Harlem's One45 Site To Host Big-Rig Truck Depot, Developer Says

HARLEM, NY — A portion of the Harlem block once slated to hold a pair of glassy towers and hundreds of apartments will soon be repurposed for a very different use: a truck stop.

Developer Bruce Teitelbaum told Patch on Friday that he plans to open "a rental depot for big-rigs and trucks" near the mid-block of West 145th Street between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard — the site of the ill-fated One45 rezoning, which Teitelbaum withdrew in May as it faced opposition in the City Council.

"Given the proximity to several nearby highways and roads, we think it’s the perfect spot for them and we have received a lot of interest in this regard," Teitelbaum said.

After some minor construction work, the truck depot will open "soon" at the former Speedway gas station that has sat empty and fenced-off since 2016, according to the developer.

"We have to do some work at the site, but we’re expecting them to roll in pretty quickly," Teitelbaum said.

It is unclear how permanent the truck stop will be. Since Teitelbaum voluntarily withdrew the rezoning rather than have it be rejected by the Council, he still has the ability to propose other zoning changes for the site, which spans nearly all of the 145th Street blockfront and runs around the corner of Lenox Avenue toward West 144th Street.

Alternatively, Teitelbaum and his co-investors could simply build a project permitted by current zoning, which Patch previously reported could include market-rate condominiums and a self-storage center.

"We are still considering our options for the remainder of the site but we expect to make a final decision about that very shortly," the developer said Friday.

Known for their noise and air pollution, a truck stop will likely be an unwelcome addition to Harlem, which already has above-average rates of childhood asthma and pollution.

The bitterly-disputed One45 proposal included two 363-foot-tall towers, containing offices, retail and 915 apartments — of which half would have been affordable under the final proposal.

Still, it received fierce pushback from some Harlem residents, the neighborhood community board, and City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, who opposed the project since its inception over fears that it would indirectly displace Harlem's Black residents and contribute to the neighborhood's gentrification.

Jordan, whose stance on One45 was a leading factor in its downfall, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network was also expected to get a new headquarters and help build a "Museum of Civil Rights" as part of One45, but Sharpton dropped out of the project shortly before its defeat. Now, NAN's existing home on the block could be bulldozed as part of any future development.

Sharpton is now locked in a lease dispute with Teitelbaum's development team, though the civil rights leader has insisted he is up to date on rent, the New York Post reported last month.

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.

Related coverage:

• Harlem's One45 Project Defeated; Storage, Condos Likely Replacement
• Civil Rights Museum Replaced With Affordable Homes In New One45 Plan
• Harlem's One45 Rezoning Advances To City Council, Setting Up Showdown
• Harlem's One45 Project Thrown Into Confusion As Sharpton Wavers
• Harlem Board Rejects One45 Development, But Battle Continues