When does a community benefits agreement (CBA) not benefit its community? When it is negotiated between elected officials and developers, says Sustainable South Bronx, a nonprofit that opposed recent deals to build the new Yankee Stadium and a major retail development. The deals were made with few legal commitments to provide living wage jobs, local business development or other improvements. Nor are there solid plans to compensate for increased traffic and pollution the new projects will bring. In a true CBA, these plans are part of an agreement negotiated between community members and a developer. (www.ssbx.org)
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