Surprise revival of controversial two-tower Harlem development tests city’s housing commitment

BY NICK GARBER

The developer behind a controversial Harlem rezoning is resurrecting his project months after it failed in the face of political opposition. The move is certain to test the City Council’s political will to build more housing and challenge its long-held tradition of giving members veto power in their own district.

Known as One45, the original $700 million project called for rezoning a corner of West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue to put up a pair of 363-foot-tall towers on a site now home to low-rise retail. In the pro- posal’s final form, the two towers would have contained 915 apartments, half of which would have been income-restricted.

In the wake of One45’s defeat, some officials called it a missed opportunity to create badly needed housing—especially when Teitelbaum raised the stakes in recent weeks by opening an unpopular truck depot on a portion of the site.

Mayor Eric Adams reportedly supported the first project, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine last month called for reviving One45.

The recent announcement of the surprise restart came in the form of a letter from Teitelbaum, addressed to Richardson Jordan. He said the new project, known as One45 Harlem for All, would contain the same number of apartments as the old proposal—but with a higher proportion pegged to 30% of the area median income, or about $28,000 for a single person.

But the plan faced harsh pushback in the neighborhood last year—particularly from Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan, who argued it would indirectly displace longtime residents by driving up surrounding rents. The socialist lawmaker was unmoved by last-minute additions of more affordable units, so developer Bruce Teitelbaum withdrew the project hours before it faced likely rejection by a council committee in May.

“It is time for you and all of those who have a say in whether One45 Harlem for All lives or dies to make a decision,” Teitelbaum, a former aide to Mayor Rudy Giuliani, wrote to Richardson Jordan.

One45’s revival puts pressure not only on the local council member but on Speaker Adrienne Adams, who has staked out a position as a pro-housing legislator. Her short tenure thus far has included the passage of major developments such as Innovation QNS and Halletts North in Astoria; Innovative Urban Village in East New York, Brooklyn; and the Lirio in Hell’s Kitchen.

Speaker Adams has hinted at be- ing willing to overturn member deference, the informal practice in which individual council members are allowed to decide the fate of projects in their district. In a recent news conference, the speaker declined to comment on the new proposal or the future of member deference.

But Charles Lutvak, a spokesman for the mayor, said that New York City’s housing shortage was contributing to an “affordability crisis,” and he called for developers and communities to “work together to create more housing.”

“We will continue working with all of our partners on a comprehensive effort to bring much-needed affordable housing to Harlem and every neighborhood in New York

City,” Lutvak said.

Teitelbaum told Crain’s that “the mayor and his team have been helpful, which we appreciate.”

Public dispute

The battle over One45 has taken the form of an unusually public— and personal—dispute between the developer and the local council member, with each accusing the other of refusing to meet in good faith. Teitelbaum has suggested Richardson Jordan was determined to defeat One45 no matter what, while the councilwoman countered with a rubric showing the affordability levels needed to secure her support.

Richardson Jordan has criticized One45 in stark racial terms, saying an influx of new residents would dilute Harlem’s “Black plurality.” She also has argued that a majority of the apartments would have been unaffordable to most households in the surrounding neighborhood, which in 2019 had a median income of $57,720, according to the American Community Survey. She did not respond to a request for comment on the new proposal. Richardson Jordan is facing a tough re-election bid this year, with challenges from Harlem Assembly members Al Taylor and Inez Dickens—both of whom have said they would support One45 a second time around.

“I am encouraged by this chance to create deeply affordable housing that will benefit our Harlem residents and families, especially in place of a dangerous and polluting truck depot,” Taylor said in a Twitter post.

Teitelbaum’s new plans would set aside 174 units at roughly 30% of the AMI—dozens more such units than in the previous version—plus 164 apartments between 60% and 80% AMI, he says. One hundred twenty units would be incomerestricted at unspecified levels, while the remaining 450 or so apartments would be market-rate.

It was not immediately clear when the project might begin the city’s monthslong review process for zoning changes. If a rezoning is never approved, Teitelbaum said, he and his partners will redevelop the site with a mix of market-rate housing, retail, a self-storage facility and parking. ■