Kingsbridge Ice Center said to cause rent hikes

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Kingsbridge Heights residents are pushing to reverse a proposed rent hike they believe to be caused by the imminent construction of a large new ice sports center at the Kingsbridge Armory. 

On the evening of Aug. 14, about 25 tenants and activists gathered in the lobby of a rent-controlled high-rise on University Ave. between Kingsbridge Road and 197th Street, a few blocks away from the Armory location, to discuss a potential increase of $11.69 per room for the building’s tenants. 

“People like us are getting kicked out of our homes because our rent is going up,” said Jay Espy, a member of People Power Movement (PPM), who requested the Press shorten his last name to avoid repercussions from the landlord.  

The group, which describes itself as a democratic people’s organization dedicated to social change, organized the meeting for the building’s tenants last Thursday night.

The landlord at the building., Jac Zadrima of the Bronx-based Genesis Realty Group, LLC, did not respond to multiple calls for comment. 

Mr. Espy joined PPM while he was advocating against raising tuition costs at SUNY and CUNY schools during college. 

But the group’s latest fight hits particularly close to home for the 23-year-old, who has lived with his family in a basement two-bedroom apartment on University Ave. for the past 22 years. 

“It’s going to change the neighborhood for the worse for us,” he said of the Armory development, which he believes is the impetus behind rent hikes and evictions in the neighborhood. 

The historic site is set to house the largest indoor ice rink complex in the world, after the city inked a $300 million deal with KNIC Partners to develop the center last November. 

His organization’s focus on the building, along with two other buildings on the same street, began after the former building’s landlord filed an application for a Major Capital Improvement (MCI) rent increase.

Kingsbridge Heights, Kingsbridge Armory, Jay Espy, People Power Movement, rent hikes, Jac Zadrima, Genesis Realty Group, University Avenue, Major Capital Improvement, Maya Rajamani
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