Long Term Plan

A 5-year plan has been envisioned as part of the next steps. This long plan will need to be drafted within a year by all of those residents, civic groups, community organizations, and public agencies already involved in shaping the space as well as new groups inspired and launching new programs and activities for the community. The vision for such a long-term plan will also be shaped by the funding opportunities and the city’s financial aid. No less important will be the agreement with the city concerning the use and stewardship of the NYPD building.

It is unknown to the public how the basement and the second floor of the building —with a gross floor area of 44,625 sq ft— are currently used and the condition of such spaces. For the long-term plan, it would be wise to question the current use of those areas and the potential to transform them into useful spaces for community programs. Those additional spaces could free a significant area in the main hall for large events, such as concerts and exhibitions, and provide public services and community activities urgently needed in Sunset Park.

The long-term vision should also consider a hybrid stewardship model to keep the space as a resource for the community. This could take different forms inspired by the city’s community land trust movement and the cooperative legacy the neighborhood holds in its heart. Over the last decade, efforts promoting these forms of collective ownership and management have proliferated across neighborhoods to prevent public land and buildings from falling into the hands of private real estate developers, ensuring that community needs and priorities are reflected in the use of public properties in perpetuity.

The creation of a hybrid ownership and stewardship model to protect and preserve the building for future generations is something to aim for in the long-term plan, but to be successful, it will need solid foundations and a well-organized and unified community.

The Shared Stewardship Model proposed, with its decentralized structure and collective decision-making focus, establishes those foundations as a positive precedent for the future.