- A standoff between a Harlem council member and a developer over affordable housing has escalated with New York Attorney General Letitia James claiming that the plans to operate a truck depot on the West 145th Street property could be illegal.
- James wrote a letter to the CEO of RPG, Bruce Teitelbaum, expressing concern that the operation of the truck depot may be a public nuisance and citing environmental and health concerns.
- The original plan for the property was a 939-unit residential high-rise complex, but negotiations fell apart.
- The truck depot represents a drastic change from the original plans and has been met with criticism from local officials who advocate for affordable housing instead.
- New York State Attorney General Letitia James raised concerns about the potential increase in air pollution and idling violations and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine called the opening of the depot “outrageous” and a perpetuation of environmental degradation in a neighborhood with high asthma rates.
By: Gothamist | January 27, 2023
A monthslong standoff between a Harlem councilmember and a developer over affordable housing has taken a new twist, with Attorney General Letitia James contending in a letter that plans to instead operate a truck depot on the West 145th Street property could be unlawful.
“Based on information available to us, we are concerned that operation of the truck depot may constitute a public nuisance,” James wrote in a Jan. 25 letter to Bruce Teitelbaum, the CEO of RPG, giving him 10 days to provide details about the hours and expected traffic at the planned depot – which occupies land the builder previously eyed for housing…
Teitelbaum did not immediately respond to a request for comment and James’ office had not yet received a reply to her letter, which cited a host of environmental and health concerns…
Jordan, a democratic socialist who describes herself on her Council website as “a third-generation Harlemite who has known Harlem since she was four months old,” did not make herself available for an interview. However, she addressed the controversy on Instagram, writing, “you cannot build a truck stop” and “we want ACTUALLY affordable and low-income housing,” while promoting a Jan. 28 rally at what she called “the scene of the crime truck stop.”
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