A Bronx City Council member is reportedly holding back his support of the $275 million Kingsbridge Armory project, after he failed to secure a $9.9 million donation package from developer KNIC Partners for his personal charity.
The 750,000-square-foot project to turn the armory into an ice center received the green light from the City Planning Commission on Nov. 7, and has until late next month to secure City Council approval. As a Council member representing the area, Fernando Cabrera holds tremendous sway over the final decision, Crain’s reported.
But Cabrera’s support may not be a given, after the developers reportedly denied a request he made in March for them to donate to his charity, Community Action Unlimited, according to Crain’s and Norwood News. Cabrera had asked for an annual donation of $100,000 for a 99-year period, according to Norwood News.
A spokesperson for Cabrera told Crain’s that the politician had never made a request for the donations and questioned the motive behind the allegations.
“The councilman is now raising the kind of issues that he’s supposed to during a land-use approval process,” the spokesperson said. “The timing of this accusation, after eight months, is questionable.” [Crain’s] – Hiten Samtani