Bedford-Union Armory opponent loses Council race

Laurie Cumbo defeats Ede Fox in Crown Heights primary

From left: Rendering of the Bedford-Union Armory, Laurie Cumbo and Ede Fox
From left: Rendering of the Bedford-Union Armory, Laurie Cumbo and Ede Fox

A Crown Heights City Council race that became a de-facto referendum on the controversial Bedford-Union Armory real estate project appears to be good news for the developers.

Incumbent Laurie Cumbo won the democratic primary with 58 percent of the vote, while her challenger Ede Fox collected 42 percent. Fox had promised to kill the project and accused Cumbo of not being vocal enough in opposing it. Cumbo, meanwhile, said she opposes the project in its current form, but appeared more open to changes.

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“It’s an interesting test case to see if you can run a whole campaign on one land-use item. Ede staked her claim on one land-use issue and she was overwhelmingly rejected,” Councilmember David Greenfield told Politico. “[Cumbo] made it clear to me months ago she would not support the armory [deal] in its current form. She made that clear from day one. Ede was yelling louder, and it’s easier when you run a one-issue campaign, but I think people trust Laurie.”

Donald Capoccia’s BFC Partners plans to turn the armory into 330 rental apartments, some of them below-market, 58 condos and a 35,000-square-foot recreation center. Cumbo came out against the plan in May. [Politico]Konrad Putzier