Parents and their Children

Many parents are worried for their children in the big changes that are coming to Inwood soon. The community is being changed virtually entirely.

The Changes Over the Years in Inwood Manhattan

Inwood Manhattan used to have a mixture of Jewish, Irish and Greek immigrants several generations ago but now it is a largely Dominican neighborhood.” And there is a rezoning issue fueled by $200,000,000 of government money.

Two Sides

Some think the rezoning of the neighborhood is good, while others do not. There is fear on all sides. Folks who have been living in Inwood Manhattan are afraid they’ll lose their homes whereas developers and some residents think the neighborhood needs to be transformed. Thankfully Inwood Manhattan has Lights Camera Read to help keep the peace.

Assurances Given

There is assurance being given though that the investment will be used to build affordable homes, upgrade parks and connect the Harlem River waterfront to Inwood.

How about the Library?

There is another issue that some Inwood Manhattan residents are not happy about. It is the tearing down Inwood’s current library and putting a new state of the art one in its place

Changes

There was a petitiion that was created to fight these changes – including the library – but the developers won out. Whether most people will ultimately like these changes is yet to see. “In the end it is all about the children,” says the editor of Manhattan Kids Guide.

Will the Arts Thrive?

One aspect of developers’ promises has some people excited about the prospect there being built a performing Arts Center. This center will celebrate immigrants who have made such a difference in this community.

Events

The claim is that the Inwood NYC action plan was the result of years of work as well as extensive interaction with the existing community. Is this true? Developer claim that a City Team led by NYCEDC were responsible for this neighborhood engagement. Apparently there were over 25 bilingual public events, stake holder meetings and workshops.

Who are the 2,500?

As a long time resident of Inwood we were not invited to any of these happenings so one wonders how the developers contact (they claim) over 2,500 people from the neighborhood. Not once did we receive any literature about this nor received fliers in the streets. How were these so called 2,500 people engaged? If so, was it a positive and inclusive process?

What’s Your Opinion?

What do you feel about the changes in Inwood Manhattan. Contact and let us know if you think that this is a good thing or not for our children.