Herman Badillo’s Plan

Much has been made of former Congressman and Bronx Borough President Herman Badillo’s plans to build several bold mixed-use developments across the city. Gothamist and the New York Post are among those who have discussed his latest plans for Williamsburgh Square.

Angela Montefinise writes in the Post:

The proposed 675,000- square-foot Williamsburgh Square would feature four towers of 38, 36, 20 and 12 stories. There would be 360 underground parking spaces, a charter school, a “semi-public” park, a day-care center, two floors of retail, and both market-rate and affordable housing.

Many are upset at these plans, but I think their ire is mislpaced. Here is a man with incredible vision who was instrumental in revitalizing the Bronx in the 70’s and whose credentials and prior commitments to the city speak for themselves. All neighborhoods seem to fight change with community boards spending a lot of money fighting new development projects sighting “greedy” developers’ lack of interest in their community.
As far as I can tell, Badillo wants to provide real services to the community in the form of schools, supermarkets, day care, community centers and most importantly AFFORDABLE HOUSING, yet he is being met with the same resistance.
What exactly are people looking for? I remain puzzled.