HARLEM, NY — The first look at plans for One45 — a yet-to-be built Harlem development that’s already amassed a long history of dramatics and controversy — would swap out a civil rights museum for a new residential building devoted to senior and affordable housing.
One45 representative Tristan Nadal presented the new plans for 145th Street and Lenox Avenue to Community Board 10’s Land Use Committee Thursday night, about a month after developers announced the project’s relaunch.
“We hope we have been responsive to the concerns that have been raised,” Nadal told the committee. “We stay dedicated to delivering the community benefits that we had presented prior, and also offering additional affordability to what we were proposing around a year ago.”
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Affordability was the rallying cry for local opponents, led by Harlem Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan, who actively and successfully fought against the initial plan’s passage in 2022.
Developer Bruce Teitelbaum told Patch the committee’s response was positive and it was a “very productive meeting.”
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And these sentiments were echoed by the committee, who thanked Nadal for taking into consideration previously raised concerns about affordable housing.
“We hope this is the start of a different relationship, a better relationship going forward,” Karen Dixon, the chair of Community Board 10’s Land Use Committee, said.
“We would all love permanently affordable housing being brought to the Harlem community…but it is important we reconcile and we really come to a place that meets the needs of all the residents of Community Board 10.”
The new plans still include two towers, 27 and 31-stories, but now there will be a smaller eight-story building in between that will be for senior and supportive housing.
While the first rendition of the One45 project planned for 30 percent of its 866 apartments to be affordable, this plan makes 50 percent of its 915 apartments affordable.
“The main changes are the removal of the Museum of Civil Rights from the project,” Nadal said.
“We’re replacing that with additional affordable housing in the form of senior and supportive housing, and increasing the overall affordability dramatically.”
The smaller “Building 2” is replacing the Civil Rights Museum originally planned for in the first One45 development, but which was scrapped after Rev. Al Sharpton pulled the proposal in May 2022.
Developers said the affordability changes will add 200 affordable apartments from the original plan, many more units at or below 60 percent area-median income rate (AMI), and 91 new senior and supportive housing units.
Under the new plan:
Here’s how those numbers compare to the first rendition of the 2021 plan:
The affordable units in the new plan revealed on Thursday night would be spread out throughout different floors of the three buildings, and while the buildings will not have internal connections, the same amenities will be offered to all residents.
The senior residents will also all be at or below 60 percent AMI.
Community Board 10 requested a breakdown of size and AMI rates per unit, a list of monthly rents and more information on the environmental effects of the project.
But overall, the conversation between the community board and development team was positive, and both set forward hopeful message about continued work together.
“I just want to say thank you for listening to us,” one Community Board 10 member said. “This is a marked improvement from what we’ve seen in the past.”
Studio apartments make up roughly 25 percent of units, one-bedrooms 45 percent and the remaining 30 percent would be two- and three-bedrooms.
The development will also include 110 parking spaces, with an entrance for cars at 144th Street and Lenox Avenue.
Commercial spaces on the towers’ ground floors would also be offered at discounted rates to Harlem businesses, Nadal said.
The development team will focus construction hirings and trainings for the project on residents in Community Board 10, and offer an internship program where local kids can take part in the project and learn skills.
The One45 development team has not yet found a nonprofit partner for the senior and supportive housing, but is working to do so, Nadal said.
After the meeting, Teitelbaum told Patch he was optimistic about the future of the new One45.
“We…came away with a good feeling,” Teitelbaum said. “We intend to continue working together with community leaders and our local supporters to accomplish something great for Harlem and its longtime residents.”
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