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Bedford Park Project Draws Residents’ Ire

By JAMES FERGUSSON

Plans to build a housing complex for former homeless people and low-income families on the southeast corner of East 204th Street and Villa Avenue in Bedford Park have infuriated local residents and community leaders.

Project Renewal, the not-for-profit behind the venture, plans to construct a 49-unit, eight-story apartment building. Most of the apartments – 30 – will be for people referred by the Department of Homeless Services.

Sonia Lappin, who lives nearby in Scott Tower, is concerned the facility might jeopardize the safety of the neighborhood, as many of the residents will be former drug addicts living with mental illness. And she is angry at what she sees as the secrecy and haste with which the project has come into being. “It’s not that we don’t welcome people of all persuasion,” said Lappin, a Bedford Park resident for last 39 years. “We are not a “NIMBY” (Not In My Backyard) community…but to have this thrust down our throats in this way is insulting, disrespectful and offensive.”

The plans came to light in April when Project Renewal wrote to Community Board 7, them of their intentions to buy the vacant property. The letter stated that the facility would rid the neighborhood of a “blighted area” and bring employment opportunities to the community.

Eugene Parrotta, another long-term Bedford Park resident, is seething. “These people [Project Renewal employees] who are doing all these great things don’t live here,” he said. “They don’t have children who are at school 50 feet from the building. I understand people need help. But there are lots of places they could put this instead of in the middle of a residential community.”

Project Renewal completed the purchase last month, paying $1.3 million for the land, and on May 31, Andrea Harnett-Robinson, a Project Renewal spokesperson, attended a Board 7 meeting, where prominent community leaders, including Father John Bonnici, pastor at St. Philip Neri Church, were quick to voice their reservations and demand more information.

John Reilly, of Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, said he was disappointed with Harnett-Robinson’s presentation. “A lot of people had very specific questions that weren’t answered, such as who exactly will be living there,” he said.

Reilly himself is concerned with the size of the building, how it will be kept secure and also the large number of single person apartments. Project Renewal contends that the building will provide homes for families with low income or formerly homeless, as well as single individuals. But according to design plans, there will only be five two-bedroom apartments. The remainder will be one-bedrooms (seven) and studios (37). “It’s not being built to attract families,” Reilly said.

Sandra Erickson, chair of Community Board 7’s Land Use Committee, said that, at a follow-up meeting, the Board’s Executive Committee voted against the project and sent a letter to the state’s Department of Mental Health informing the agency of its decision. Erickson said the vote stemmed from the site being too close to local schools, churches, and residences for the elderly. The proposed facility is also situated along a 52nd Precinct safety corridor, according to Erickson.

Harnett-Robinson says she understands the community’s apprehension, but thinks too much emphasis is being put on the tenants’ past. “These individuals have been through treatment and are trying to rebuild their lives,” she said in a telephone interview following the meeting, adding that there is no truth to rumors the building would house a methadone clinic or that some residents may have committed sex crimes.

“I would love for the community to learn more about Project Renewal,” she said, “and before passing judgment, to come visit our other buildings, to see for themselves what they’re like and speak to tenants and neighbors. When we build something we don’t just walk away.” Harnett-Robinson said she’d arrange transport to these sites if anyone expressed interest.

According to the letter Project Renewal sent the Community Board dated April 19, the New York State Office of Mental Health will not issue final approval of the group’s plans until the community has had 75 days to consider the project. And knowing time is of the essence, Lappin and Parrotta are busy circulating a petition in the neighborhood, in the hope of raising awareness in the community and catching the attention of locally elected officials.

Harnett-Robinson said that approval by the state is usually a formality. But, she added, she’s eager to talk more with the community. “This is just the start of our dialogue,” she said.

Jordan Moss contributed to this story.

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