INWOOD — A group of Uptown organizations want to stop the "real estate land grab" they say is taking place in upper Manhattan, following the announcement of two high-rise projects in the neighborhood.
The coalition, called Northern Manhattan Is Not 4 Sale, will discuss a slew of development-related issues Saturday afternoon at the final meeting of the Inwood Planning Initiative, a city-led study seeking to review and build upon affordable housing, jobs and infrastructure in the area.
A spokesman for the coalition, Graham Ciraulo, said the group also wants officials to address the mayor's affordable housing plan and the recent high-rise developments proposed for the area.
“We basically want to make sure the community's voice is heard," Ciraulo said of the meeting, noting that the mayor's plan is coming up for a vote.
"But it is also this overall discontent," he added. "It's basically what's becoming a real estate land grab."
The Saturday meeting marks the last in a series of workshops meant to spur development in Inwood, officials said. The city's Economic Development Corporation has conducted several workshops focusing on the community’s concerns with housing and questions over zoning since the initiative launched last June.
On Saturday, the culmination of the community's work in providing feedback and ideas from the workshops will be presented.
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who has been spearheading the initiative with EDC, has long touted his plan for Inwood's waterfront. During his State of the District address last year, he shared his plans to bring a mixed-use tech hub to the area, in addition to more housing.
"From building new affordable housing to ease pressure on rising rents, to putting real resources into preserving and protecting the precious affordable housing already in place, we'll see a commitment to maintaining the sense of community that makes Inwood such a great place to live," he said in a statement.
The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 12, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at J.H.S. 52 at 650 Academy St.
