A massive 1,000-unit apartment complex dubbed “One45 for Harlem” is slated to transform a block of upper Manhattan after the City Council approved the controversial plan on Monday in a unanimous final vote, capping off an arduous yearslong process marred by setbacks and political drama.
The site at 145 St. and Lenox Ave. will include 338 affordable units across three buildings: two towers at 30 and 32 stories tall, with a third 8-story building set to contain 90 affordable senior units funded by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
One45 will also have retail and community spaces, as well as a banquet hall and much-touted technology center.
It comes after months of negotiations between developer Bruce Teitelbaum and the city, and in particular the City Council and local Councilmember Yusef Salaam.
“One45 is more than just a construction project, it is in fact a community revival. Make no mistake, this wasn’t easy. It took persistence, partnership and the power of people,” Salaam said shortly ahead of the vote. “We went back to the table again and again until we got a deal that reflects the values and the needs of Harlem.”
Other community benefits secured include a 20% local hiring pledge and investments in the nearby Brigadier General Charles Young Playground and beleaguered Esplanade Gardens Mitchell-Lama housing complex.
But locals’ concerns about One45 have persisted, namely around affordability levels, building heights, environmental impacts and gentrification at large across Harlem.
A Council spokesperson confirmed that a recommendation previously floated by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine to require the use of union construction workers was not part of the final deal.
The Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and Committee on Land Use already approved the plan last month.
Monday’s vote was the culmination of Teitelbaum trying to bring a version of One45 to fruition for years, and his second attempt to get it approved through the city’s land use review process after his first bid infamously fell apart three years ago.
Teitelbaum withdrew his application in 2022 in the face of staunch local pushback, including from then-Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, who insisted on 100% affordability and whose opposition would have essentially doomed the project. That backfired when Teitelbaum turned the site into a truck depot, further angering Harlemites — a move he recently apologized for.
Salaam went on to win Richardson Jordan’s Council spot after she dropped her reelection bid. From the get-go he positioned himself as much more pro-development and helped shepherd One45 through its successful second municipal approval process.
That mirrors a similar sea change in Council attitudes in recent years spurred largely by the ongoing housing crisis. With it has come a push to create new housing — particularly affordable — to meet demand.
