La Marqueta and the Market Mile

Meta Brunzema Architects

City College Architectural Center, Meta Brunzema Architects, Irwin Cohen (developer of Chelsea Market) and Harlem CDC's Planning Department created a plan to convert the area under the elevated Park Avenue Viaduct rail line, from 111th to 132nd Streets, into a food production/retail corridor. New stores would be built under the viaduct to house multi-cultural, specialty food production and retail use and face out toward Park Avenue, instead of onto an interior walkway or court, enlivening an underutilized stretch of East Harlem. In addition, the blocks on either side of Park Avenue would be rezoned to allow for a more diverse set of land uses to encourage business and employment development in the area.

Many of the programmatic and design elements of this concept are being incorporated into the redevelopment of the historic La Marqueta section from 111th to 119th Streets by East Harlem Business Capital Corporation (EHBCC), which has been awarded the development rights by the NYC Economic Development Corporation. Harlem CDC's Planning Department is assisting EHBCC in the planning and development of this and in the overall planning for the areas adjacent to La Marqueta.

Development plans for the northern portion, 119th to 132nd Streets, are to be determined. Most of this section (124th to 132nd Streets) is located within the East Harlem Triangle Urban Renewal Area, of which the Community Association of East Harlem Triangle (CAEHT) is the designated community developer. Harlem CDC's Planning Department is in discussions with CAEHT to determine the best way to move this project forward.