Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment to receive $2M

The Kingsbridge Armory represents the vast potential of our community.”

Councilmember Pierina Sanchez

The redevelopment plan, which envisions a restoration of the nearly 600,000-square-foot Kingsbridge Armory, continues to gain traction and funding to match.

On Dec. 17, city council voted unanimously – 9-0 – and approved the resolution to support New York City Economic Development Corporation’s (NYCEDC) application in grant funding for the redevelopment of the armory. This would result in $2 million towards the restoration of the landmark, provided through Empire State Development’s Restore New York Communities Initiative, also known as Restore NY.

The goal of the redevelopment is to prioritize youth and welcome older adults while also creating jobs for existing workers and communities, growing the local economy and maximizing community ownership.

Multiple councilmembers from the borough also hope the project will “put the Bronx on the map.

“The Kingsbridge Armory represents the vast potential of our community,” Councilmember Pierina Sanchez said.

She is co-chair of the ‘Together for Kingsbridge Vision Plan’, a local community planning process launched in 2022 and headed by NYCEDC. The group includes local elected officials, community leaders and residents.

“With [NYC]EDC and a community working group, we led a nine-month community engagement process [through tours, public workshops and town halls] that reached more than 4,000 people and culminated in a community vision plan,” Sanchez added.

Councilmember Rafael Salamanca who heads the city council’s land use committee, was hopeful for the redevelopment project, despite failed past attempts due to inadequate financial support.

“I want to be clear — today’s vote is not a determination on any land use actions for the Armory’s future redevelopment,” Salamanca said. “It is simply a vote on a resolution that would allow EDC to pursue a $2 million grant from the state.”

If awarded, the grant will fund the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the property, according to an NYCEDC spokesperson.

“We are charting a future for the Kingsbridge Armory and are very grateful to the City Council’s support for our grant applications to Empire State Development’s Restore NY program,” the NYCEDC spokesperson said. “[We have] been working together with the community to transform this historic structure into an economic engine for the Bronx.”

The spokesperson added maintenance of the armory is “incredibly expensive” and its future development is supported by city, state and federal funds.

“We are working tirelessly to secure as much capital as possible for this project,” the spokesperson added.

NYCEDC’s Restore NY program launched in September 2024 and has assisted in the revitalization of both commercial and residential properties and stated they will “announce the next steps soon” regarding redevelopment plans of the armory.

The armory restoration project is backed by a $200 million investment by NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with $12 million from Councilmember Sanchez and a grant of more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the support of U.S. Rep Espaillat.

“The reason why it’s taking as long as it has to even give a clarity on the timeline is because we wanted real community involvement,” Mayor Adams said in an exclusive interview with The Press on Friday, Jan. 3.

In late November, NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced two project labor agreements with the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York totaling more than $1 billion to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory, along with other redevelopment projects throughout the city.

“We (the city) have now identified a vendor that is going to do construction and within the next few weeks or so, we will have a clear layout of exactly what’s going to happen. Finally, it’s going to come to a conclusion and we will be releasing the timeline as we move forward, but the vision is already there,” Adams added.

The project also received financial backing from Borough President Vanessa Gibson who allocated $2 million towards the resurrection of the armory.

“We are thrilled by the progress we are making toward reimagining the Kingsbridge Armory into a space that will not only serve the Kingsbridge community but the entire borough,” Gibson’s office told The Press.

Gibson added the armory is a transformative project that will boost the economy, create good-paying jobs, support small businesses and further expand opportunities for education, recreation and emerging markets.

“We are proud to have invested funding into this initiative and for the support of our colleagues in government,” she said.

The BP’s office is looking forward to the NYCEDC announcing the request for proposal winner and seeing the project come to fruition.

To avoid a conflict of interest, Empire State Development declined to comment on the application.