Knicks star Carmelo Anthony has dropped his involvement in Brooklyn’s controversial Bedford-Union Armory project, the Daily News has learned.
Anthony, whose foundation was set to contribute money for the development’s sports center, faced pressure from activists who oppose the deal to turn the Crown Heights armory into hundreds of apartments.
“Carmelo is our hero,” said Bertha Lewis, founder of the Black Institute, who led the push to get the basketball player to drop out.
The project generated controversy because it was set to be built by Slate Property Group, the same developer accused of plotting to keep secret a deal to turn the Lower East Side nursing home Rivington House into luxury condos.
Slate dropped out after pressure from the city, leaving fellow developer BFC Partners to do the project on its own. But activists continue to slam the plan, which they charge will speed up gentrification in Crown Heights.
Half the rental apartments at the armory site will be des ignated as affordable housing, but opponents say they’ll still be too expensive for local residents — with most of them going to families making about $99,600 for a family of four.
“The whole project is bad. It wasn’t just Slate,” Lewis said. “The whole project needs to scrapped, and the administration needs to start over.”
Besides the housing, the development is set to include a recreation center with a swimming pool and basketball courts, which Anthony’s foundation was sponsoring.
Anthony’s lawyer, Alan Hock, confirmed he is no longer involved with the project. He declined to comment further.
“It was so galling — here’s a couple of basketball courts, a swimming pool, and a slice of watermelon,” Lewis said. “Now they can’t use [Anthony] anymore with the black community, and that’s what they were doing.”
