New recipe for former bakery site in Harlem
When the city sold the former Taystee Bakery complex—half a dozen buildings on West 125th and West 126th streets between Amsterdam Avenue and Convent Avenue in Harlem—to upscale grocer Citarella, the hope was that the move would help revitalize the area. Citarella owner Joseph Gurrera had promised not simply to open a store there but to develop the site for everything from office space and warehousing to food preparation—bringing scores of jobs in the process.
That was in 1999. More than a decade later, the city wants to give someone else a try, and with good reason. With the exception of a portion of ground floor space along West 125th Street that includes a 5,000-square-foot Citarella grocery store, the development and jobs never materialized.
Finally, after a deadline for an extension on the development had long passed, 18 months ago the city’s Economic Development Corp. decided to use a take-back provision in the contract and pull the plug on Citarella. Last month, the EDC issued a request to developers, seeking their proposals for the 134,000-square-foot site, where the last loaf of bread left the ovens more than 30 years ago.
The move comes in advance of a massive rezoning of West Harlem. In 2008, the Department of City Planning began a zoning study of approximately 90 blocks in the area, and the agency expects to formally propose a rezoning by mid-2011. That move, coupled with the belated decision to find a new development partner at the Taystee Bakery site, shows that revitalizing Harlem remains a top priority for the Bloomberg administration.
Backed by city
“We know the aspirations that the city has for the area, and we share those aspirations,” said Kenneth Knuckles, chief executive of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corp.
Mr. Knuckles, who also sits on the City Planning Commission, said the 2008 rezoning of the 125th Street corridor purposefully skipped over the former bakery site, which is zoned for manufacturing, in order to preserve the few manufacturing jobs left in the area.
Currently, an MTA bus garage and a mixed-use building housing offices, light industry, warehouse and retail spaces operate near the shuttered bakery.
Originally, Citarella had planned to complete renovations of the buildings by May 2003. At that point, the company was going to shift most of its production and warehouse facilities there.
“The 126th Street site is far superior to anything we’ve had to date for our food and pastry operation,” said Mr. Gurrera in a 1999 press release announcing the deal. “It will provide us the solid base we need to support our growth, and we’re looking forward to becoming an anchor employer for the community.”
In published accounts, Citarella, which didn’t return calls for comment, has blamed the deteriorated condition of the buildings for the fact that the vast bulk of its promised development and jobs never materialized.
Nonetheless, the company is fighting the city’s attempt to oust it from the site in court.
“Jobs weren’t developed’
AT THIS POINT, the company has few allies in its legal contest.
“I know one thing,” said Councilman Robert Jackson, whose district includes the site. “I know jobs weren’t developed like they were supposed to be.”
According to both City Planning and the EDC, the vast bulk of the lot, which is currently zoned for light industry, would change to a mixed-use designation in a rezoning. This would allow for commercial, community and residential facilities.
Who or what will ultimately find a home in the former bakery remains uncertain. The deadline for applications is Jan. 19, 2011, and while a spokeswoman for the EDC wouldn’t discuss details, she said the agency was looking forward to the process. “We want to see what ideas people have for proposals that would meet the needs of the community,” the spokeswoman said.
City Planning held a town hall meeting on its proposed West Harlem rezoning early last month. While some expressed concern about the scale of residential development, leaders including Mr. Jackson and Borough President Scott Stringer support the proposal.
“It’s better to have development than have an empty building sitting there,” said Mr. Jackson. “This is an empty building sitting there.”
By Colby Hamilton