Council Member Inez Dickens Weighs in on 125^th St. Rezoning Debate

By Donna Lamb

Developers and Harlem business leaders are locked in battle with preservationists and residents over the future of 125th St., home of the famed Apollo Theater and the Theresa Hotel.

In late January, the City Planning Commission held public hearings to consider a rezoning of the area extending from Broadway to Second Avenue between 124th and 126th Streets. The rezoning would permit private developers to build taller and denser buildings and to institute incentives to encourage the construction of housing for low-income residents. In an effort to retain the artistic signature of the street, "artistic bonuses" would be given to developers as incentives to produce developments that dedicate five percent of their floor space to arts and entertainment. The plan would also limit the presence of banks, which have crowded out retailers in other parts of the City.

As both a lifelong resident and an elected official representing the area, City Council Majority Whip Inez Dickens brings a unique perspective to the fray. As she stated in her testimony before the commission, her family settled in Harlem over 75 years ago during the Great Depression, and she has spent her entire 58 years living there. Not only did her family work hard, build businesses, and buy property, they also assisted other Black families from the south and the Caribbean to secure housing and jobs. "Through the tough years, my family stayed," Dickens declared. "We were instilled with an uncompromising sense of public service because my father, Lloyd E. Dickens, was committed to achieving civil rights and economic equality for Black folks in America. I always say only an atomic bomb will take me from my homeland," she continued. "Each day I give it 150 percent. My community is my heart."

Dickens went on to note that the challenge of economic revitalization brings great change and fear and that people must work together to address this change. To that end, over the last three years, she has repeatedly asked for and received extensions of time from City Planning to provide for extensive community outreach and input, gathering comments on what she believes is an attempt to curtail brazenly out-of-context development and over-development before it happens. "This will be the only opportunity our community has to ensure protections for the coming decades that will prevent such inappropriate development in Harlem," she said.

Dickens has absorbed the views of a wide array of people and organizations, including other City, State and Federal elected officials, Community Boards 9, 10, and 11, the 125^th St. BID, Harlem Arts Alliance, Apollo Theater, Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, and concerned residents from every corner of Harlem. "All of their comments and questions have helped me form my thoughts on this matter," she commented. "My heart has been filled anew to hear the collective passion and love these people share for our Village of Harlem."

Based on all the input, Dickens would like to see the following:

In closing, Council Member Dickens said that she is humbled to carry the torch of her family, other Harlemites, and the many people who look to Harlem not only as a destination, but an idea of how life in Black America, and in an America that truly embraces equity and diversity for all regardless of race, color, or creed, should be lived. "No one feels more fully than me the responsibility of my role in this process, and I will continue to listen closely to the voices of my people and to work in the best interests of my entire district and my beloved Village of Harlem," she concluded.

The commission is scheduled to vote on the rezoning in March. If it passes, the City Council will have 50 days to vote on the proposal.