South Bronx residents fight a possible warehouse at the old Post printing plant. The Council's last-mile bills are still in committee

South Bronx residents are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to stop the logistics developer Prologis from turning the former New York Post printing plant in Port Morris into a last-mile delivery warehouse, Streetsblog reported Tuesday. The community group South Bronx Unite says a Prologis executive told it in an October meeting that the company planned to replace the plant, across from Randalls Island, with a warehouse.

Prologis says otherwise. A spokesperson told THE CITY last month that the company is "not currently under contract" to buy the nearly 400,000-square-foot building at 900 E. 132nd St., that it is only "evaluating the site," and that there is no customer or final plan. The company also said the site has not been selected for the city's Blue Highways program, which moves freight onto boats.

The group wants the state to check whether old lease covenants give it power over the land. The state Transportation Department owns part of the Harlem River Yards and leases it to an affiliate of the Galesi Group; a department spokesperson told Streetsblog the potential project is entirely privately owned and the state does not consider itself a participant.

Why it matters to residents: Mott Haven and Port Morris have some of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country, THE CITY reported, and the waterfront already hosts a large FreshDirect warehouse whose roughly 1,000 daily diesel truck trips residents blame for added traffic, according to Streetsblog. Residents also want the nearby East 132nd Street Pier reopened to the public.

What our records add

The licensing bill has the votes on paper but no committee vote. Int. 518, from Tiffany L. Cabán, would require last-mile facilities to get a city license and directly employ their drivers. It lists 35 Council sponsors plus two borough presidents, including Elsie Encarnación, who represents Port Morris and Mott Haven. Consumer and Worker Protection Chair Harvey D. Epstein opened its April 9 hearing, which drew testimony on both sides: labor unions in support (2:56:00) and delivery contractors who said it would cost them their businesses (4:10:04). The bill was laid over and has not moved since. Mayor Zohran Mamdani backs it; Speaker Julie Menin had not publicly committed to bringing it to a vote as of Oct. 21, amNY reported.

A pollution rule has never had a hearing. Int. 53, from Alexa Avilés, would regulate "indirect sources" of air pollution, such as warehouses that draw truck traffic. It has 20 Council sponsors, Encarnación among them, and has waited 278 days in the Environmental Protection Committee. Two study bills are also waiting 278 days: Int. 58, also from Avilés, on truck and delivery traffic from last-mile facilities, and Int. 111, from Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, on truck route compliance by warehouse operators.

Lobbying, side by side. THE CITY reported that Prologis spent at least $15,000 in the past year on lobbying related to the Bronx site, and more than $100,000 last year lobbying city agencies and officials on last-mile special permits, a proposed zoning change for new warehouses and legislation including a bill to regulate warehouse air pollution. The company told the outlet it engages policymakers on issues that affect its business. Lobbying records show contacts, not outcomes.

What's next

None of the bills is on an upcoming agenda. Int. 518 would need a committee vote before reaching the full Council, which next meets Nov. 12. The Environmental Protection Committee's next listed meeting is Dec. 10. Prologis has said it has no final project plan for the site.