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Q&A
Potential activation of Bedford Atlantic Armory for public benefit
1:18:36
·
81 sec
Council Member Crystal Hudson inquires about the administration's plans to activate the Bedford Atlantic Armory, a large city-owned property within the rezoning area, for greater public benefit. Alex Sommer from the Department of City Planning (DCP) discusses the potential and challenges of repurposing the site.
- Hudson points out that large parts of the building are underutilized, despite its partial use as a shelter.
- Sommer acknowledges the site's potential and mentions it was highlighted during community engagement.
- He explains that DCP is working with the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to understand current needs and physical constraints of the facility.
- Sommer mentions the need for further studies to determine possible uses for workforce or economic development activities in the building.
Crystal Hudson
1:18:36
Thank you.
1:18:37
And then this is my last question, and I appreciate everyone's patience.
1:18:41
The Bedford Atlantic Armory is an enormous city owned property sitting right in the middle of this rezoning area.
1:18:47
A portion of it is used for an important and needed shelter, but large parts of the building are underutilized.
1:18:52
How does the administration propose activating the space for greater public benefit?
Alex Sommer
1:18:58
No, this is a really interesting site.
1:19:01
It provides a huge opportunity for the neighborhood.
1:19:04
We know it came out during the community engagement process and was in the community board's recommendations to reevaluate the site.
1:19:13
So we've been working closely with DHS to understand the current needs that they have.
1:19:18
Obviously and as you mentioned, this is a really important facility for them.
1:19:22
It's very difficult to relocate.
1:19:25
And so we've been trying to understand some of the existing physical considerations with facility.
1:19:31
And we're looking at ways to What needs to be studied basically in order to move forward with that site?
1:19:38
We know that armory renovation costs can be significant, but first we need to understand what are the physical constraints of that site?
1:19:46
Can you do swing space within that facility?
1:19:49
And that will allow us to understand what kind of jobs or workforce or economic development activities can and should be located in that building.
Crystal Hudson
1:19:56
Great.
1:19:57
Thank you so much.