Bruce Teitelbaum’s Harlem Project Gets Borough Prez Support

Bruce Teitelbaum’s pursuit of a project in Harlem is officially back on and has the support of Manhattan’s president — with a significant caveat.

Mark Levine endorsed Teitelbaum’s latest plan for One45, the New York Daily News reported. Levine’s support of the two-building project at 145th Street and Lenox Avenue is largely symbolic, but marks a shift in sentiment: Levine voted against a previous iteration of the project.

Levine and Teitelbaum have a tentative deal, which includes the former’s recommendations to require union construction workers for the project and to increase the size of a community space.

Most significantly, however, the deal also includes a memorandum of understanding that posits a possible alternative plan for the development: two 34-story buildings with 968 apartments, a quarter of which would be designated affordable. The memorandum includes a stipulation that Teitelbaum would potentially sell one of the parcels to a nonprofit that would develop a 100 percent affordable building, effectively doubling the amount of affordable housing in the project.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development is in “active talks” with Teitelbaum, according to a spokesperson for the agency. Additionally, Councilmember Yusuf Salaam has been involved in the negotiations, a potentially promising sign for a rezoning process that often hinges on the support of the local elected official.

The local community board voted against the latest iteration of One45. The City Planning Commission and the City Council still need to weigh in.

Teitelbaum first brought One45 to life years ago, only to shelve it due to opposition from the councilmember at the time, Kristin Richardson Jordan, who wanted more affordable housing than the developer thought financially feasible to include. The fallout helped push Jordan out of the political picture.

After the original One45 collapsed, Teitelbaum turned the L-shaped site into a truck depot. It has also hosted a migrant community center.

— Holden Walter-Warner