s Office.
One by one, concerned Harlem residents addressed the panel, asking about the project and how they can maintain life in Harlem despite not qualifying for its income ranges.
“This project marks a milestone as the first major development of this size dedicated to creating affordable housing for northern Manhattan in more than a generation,” Salaam said. “No project can address 100% of the problem.” Salaam had negotiated the terms of the project with Teitelbaum, paving the way for its approval by the City Council in July 2025.
At the closing of the event, Kai Cogsville, a leader of Defend Harlem, shared a statement directed toward Salaam, discussing the issues with the project, including the income levels starting at $71,280 for a single person and $101,760 for a family of four, while the median household income in Central Harlem is roughly just $52,000 a year.
“The One45 project as currently proposed does not serve Harlem residents … The city, state, developer, and other development partners must come together and use every available financing and policy tool to close the gap,” Cogsville said. “As currently proposed, the One45 project will not help longtime Black and Latino families remain in Harlem. It risks accelerating their displacement — and we have an opportunity to change that. This is a chance to be on the right side of history and ensure that the people who built Harlem can continue to call Harlem home.”
Cogsville also requested a meeting with Salaam “to identify a path forward to increase significant affordability for this project.”
The development is set to be 1,000 units in three buildings — the first two with the vast majority being market rate, which is more than double the income of the surrounding area and Central Harlem. Construction is expected to begin by December or at the start of the new year, and slated to be completed within 24 months. The third building is set to be fully affordable, with 90 units for seniors, but won’t start construction until 2031, because demolition and cleanup of the garage currently at the space will take longer.
Salaam noted the first building would be 502 units, with 160 affordable family-sized units at 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) for a two-partner household, which amounts to $82,000 or $41,000 per person. The second building would have 408 units, with 122 family-sized units at 80% of AMI, amounting to $108,000 or $55,000 per person. The goal for the third building would be at 50% of AMI.
Community members expressed frustration with some of the metrics.
“The numbers don’t add up,” said June Moses, a longtime Harlem resident in attendance. “If you have to be making $55,000 and I have to make $55,000, then it is not affordable.”
In response to the claim that Salaam negotiated down from 50% affordability established under a deal with previous City Councilperson Kristin Richardson Jordan, Salaam told the Amsterdam News that it is misinformation.
“The former councilmember stepped away from negotiations,” Salaam said. “It’s disingenuous to say, ‘Why did you negotiate less than what she got?’ If she got it, it would be on the record, but she didn’t get it.”
Fight over rental rates for majority of units
After discussing the timeline for the project, Teitelbaum said he previously requested subsidies from the Adams administration for the project to make more affordable units, but was rejected.
“It’s not possible to build housing at the AMI level or as low as you’d like without getting the city subsidies,” Teitelbaum said. He also said he is open to making the third building more affordable and potentially adding units.
When questioned about flexibility in lowering the rental rates for the majority of units that are currently set at market rate, Teitelbaum declared that it was too late.
“The project is fully baked. It’s been done. It’s been finalized. The answer is no, at this point, because the previous administration did not provide the subsidies,” Teitelbaum said. “It’s not as if you can just wait around for 10 months, 15 months … for some magic subsidy. It doesn’t work that way.”
Through the CBA, the project will include economic resources, including a 23,000-square-foot technology center providing workforce training for Harlem residents and a 30,000-square-foot commercial retail and community space with 20% set aside for Harlem businesses and another 10% for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses.
However, Nicky Sunshine, co-owner of Comedy in Harlem on St. Nicholas Avenue, highlighted issues with the project for surrounding small businesses. “This project will raise surrounding rates … I’m talking about surrounding businesses and our cultural institutions,” she said. She asked what more can be done to protect them.
Throughout the year, Defend Harlem has rallied to raise awareness and push to make the project more affordable by getting Mayor Mamdani’s attention.
“We have a mayor that has had some incredible strategies around affordable housing and affordability in general … I think this would be a great project for him to get involved with,” Cogsville said.
Despite what was said, Cogsville does not buy that nothing can be done to make One45 more affordable for the majority of units. “I understand from [Teitelbaum’s] standpoint,” he said. “He’s been working on this for almost a decade now, so he’s probably exhausted in trying to just get a return on his investment. In New York, things are always changing … until the building is up and people are living in it, there’s a bunch of things that can be done for sure.”
Salaam gave his card to Cogsville, but Cogsville said he has yet to hear back from Salaam’s office.
“We have nothing but respect for our elected … I’m not going to badmouth Yusef Salaam or any of these people. I’m simply asking to have a time for us to have a dialogue,” Cogsville said. “Harlem leadership and the Harlem community [are] just a little bit too siloed; I think we really need to kind of come together and deliver an actionable win for the community.”
