City Council Hearing Sets Stage for Final Battle
by Alex Padalka, additional reporting by Evan Tobias
With only a few weeks left before the historical City Council vote, Councilman David Yassky, the man who holds the ace, spells out the strategy: if the City doesn't modify its rezoning plans, the City Council can and will reject the plan at its May rezoning vote, wait for the next mayor and start all over again.
"If this plan is put in front of the council, we will vote it down," Yassky said at the April 4th City Council hearing on rezoning. "It is not enough to change a line or a word, but we will throw it out and get a plan that works for the neighborhood. If we can’t do that than we will say 'no' and start over."
The City Planning Commission, during its March 14th vote in favor of Bloomberg's plan, introduced several modifications. In a response to the community's concern, the Commission decided to exclude from rezoning several blocks with predominantly industrial use, reduce permissible building height adjacent to Greenpoint's historic district, and "provide for a mechanism to create a body to oversee and maintain new open space created under the plan." Addressing the point of most contention, the commission provided measures to allow 15 to 25 percent affordable units through the Inclusionary Housing Program, which allows extra floor area to developers in exchange for affordably housing, and other voluntary programs already in place with other city agencies.
"We are committed to addressing affordable housing needs and believe that these zoning changes, together with the use of public sites and the range of our affordable housing programs, will provide ample opportunities for affordable housing for current and future residents," said Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Shaun Donovan.
Still not enough, said, wrote, sang via telegram and chanted at the hearings opponents of the plan, including the 40-organization-strong North Brooklyn Alliance and the 100-member organization-strong Creative Industries Coalition. The Bloomberg plan still allows for 22 40-story towers, which are too high, does not allow enough park space considering an influx of 10,000 or more new residential units, does not protect the 4,000 light industry jobs in the area, does not provide for a continuous waterfront esplanade, and doesn't expand the subway service to the area considering the proposed new units. Finally, proponents of what is now called "The Community Plan" continued to insist on guaranteed 40 percent affordable housing, claiming that voluntary programs are not enough.
In the two weeks since the Commission voted, the two-month old Creative Coalition has come up with some ingenious ways to draw attention to the plan for those who are still catching on. From calls and letters to City Councilmen, "The Gates of Brooklyn" project, in which balloons on fish line were flown at the waterfront at the height of some of the proposed towers, a weekly flyering/postering campaign that left no business owner or L-train commuter unaware, to a much-applauded singing telegram sent to a City Council hearing, the group got the attention of the local pols, their fellow residents, and the media with over 500 people going to April 4th public hearing and press conference with people brandishing Defend Brooklyn Against Bloomberg signs and cutouts of shovels.
There were signs of a possible compromise, however. After months of fighting over guaranteed 40 percent affordable housing, which several local politicians claimed was unrealistic last year, new numbers are emerging as an alternative.
"We want 40%," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who publicly opposed the city's plan earlier this year following the Community Board's 'no, with modification' votes, "but I’d be pleased with 30% and I hope the council agrees with the plan I have proposed."
Not everyone in the neighborhood is ready to oppose the city's plan. Community activist Adam Perlmutter, a lawyer for the Greenpoint Williamsburg Association for Parks and Planning, and one of the most vocal opponents of the TransGas energy plant, was quoted on NY1 saying "without rezoning we will have power plants." Perlmutter also serves as legal counsel to Greenpoint Landing Associates, a developer planning to build on the waterfront. While the fate of the power plant is ultimately up to the State Siting Board and not to the City Council or even Bloomberg, a No vote on rezoning in the council would leave TransGas space to maneuver and continue its bid for the 1,100 megawatt plant. There is also the threat of Bloomberg flexing his muscle to see how much influence he can wield over a state body just to punish opponents to his grandiose vision of New York City.
Last push. By the time this magazine hits the stands, there will be less than three weeks left before the City Council votes. Let them know what you think.
Councilman David Yassky
718.875.5200
yassky@council.nyc.ny.us
Contact Speaker Gifford Miller
212.788.7210
miller@council.nyc.ny.us
Contact Council Member Diana Reyna
718.963.3141
reyna@council.nyc.ny.us
The Bloomberg Plan: www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/about/pr031405.html
The Community Plan: www.communityplan.org/
North Brooklyn Alliance: www.communityplan.org/
Community Board One: www.cb1brooklyn.org
The Brooklyn Gates Protest
Manufacturers raise their voices and balloons
by Evan Tobias
Photos by Sullivan Walsh
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of Williamsburg and Greenpoint and local manufactures and industrial property owners believe their concerns have been ignored as the vote by the City Council to determine how the waterfront will be rezoned nears. The current proposal by the city opens up the possibility for dozens of 400 foot skyscrapers to be built on the waterfront. According to a plan drafted by over 60 local businesses and manufactures the proposed rezoning of the area does little to protect the area’s existing manufacturing base.
Frustrated by their concerns falling on deaf ears the “Brooklyn Gates” protest was conceived to show the scale of the development proposed by the New York City Department of City Planning. Over sixty manufacturers have tied orange balloons to the roofs of their buildings to bring attention to their proposal for a better way to rezone the area and show publicly how high the new developments will be. Playing off of the successful Gates exhibit in Central Park by Christo and Jean-Claude, they also represent how these new 40 story buildings will essentially be ‘gated’ communities cut off from the rest of the neighborhood.
The proposal that the businesses sent to the city council condemns the cities plan to only zone for mainly high-end residential buildings and believes that within five years nearly all of over 100 manufactures in the area will be lost along with over 4000 local jobs and the local economy might never recover. What will be created are over 10,000 apartments, many costing over a million dollars but without the infrastructure to support the people and the families coming.
Stephanie Eisenberg of American Medal Stamping on North 14th Street which has been in the neighborhood since 1950 is also very concerned. “Where are all the kids going to go to school? Are they all going to go to private school? We want to create a real and fair mix use neighborhood that can support manufacturing and residential. We want manufacturers to build residential housing on top of their one story industrial building like they did in Tribeca,” said Eisenberg. “The city’s plan now essentially leaves no room for manufacturing, causing everyone to relocate or sell their property. You can’t put 40,000 new people on the same street where we need trucks to come in for deliveries.”
The “Brooklyn Gates” protest, which began on March 28th and will continue through May when the final vote is held, experienced some controversy from the onset. As soon as the first balloons were released to the 400 foot height the police said they had to bring them down as the height is interfering with airplane and helicopter traffic. Many of the manufacturers brought down the balloons, but, as Eisenberg noted, ‘What are they going to do when the buildings are built?”
John Morelli, owner of Newcastle Quilting on 80 Wythe Street which has been in the neighborhood for over 50 years also believes that business has to be taken into consideration. “I am participating in the protest because I feel the neighborhood should keep some of its original character and to completely change it to a high rise neighborhood will dislocate a lot of people.”
Eisenberg also said that “the city is telling us we have a view and they want it so they’ll take it. It’s a hostile takeover and just because developers have clout and ties to elected officials doesn’t mean that we should become the suburbs and displace working class people and business owners.”
If you would like to participate in the “Brooklyn Gates” protest you can pick up your balloon at 195 North 14th Street on the corner of Berry Street. Also, to tell the city council your thoughts on rezoning you can call, write or fax them at:
Speaker Gifford Miller
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Phone 212.788.7210
Fax 212.788.7207
Council Member David Yassky
250 Broadway, 18th floor
New York, NY 10007
Phone 212.788.7348
Fax 718.643.6620
Council Member Diana Reyna
444 South 5th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone 718.963.3141
Fax 718.963.4527
