Developer Bruce Teitelbaum wants Rev. Al Sharpton out.
Attorneys for an entity tied to Teitelbaum filed a petition to evict Sharpton’s National Action Network from its headquarters on 145th Street in Harlem to make way for the long-awaited, 1,000-unit apartment complex known as One45. NAN occupies a one-story building that will be demolished, along with other one- and two-story retail buildings, as part of the development.
NAN’s lease at 106-108 West 145th Street expired two years ago, but the term was extended six times, according to the developer’s attorney. The most recent extension expired at the end of August, but the civil rights organization hasn’t left.
The holdover petition was filed in September, and a spokesperson for NAN said on Friday that the organization has found a new location. But an attorney for the development team said on Friday that NAN has refused to leave.
“It is deeply disappointing — though unfortunately not surprising — that Rev. Sharpton is now refusing to vacate the One45 site, despite more than a year of commitments and assurances that NAN would relocate,” attorney Michael Cohen, who represents Teitelbaum, said in a statement.
Cohen said NAN is the only tenant that is holding up the project. The developer hopes to qualify for the now-expired property tax break 421a. To do so, the project must be completed by June 15, 2031. Delays threaten project financing and the developer’s ability to meet that deadline.
In a response filed in court Oct. 28, an attorney for NAN wrote that the organization, given previous extensions, expected to have the option to do so again and received no notice otherwise. The attorney also argues that the developer has hindered its ability to relocate by “falsely publicizing” that NAN is behind on rent.
Cohen said NAN was given notice months in advance “that they needed to move by August 31 so construction could begin.” A portion of the most recent lease extension agreement viewed by The Real Deal stated that the tenant needed to leave the property at the end of the extension.
When reached on Friday, NAN downplayed the dispute.
“NAN has located an amazing location in Harlem and is working out the details for that,” a spokesperson for NAN said in a statement. “NAN and the Landlord are coordinating the last day for NAN at the existing location.”
It is not clear why the Oct. 28 court filing indicated a difficulty in finding a new location when NAN has already found one. Messages left for the attorney responsible for the filing were not returned.
When told of NAN’s statement, Cohen said the comments were “encouraging to hear” and that it was important that the matter is resolved “without further delay.”
Whatever the extent of their dispute, at the very least, the parties haven’t yet agreed on when NAN will leave its headquarters, potentially further delaying a project that has already faced several challenges.
After years of delays, the City Council approved One45 in July. The development is expected to consist of 1,000 units across three buildings. Of those apartments, at least 338 will be affordable. The developer agreed to negotiate with the city to potentially increase the number of
affordable units to 591, but the developer has made clear that doing so will require public subsidies.
That approval came after Teitelbaum took the project nearly all the way through the city’s land use review process, but withdrew it in 2022 when it became clear that the local Council member would reject it. He revived the project after the state extended the construction completion deadline for projects to qualify for 421a and once a new Council member was in place.
At one point, plans for One45 included offices for NAN and a civil rights museum founded by Sharpton and Judge Jonathan Lippman. Those plans fell apart, and the museum was pitched for another project, a deal that also didn’t materialize.
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