Outrage in Harlem at high-rise hell
by Juan Gonzalez
It’s Harlem’s last stand
Neighborhood leaders are up in arms over a City Hall plan to rezone 125th St. to make way for luxury condos nearly 30 stories high, hotels, office buildings and an entertainment district.
Once again, city planners have displayed uncommon arrogance toward the small businesses, clothing stores and retail establishments that were on 125th St. long before the latest real estate boom.
According to the city’s impact statement, the 71 businesses that will be displaced by the rezoning do have “substantial economic value to the City or region … and do not, individually or collectively, contribute substantially to neighborhood character.”
If Mayor Bloomberg’s planners have their way, 125th St. will soon be turned into an uptown version of Times Square.
