For the Kingsbridge Armory, is third time finally the charm?

The sprawling and vacant Kingsbridge Armory has returned to the city spotlight as the New York City economic development corporation rolls up its sleeves for another shot at redeveloping the 12-acre structure.

Since it came into the city’s hands in the 1990s, winning bidders have repeatedly failed to bring redevelopment plans to fruition. As a result, the armory’s potential has gone untapped for decades — a goad to the nonprofit corporation tasked with spurring business and job growth as the steward of 64 million square feet of city-owned property.

This time, the EDC hopes to win broad community backing for a new plan, and they’re ready to work for it.

“Together for Kingsbridge” launched with fanfare Nov. 1 beneath the armory’s medieval battlements, kicking off a six-month period of community engagement and needs assessment before  the EDC drafts a vision document and ultimately puts in for bids from developers.

“Here we are — take three — bringing all the sectors of the community together to re-envision again what are we going to do here, and how can this building serve the needs of our community,” Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez said at the November launch. Her fuchsia blazer was a pop color against the armory’s red turrets.

A familiar cast of characters was in attendance, including elected officials and members of Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, which has deftly defended the community’s stake in the armory through the last four mayoral administrations.

Northwest Bronx mobilized labor unions, churches, and others in the neighborhood against the $310 million plan favored by then Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which would hand the armory over to Related Companies and turn it into a shopping mall. Improbably, they succeeded in swaying the city council against the plan — a humiliating episode for Bloomberg and also a pivotal event in setting the tone for the city to win economic development that pays a “living wage.”

The Kingsbridge National Ice Center conceived in 2012 was a different sort of plan, with the promise of higher pay set out in a community benefits agreement that brought labor unions and community groups onboard. But it died in litigation after apparently failing to win sufficient financial backing, meeting its ultimate demise in a judge’s ruling last year.

With a total reboot of the EDC’s planning process looming, northwest Bronx organizers began to breathe new life into their dormant armory campaign this summer, launching a special newsletter and hosting events outside the armory ahead of the city’s public launch. They’re conducting their own surveys to gather input on the future of the armory from neighborhood residents, youth, and small businesses.

A spokesperson for the EDC said the objective in the months ahead is to be “an effective steward of the community’s vision for the future of the Kingsbridge Armory.”

As with all the city-owned properties the economic development corporation manages, the quasi-public corporation is also keen to see the site become an economic boon for New York City.

The EDC has partnered with WXY, an architectural and design firm, to assess the armory’s physical condition and Hester Street to facilitate a series of public workshops, which will probe for ideas and attempt to capture the community’s guiding principles in planning for the armory’s future.

Community engagement in urban planning is something of a specialty for Hester Street, a nonprofit firm that has left its fingerprints across the five boroughs, including past collaborations with the EDC.

The first of four public workshops took place last week at P.S. 340. About 100 people packed into the elementary school gym, and more cycled in and out throughout the Saturday afternoon session.

They talked about how Kingsbridge Heights has changed in their lifetime and what the future holds for them. They brainstormed ideas for the armory in breakout sessions and filled in their answers to questions like, “What inspires you about this neighborhood and community?”

“It’s really sad that we have been doing this for so many years, and still here we are still having a vacant armory,” Bronx borough president Vanessa Gibson told attendees. “But I am reminded that everything is happening for a reason.”

Participants also heard from the leaders of the EDC’s newly convened community working group co-chaired by council member Sanchez and Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition executive director Sandra Lobo. The working group is comprised of elected officials, representatives from Community Board 7, local churches, labor unions, small business associations, the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative, and others.

While hopping between breakout sessions, Sanchez said there were a few concerns that kept returning: folks are interested in good-paying jobs and opportunities for youth, she said, like new training programs and apprenticeships.

“The room was abuzz,” Sanchez said. “This community wants to stay in the driver’s seat. They want to make sure this process gives them a seat at the decision-making table and they can keep the benefits within the community.”

A spokesperson for  the EDC said they were still formalizing a process to synthesize material from the workshops. Hester Street will meet with members of the working group this week to report on the feedback they’ve garnered thus far.

The vision document the working group is tasked with creating next spring “will be like our roadmap,” the spokesperson said, ensuring that “everything we want in a request for proposals reflects the vision document that was put together by the Kingsbridge Armory Working Community Group.”

The next public workshop will take place sometime in January. The date has not yet been announced. For updates on workshops, visit KingsbridgeTogether.com.

Abigail Nehring is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.