Plan to turn Kingsbridge Armory annex into schools halted

A plan to transform the Kingsbridge Armory annex from military units into four new schools has stalled, angering parents in the overcrowded school district. The plan had called for the National and New York Guard units to move to the 55,000-square-foot Muller Center on Nereid Avenue in Wakefield, which was to be vacated by the Army Reserve in 2011. But the federal base realignment and closure process, through which the city and the federal government are working to find new residents for the former Army Reserve base, favors homeless housing providers — and there are two such providers that are already interested in the space. The process was supposed to be completed by February, but the city has asked for more time, and the federal government hasn’t replied yet. If the city fails to find a new home for the military units, the National and New York Guard will remain at the West 195th Street Kingsbridge Armory and the Department of Education will have to find another spot for the 1,650 new seats it plans to add to School District 10 by next year. The armory’s annex was not part of the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment plan that was vetoed by the City Council last year. [NYDN]

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