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Volume XIX • Number 10 • March 22 - 28, 2012 •
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Espaillat will challenge Rangel for congressional seat By MIAWLING LAM State Sen. Adriano Espaillat will challenge Charlie Rangel for his seat in Congress. Espaillat, who represents a large section of Riverdale in the state senate announced his intention on Tuesday morning and is currently circulating petitions to qualify for a spot on the state’s primary ballot. Ibrahim Khan, a spokesman for Espaillat, said while they haven’t made an official decision as to when, or if, they will launch a campaign, he confirmed they were collecting signatures. “Given his strong record as a fighter for New York City’s poor and working families, Senator Espaillat has been encouraged by the community to pursue a run for Congress,” he said. The announcement has politi-
cal pundits licking their chops as it sets the stage for a dramatic dogfight over Rangel’s seat. Espaillat’s decision to run follows a week of flurried activity in which maps for the state Senate. Assembly and congressional districts were finalized and Albany legislators signed off on plans for a June 26 primary for both federal and state offices. Under the finalized congressional boundaries, which were largely drawn by federal magistrate Roanne L. Mann, The Bronx will be carved up into four districts instead of the five originally proposed by state lawmakers. Only one of the four districts will be wholly contained within The Bronx. The biggest game-changer, however, is set to be Rangel’s 15th District, which will become the
13th District. Although it will retain its Harlem base, the new district will cover all of Espaillat’s stronghold in Washingston Heights and Inwood and move up into The Bronx and cover Bedford Park, Norwood, Kingsbridge Heights, and parts of Kingsbridge and University Heights. Census data shows it will also be 55 percent Hispanic, 27 percent black and 12 percent white. As rumors swirl around about Rangel’s ill health, Espaillat’s congressional run represents a win-win proposition. Even if he loses his bid to unseat Rangel in the June primary, he could still keep his job and seek re-election in the Senate in the September primary. It also comes just days after Espaillat revealed he was forming a seven-member exploratory committee to mull over his options.
Congressman Charles Rangel
State Senator Adriano Espaillat
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said he would endorse Rangel in a potential showdown, while Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz declined to back a specific candidate just yet. The new congressional lines also keep Riverdale under Rep. Eliot Engel, who picks up a larger
portion of Westchester but loses the southern half of Rockland County. Rep. Joseph Crowley’s and Rep. Jose Serrano’s districts remain virtually unchanged, although Crowley loses parts of Co-Op City to Engel. Continued on Page 13
No housing in 230th St. development?
Construction workers began excavation for the Van Cortlandt Park ice skating rink earlier this week.
By MIAWLING LAM City officials have apparently rejected housing in favor of bigbox retail stores for the longawaited 230th Street Broadway Plaza development. Documents show a two-story shopping mall appears to have been chosen as the winning project, beating four other proposals in the process. While the Economic Development Corporation remains mum, preliminary signs suggest experienced national developer Equity One Inc. has been tapped to redevelop the 80,000-squarefoot plot of city land. According to a three-page brochure that appeared on Ripco Realty’s website and has since been taken down, Equity One had been seeking tenants to occupy just four spaces totaling 115,063 square feet at the site. The available space was to be split evenly between two floors and range from 17,957 square feet to 38,691 square feet. Under the plan, vehicular access would be made available from both West 230th Street and Verveleen Place, while pedestrians enter via a small plaza on Broadway.
Artist’s impression of the 230th St. Broadway Plaza entrance. The image, which appeared on Ripco Realty’s website, has since been taken down. Undercover parking for 129 cars was to be provided as well, offering much-needed relief for motorists accustomed to scrambling for spots on the street. The document suggested the project, to replace what is currently a 75,000-square-foot city-owned parking lot, was set for completion by spring 2014. Diagrams also showed merchants will have access to a receiving area measuring more
than 3,800 square feet on the corner of West 230th Street and the Major Deegan Expressway. EDC spokesperson, Kyle Sklerov denied Equity One’s proposal had been chosen and said, ”no decision has been made.” As of press time, calls to three Ripco Realty contacts and the Equity One’s regional office in Manhattan were not returned. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz Continued on Page 13