A $200-million hotel project, touted as the first major tourist lodging in the neighborhood since 1966, drifts into obscurity amid corruption charges aimed at the developer.
In 2003, hotel developer Caridi "held an elaborate groundbreaking ceremony for Harlem Park, as he dubbed his project. Present were the governor and mayor, as well as Caridi's friend, state economic development chief Charles Gargano. The 42-story, $200 million project was a turning point in Harlem's revitalization, the pols said, and as a gospel chorus sang and cameras flashed, they posed with their ceremonial shovels."
Since then, however, virtually no work has been done on the site, and "the developer is fighting a felony indictment for having allegedly defrauded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by failing to pay prevailing wages to workers on a $2.3 million subsidized housing project in Rockland County...Caridi also insisted that there is no merit to another concern raised by one of the trusteesâ€"his family's past brushes with organized crime."
FULL STORY: Harlem Shuffle
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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