After facing significant community backlash, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has decided to retract a proposal to allocate a luxury condominium complex in Harlem, which had been abandoned, to migrants.
“Adams’ change of heart came during a surprise appearance at a St. Nicholas House Resident Association meeting packed with dozens of residents furious over the city’s plan for a building development on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd once marketed as upscale housing,” reported the New York Post.
“The 35-story building was quietly slated to become a homeless shelter that could potentially house migrants — a plan that was only revealed to the community this week when some neighborhood residents saw workers bringing bed frames and mattresses inside,” it added.
“I told the team, ‘Find out what’s going on here. We’re not moving folks into a brand new building when you have long-term needs in a community. That’s not gonna happen,’” Adams said. “You will not have migrants and asylum seekers in that property.”
Instead of migrants, the site will now provide housing for New York families struggling with homelessness.
“Despite the developer’s initial plans for market rate condominiums, development had been stalled and this building left indefinitely empty– it would not have advanced as luxury housing. Instead of sitting vacant, this site will serve as high-quality transitional housing for long-term New York City families with children experiencing homelessness,” a spokesperson for the NYC Department of Social Services confirmed to CBS New York.
“We will be working with an experienced not-for-profit provider to help these families stabilize their lives and ultimately move into permanent housing. As we have always done, we will continue to maintain open lines of communication and work closely with the community every step of the way to ensure that we are collaboratively working to provide critical services for our neighbors in need.”
Originally marketed as a luxury complex, the development has remained unoccupied for several decades.
“You are the mayor. We don’t want excuses,” shouted one resident of Harlem at Adams.
If Mayor Adams would step up and demand that Biden end the flow of illegal immigration, he may be able to effect some real change. https://t.co/mblm3MnX4o
— NumbersUSA (@NumbersUSA) February 17, 2024
“We have a dearth of affordable housing we’re being priced out of the community … The lack of respect is absolutely appalling,” Harlem resident Regina Smith said.
“These apartments could be used for us to go into,” Leslie Johnson said.
