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Improving Schools, Tech Investment Outlined in Uptown State of the District

 Ydanis Rodriguez presented his vision for a new mixed-use development in Inwood on Sunday.
Councilman Rodriguez's State of the District
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FORT GEORGE — New mentorship programs for Uptown students, investment in tech and a plan to create thousands of new units of affordable housing were outlined by City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez during his State of the District address on Sunday at George Washington High School.

Before a large crowd of Upper Manhattan residents, as well as city, state and federal lawmakers, Rodriguez unveiled the centerpiece of his vision: a proposal to rezone 100 acres of land east of 10th Avenue in Inwood to create a development that would include a tech hub and thousands of new units of housing.

READ MORE ABOUT THE PLAN HERE

The 20-block stretch of land from Dyckman Street to 220th Street is currently zoned for manufacturing and includes auto-body shops, warehouses and several nightclubs.

“Envision a mixed-use tech community built and programmed through partnerships between key stakeholders such as CUNY and New York Presbyterian,” Rodriguez said. “We will make this dream a reality. We will bring coding programs to train our students for the high-tech, well-paying jobs that can move our community forward.”

Rodriguez said his plan would also bring thousands of units of new housing to the area.

“We will ensure that a significant portion of the apartments built in this area are truly affordable for our working families,” he said.

This is not the first time the councilman has offered a vision for redeveloping this under-utilized section of Inwood.

In his 2013 State of the District address, he discussed the possibility of creating a new CUNY campus at the site, building a residential and retail development near 207th Street, and reviving the plan to create an esplanade and pocket parks along Sherman Creek.

Rodriguez’s most recent proposal has gained early support from the mayor’s office. However, he did not offer details on a timeline or how such a major development would be funded in his speech.

The councilman also outlined other solutions to issues within the district:

► Two new mentorship programs to help students through an expansion of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City to serve to local schools. Rodriguez has also been working with a group of 50 Dominican professionals from the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to create an organization that will mentor local students interested in STEM-focused careers. 

► An $800,000 investment in conjunction with Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, aimed at expanding the Fort Washington Armory’s technology center. The center provides free tech literacy courses for Uptown residents.

► A $100,000 investment to allow the Armory to host the first-ever Washington Heights Tech Expo this May.

► A new stop on the BXM1 bus route at Sherman Avenue and Dyckman Street so that residents of eastern Inwood don’t have to walk as far to reach the express line.

► A funding allocation to install security cameras in the 191st Street 1 train tunnel.

The speech met with mixed reactions from Uptown residents.

Vera Moore, a stay-at-home mom with two children at Castle Bridge Elementary School, loved the focus on education. However, she wanted more details about a specific plan to help District 6 students.

“I know that he really wants to improve things at the local schools, but I would have liked to hear more about his process of how he’ll do it, especially for the early grades,” said Moore, who is in her 40s.

Radhames Santos, 52, thought tech development would be good for Inwood, but said he didn’t see how it would impact residents from lower Washington Heights, where he lives.

“It doesn’t really concern me, but I think it’s good for that neighborhood,” he said.

Santos said he was mostly concerned about the practicality of the proposals.

“Politicians, they say so many things they are going to do in the future,” he said.  "But let’s wait and see if it’s really going to happen.”