Furious Harlem residents forced New York Mayor Eric Adams to make a humiliating U-turn over plans to house migrants in a vacant luxury apartment complex after seeing bunk beds being discreetly delivered.
The WA condominium on 130th Street promised buyers an indoor pool, marble bathrooms and a rooftop running track before the project in a neighborhood with a chronic housing shortage was shelved.
Schools, nursing homes and a string of historic hotels have been requisitioned to house many of the 170,000 migrants who have arrived in the city since spring 2022.
But neighbors of the condominium on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard were determined it wouldn’t go the same way.
“We tried to find out what was going on, but we couldn’t get any answers to our questions,” neighbor Regina Smith said. CBS.
New York Mayor Eric Adams promised angry residents that the long-vacant building would not be used to house migrants or asylum seekers
Tiffany Fulton said the neighborhood already had plenty of residents looking for homes
The WA condominium on 130th Street promised buyers an indoor pool, marble bathrooms and a rooftop running track
The mayor was angrily received when he wanted to meet the residents during an emergency meeting on Thursday evening.
‘You’re the mayor. We don’t want to hear any excuses,” someone told him.
“No, I don’t agree with it becoming a refuge for asylum seekers, knowing that we have people here who need the space,” said Tiffany Fulton of Silent Voices United.
“We should have known I’m looking for answers.”
The 35-unit project was marketed as a luxury gatehouse, complete with granite countertops in kitchens, a state-of-the-art fitness center and marble bathrooms.
But it has been vacant for more than a decade and briefly appeared as a location in a 2021 episode of Law & Order SVU, when it served as the exterior for the “Camino Family Center.”
“WA Condominiums is one of the newest condominiums in the legendary Central Harlem neighborhood,” the developer’s website promises.
‘This modern, luxury building is surrounded by the jazz clubs, theaters and ethnic cuisine the area is known for.’
But it is now also known for migrant shelters scattered across the area in a city that plans to spend $12 billion over the next three years to accommodate the influx.
Potential buyers were enticed with a marbled indoor pool on the roof
A panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline was part of the package
But the building sat empty for more than a decade, until neighbors saw delivery vans arriving
Inside were boxes of rudimentary furniture, including a stack of six bunk beds
New York has seen 170,000 migrants enter the city since spring 2022
Neighbors of the condominium on Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard were adamant that it should be used to house local people rather than newcomers
Thousands of migrants are still arriving every week after being ramped up from the southern border by Republican governors, prompting Adams to warn the crisis will “destroy” New York.
In December, the Democrat announced a $110.5 billion budget, saying cuts to all departments were necessary after the city spent $1.45 billion on the migrant crisis in the 2023 budget year.
The cuts would result in NYPD officer cuts by one-fifth, or 13.5 percent, by postponing the next five academy classes, bringing the number of officers below 30,000 — down from 36,000.
Tensions have risen even higher since two New York police officers were brutally beaten by a crowd of migrants who attacked them in Times Square on January 27.
A total of eight migrants have been charged since the attack and police are still searching for at least eight other suspects they believe were involved in the melee.
“We have too many homeless shelters in this community,” Smith said.
“We have a shortage of affordable housing, we are being priced out of the community.
“The disrespect is absolutely appalling.”
“There was no discussion, no conversation about this plan with the community,” said Marquis Harrison of community group CB 10.
“There is also a need for housing for community members.”
The anger appeared to result in a rare victory for residents, as they were promised that migrants would not be among the newcomers.
“You will not have migrants and asylum seekers in that building,” Adams promised them.
“I said to the team, ‘Find out what’s going on here.’
“We don’t move people into a brand new building when you have long-term needs in a community. ‘That will not happen.’
Tensions have been high in the city since two New York police officers were brutally beaten on January 27 by a crowd of migrants who attacked them in Times Square.
The city has now pledged to use the site to “provide quality transitional housing for long-term New York City families with children experiencing homelessness.”
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Social Services said the building now plans to provide “high-quality transitional housing for long-term New York City families with children experiencing homelessness.”
“Despite the developer’s original plans for market-rate apartments, development had stalled and this building remained vacant indefinitely. It would not have been developed as a luxury home,” the spokesperson added in a statement.
“We will partner with an experienced nonprofit organization to help these families stabilize their lives and ultimately move into permanent housing.
“As we have always done, we will continue to maintain open lines of communication and work closely with the community every step of the way to ensure we work together to provide critical services to our neighbors in need.”