New York City was not the big winner in today’s award of nearly $785 million in economic development funds from the Cuomo administration – but Brooklyn political party boss Vito Lopez still has reason to cheer.
Our Glenn Blain reports:
The Assemblyman Lopez-founded
Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council
— which has been
the subject of several recent investigations
— received three grants totaling $845,806 to build or renovate housing in Brooklyn, according to documents released by the administration today.
“There was a search for projects that if funded right now could create jobs very quickly – that really had built in infrastructure and support,” said Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of the Empire State Economic Development Corporation.
New York City received only $66.2 million for a total of 50 projects, which ranked fourth from the bottom among the 10 regions awarded funds at
Thursday morning’s lavish ceremony
.
Adams and other administration officials defended the awards, saying they were chosen based on merit by a “Strategic Plan Review Committee.” The Committee scored presentations made by each of the Regional Economic Development Committees.
“The goal was to identify the best projects, not spend $1 billion,” Adams said.
The largest award for New York City was $29.5 million
for the restoration of the Hunts Point Produce Market
in the Bronx, which was hailed as a “transformative” project for the region.
Another $10 million was awarded to transform the former Taystee Bakery in Harlem into a state-of-the-art commercial center. The Prospect Park Alliance also got $2.7 million to create a new recreation center.
Re-development of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which the city’s regional council had listed among its top priorities – received no funding.
