One of what must be one of the few remaining empty lots in South Harlem is no longer. Construction has begun on 112th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Manhattan Boulevard. There is a sign that says affordable housing and another that has a developer contractors listed. What will it be?
A tall slender tower? A brownstone? A prefab of some kind perhaps. Time will tell. Anything is possible.
harlemcondolife, there are projects as long as the great wall of china from Lenox Avenue all the way to 1st ave(granted more towards the east , but it has severely slowed upward gentrification over there)..Lenox Avenue is only 2 Avenues away from the gold coast of Frederick Douglass… There are also a huge amount of projects just north of 125th street and ACP as well as further west towards Amsterdam.. If you look at an overhead google map of Harlem , you will see that there is a higher concentration of projects in Harlem than any other neighborhood in Manhattan.. The projects themselves have proven to be a failed system that has created generational dependency and have been torn down in many cities across the country.. Even long time Harlem residents who were there way before gentrification know that the projects are not a place to be around, so I think it is time people stop trying to paint an idyllic picture of what they are e.g. a place with well raised children with strict parents…etc..
As for the area doing quite fine despite the blocks and blocks of projects around comment by Schniffy – all you have to do is take a look at Lenox Avenue between 111th street and 115th and you will see that it is a complete dead zone and EXTREMELY sketchy with only 1 worthwhile business standing on it’s own… The fabulous Mexican Restaurant Lolita’s… The rest of it is a completely different neighborhood than Lenox Avenue from 116th to 125th…
Add to all of this the various New York City Housing Authority buildings that are scattered throughout central Harlem that do not look project like but indeed are projects and this should be an indicator that market rate apartments – both rental and for sale – should be the only thing that is being developed in order to create a balance… No one would be displaced by adding market rate buildings to unoccupied land…
Good points I agree with harlemcondolife and Schniffy. If this empty lot doesn’t become Affordable Housing then what about some of the empty buildings in Harlem that could be renovated and made into AH? Like on 114 st and 7th there are several unoccupied buildings.
I’m going to have to agree with “Schniffy” on the “improve properly” comment. That didn’t sit right with me either. Harlem is a community with many types of people, income, etc. There is a neighborhood vibe which is inclusive of all of us that live here together. There are also not “blocks and blocks” of projects, there are brownstones and rentals, condos, projects, affordable housing, all of it combined together is in my opinion what makes Harlem special, interesting, inclusive, and I do not want that to change. And another thing (at Anonymous 9:12) projects are not a negative, they are part of Harlem, a condition. With many well raised children with strict parents and scholarships to college. Harlem is projects, Harlem is diversity, it is jazz, diverse restaurants , culture, history, rich and poor and those of us renting or buying or just visiting Harlem for any reason, should understand and respect this. The folks who do not view Harlem this way should perhaps consider a more “appropriate” neighborhood for their needs. There are plenty of other neighborhoods in NYC.
Again, we do appreciate all of your comments here at HCL. Thank your for your comments and conversation.
I’ll pass by and try and get more conclusive info on the empty lot.
At Anonymous 9:12pm: Affordable Housing – of which I am considering housing that also includes the middle-class – is MOST certainly needed. I also feel that the formula to determine qualifying incomes for affordable housing needs to be revised to something like 60-20-20. Because you haven’t defined “improve properly”, I’ll leave that alone – it’s too loaded especially with a reference to their being block of projects around. Nevertheless as fully documented by this blog, this area is doing quite fine despite those projects being “around”.
Thanks for your comments.
At Schniffy the signs say several different things. We assumed it would be an Affordable Housing building, but the workman i was speaking with at the site said that he thinks they will be new construction condos by the developer / listed to the left of all the signage.
We do NOT need more affordable housing for the area.. With the blocks and blocks of projects around , we need more market rate housing for the area truly to improve properly.
We need more affordable housing for the area.
Hello – It’s affordable housing! Most likely standard apartments for the likes that your blog can do a little better at recognizing rather than … oh nevermind I have to get back to work.