Metro

‘Hill’ street blues on Vanderbilt as city agency ponders move

A daily influx of more than 3,000 workers, food stamp recipients, domestic violence victims and child support enforcement officers will overwhelm Clinton Hill if the city goes ahead with a controversial plan to relocate the Human Resources Administration headquarters from a Downtown office complex to a residential area, members of Community Board 2 said last week.

The June 9 rejection of the agency’s planned move to a building at the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and Fulton Street came after city officials revealed that so many employees and clients would fill the area.

“We’re concerned about the impact of a large number of people moving to this spot at once,” said CB2 Chairman John Dew, echoing board members, who argued that the Human Resources Administration’s current location in the Metrotech Center on Jay Street is better served by subways and parking.

The board’s disapproval of the lease agreement between the agency and the owner of 470 Vanderbilt Ave. is only advisory to the City Planning Commission’s decision later this month.

Agency reps said they would look into the issues, but noted that Wednesday’s presentation was informational and that the lease is being finalized.

The former telecommunications building was vacant for years until the Mary McDowell Center for Learning, a Quaker school, leased three floors earlier this year. But that institution is tiny compared to the 1,800 staff and up to 1,500 clients who will use the 10-floor Human Resources Administration facility.

Despite the CB2 vote, several business owners near the proposed agency HQ said that the move could be an asset by bringing some boost to the local economy and adding much-needed social services.

“Parking’s gonna suck, but I imagine any business owner around here is going to be happy to have that many people coming into the area each day,” said Christina Ross, owner of Just Taste It, a restaurant one block away. “They do have to go somewhere for lunch.”

acampbell@cnglocal.com