Overview
Manhattan Community Board 10
ILR High Road New York is a statewide program that aims to teach ILR students practical methods for civic engagement and leadership through economic justice, evidence-based policy, and strategic development that creates opportunity for community members to share in prosperity. The Summer 2025 New York City (NYC) High Road Fellowship Program will run from June 2nd to August 1st, 2025. Students intern in person with various NYC partner organizations and will participate in weekly cohort workshops focused on critical reflection and peer-to-peer collaboration and networking and learning opportunities with guest speakers will be offered at ILR's NYC office on Lexington Avenue. All interns will be paid and need-based subsidized housing will be available.
Manhattan Community Board 10 covers the Central Harlem neighborhood in Northern Manhattan. Three of the District’s four major boundaries are natural features: Harlem River to the north, Central Park to the south and the Fordham Cliffs to the west. CB10 consists of the major thorough-fair, West 125th Street, home of the 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID), located primarily in Central Harlem, which 125th Street extends from E. Harlem to W. Harlem. The 125th Street corridor, especially in central Harlem is seeing major development, with commercial stores and the strip is home to the iconic Apollo Theatre. The upcoming projects along the corridor include the soon-to-be completed Studio Museum of Harlem, the Urban League Empowerment Center, NYC EDC’s recent Mart125 project, and the National Black Theatre [located in E. Harlem, on other side of 5th Ave at the CB10/CB11 border], as well as the recently opened Victoria Hotel with affordable housing, which will also host a number of arts organizations. Harlem is still often recognized as the “Black Mecca” of America, as the birthplace of the Harlem Renaissance after African-Americans migrated North during the “Great Migration.” The 2020 Census data showed changes in Harlem’s population, which will continue to change. The intern will work on any/all of the following projects:
Housing, Land Use & Zoning:
Multiple research and data opportunities with our Land Use Committee. Work alongside our Land Use Committee on various city and community board initiatives. Last year, the community board saw multiple proposals through the NYC Dept. of City Planning such as NYC City Of Yes: Carbon Neutrality, Economic Opportunity & Housing Opportunity. Interns can also discuss further with CUNY’s J. Max Bond Center on the Land Use Committee’s City Council-funded mapping tool project to identify vacant lots and potential land use projects and mapping tool to support the community in zoning and development ideas. Provide research and data report on the city’s January 2024 settlement to reduce the community resident set-aside in affordable housing developments from 50% to 20% and eventually 15% will impact gentrification, long-time residents and change the demographic make-up of long-time communities of color, particularly Central Harlem. Furthermore, the board will vote on the controversial modified ULURP project called One45 February 2024, which will greatly impact the housing and land use scape in Manhattan CB10. The Land Use Committee also expects renewed discussions on a long-standing market called MART125 to be re-open by the city, which will include community input on how to use the space, which was closed for over 20 years along the 125th Street corridor.
Economic Development, Technology and Communications Committee:
Review the impact of A.I. on communities of color, economic impacts of cannabis legislation on Central Harlem as an impacted neighborhood during cannabis prohibition, and data and research on how to provide overall economic development in communities of color that have seen historic disinvestment. This Committee hosts an annual cannabis conference, A.I. Tech Conference and Job Fairs to promote career and job opportunities in the community. 125th Street BID was also recently awarded with a streetscape research grant that would impact the Central Harlem neighborhood. The Economic Development committee is increasingly concerned about the recent influx of West African Migrants into Central Harlem and their access to resources. Some issues discussed by this committee include vending, the 125th Street BID is often a HUB for district’s vending culture, which is often spearheaded by our migrant community, and question are often raised as to how can vendors become better serviced and grow as entrepreneurs.
District Needs:
All 59 Community Boards submit annually a “Community District Needs” to identify funding priorities for city agencies. This process is overseen by the NYC Department of City Planning. In Manhattan Community Board 10, the top [3] priorities for Manhattan Community Board 10 in FY25 were Affordable Housing, Crime & Public Safety, Trash Removal & Cleanliness. The top concerns are informed by a survey published by the community board to its constituents to complete and provide input on what they feel the community needs for equitable distribution of city services. These major concerns and narratives are discussed by Board committee leadership and the District Manager to help city agencies understand the needs of their community board district and how city services can be improved.
The Manhattan Community Board 10 Office is located on 215 West 125th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10027.
