Mayor de Blasio talks with parents (photo: Ed Reed, Mayor's Office)
Community advocates are making it clear that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plans to rezone neighborhoods are not acceptable unless they include broader economic development initiatives like local hiring.
As part of his ambitious affordable housing plan, de Blasio has announced several communities the city plans to rezone first in an effort to create more density, build affordable units, and improve neighborhoods. When the mayor initially announced the start of the rezoning process, the blowback was severe. In East New York, which is slated to be the first area rezoned among 15 neighborhoods across the city, residents cried foul that the process involved limited community input, failed to consider local needs, and could lead to wide-scale displacement.
Last week, the city capitulated to a degree. At a hearing of the City Planning Commission, the administration announced that it would make additional investments in job creation to allay residents’ concerns. The investment includes a Workforce1 career center to connect residents to jobs and education and provide assistance to local businesses, as well as $1.5 million to renovate the East New York Industrial Building and attract businesses.
“I feel like it’s too little, too late,” said Bill Wilkins, director of economic development, Local Development Corporation of East New York. Wilkins said the city is moving in the right direction but needs to keep local groups such as the LDCENY in the loop. “There’s been a degree of dialogue with respective agencies. There just needs to be more.”
Stressing the need for a collaborative approach to rezoning, he said the need to create affordable housing has to also be matched by economic synergy. “We have an opportunity to create a local micro stimulus plan if done correctly,” he said, conceding that the city planning department’s plan for economic development in East New York was well-intentioned but in need of “fine tuning.”
“I think they’re in the room,” WIlkins said of the administration, “and they’re close to getting on the dance floor.”
Residents and groups all over the city are concerned that new residential development and other aspects of neighborhood improvement will lead to rapid gentrification and displacement of current residents. Good employment opportunities for those locals can help avoid such pitfalls.
Other communities identified for rezoning are making similar appeals around jobs, and the East New York announcement has marginally buoyed their hopes.
“Well, again, wherever we are looking at rezoning, my view is, I think, different than some of my predecessors,” Mayor de Blasio said at a recent unrelated press conference when Gotham Gazette asked about including similar measures elsewhere. “I see the rezoning as a chance to right some wrongs and to make up for some things that were not done properly in the past,” the mayor added. “A lot of communities did not have the kind of job creation they deserve. We haven’t had enough of a five borough economy. That is changing in the last two years.”
In the Bronx, community advocates insist that the city must guarantee job training and placement for local residents, especially around the new construction that comes with rezoning.
Susanna Blankley, director of Community Action for Safe Apartments, is a member of the Bronx Coalition for a Community Vision, which created a community plan to present to the city. She said, “We want to see a comprehensive plan that will lead to long-term careers, protections from displacement, and provisions to get high-end jobs as opposed to creating more minimum-wage jobs.”
One of the coalition’s demands is that construction jobs should go to union workers, which provide them greater opportunities for promotions.
The Bronx does have the benefit of time. The city is still struggling through negotiations over East New York. The City Planning Commission has only just passed two zoning amendments -- Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) and Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) -- which apply to the entire city and have been sent to the City Council for its approval. MIH and ZQA are intended to set a new baseline of land use rules that neighborhood by neighborhood rezonings built on.
“The city still has time to learn and adapt,” Blankley said. It will be months before the Bronx rezoning is on the table. “[The city] should correct their course and learn from the mistakes made in East New York,” she added.
In East Harlem, employment was also one of the significant priorities among dozens of objectives that were voted on at a community forum last week at El Museo del Barrio. The East Harlem Neighborhood Plan was formulated over a ten-month process involving community organizations; the City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who represents the area as its local Council member; multiple community workshops; and input from more than a thousand residents. At the forum, many residents voiced their concerns about being left behind or pushed out. Union representatives insisted that any construction jobs must go to union workers.
David Nocenti, executive director of Union Settlement, was the chair of the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan subgroup on economic development, small business and workforce development issues. He declined to comment since the final plan has not yet been released.
De Blasio said that his administration, led by the Economic Development Corporation, has “done a great job really trying to create a neighborhood-based economy in a five borough economy. But one of the things we can do through a rezoning process is maximize the creation of local jobs and maximize the ability of local residents to get them. So, that’s something we’re going to focus on intensely as we do rezonings.”
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by Samar Khurshid, senior reporter, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid @GothamGazette
photo: Stanley Kubrick via Museum of the City of New York
Gotham Gazette's Week in Review, Friday February 5, 2016
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: In Iowa, Mayor de Blasio makes calls on behalf of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, via @Chirlane; De Blasio delivers his State of the City address, via Michael Appleton, Mayor's Office; De Blasio tours the downtown Manhattan site of a crane collapse, via Ed Reed, Mayor's Office.
TOP FIVE STORIES OF THE WEEK:
1. State of the City: Mayor de Blasio emphasized building strong neighborhoods and city management during his third State of the City address on Thursday, and focused on acknowledging the work of everyday New Yorkers and the city’s uniformed workforce, and improving conditions across the five boroughs. New initiatives highlighted during the speech include a streetcar running along the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront, development on Governor’s Island, a new private sector employee retirement fund, and a $91 million investment to revitalize Far Rockaway. [Read: De Blasio Stresses Neighborhood Health in 'One City' Vision & Muslim Immigrant Family of NYPD Captain to Lead Pledge of Allegiance at State of the City]
2. Council Votes on Raises, Reforms: On Friday, the City Council approved a package of legislation to raise the salaries of all the the city’s elected officials and reform how Council members are compensated. The reforms, including eliminating stipends for chairing committees and making the position full time, have been praised, yet the higher than recommended salary increase the Council is seeking and the timing of the vote have been criticized. [Read: Questions Remain as City Council Moves Ahead with Pay Raises, Reforms]
3. Critical Time for Housing Plan: On Wednesday, the City Planning Commission passed two major components of Mayor de Blasio’s housing plan, sending them to the City Council, which will hold two hearings on the proposals next week. The two proposals - Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability - have received mixed reactions and aim to adjust the city’s zoning codes to allow what the administration says will be more responsible development. At the same time on the state level, calls for Governor Cuomo to move on new program to incentivize affordable housing production continue. [Read: Planning Commission Sends Mayor's Zoning Proposals to City Council & Calls for Public Discussion of New Affordable Housing Incentive Program]
4. Horse Carriage Deal Collapses: Mayor de Blasio’s controversial plan to shrink the horse carriage industry collapsed after facing intense criticism from several sides, including the horse-carriage drivers, pedicab drivers, park advocates, Council members, union leaders, animal-rights activists, and more. After the Teamsters union withdrew its support for the deal, the City Council cancelled its scheduled vote on the plan.
5. Subway Slashings: In the wake of several separate slashings in the subways in January, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced Wednesday that the NYPD will now wake up sleeping straphangers. Transit crime was up 36 percent in January, according to Bratton. Speaking on Hot 97 radio, Mayor de Blasio said there is no pattern to the random attacks and pointed to an overall downward trend in crime.
THIS WEEK’S NUMBERS:
$148,500 is the new salary for City Council members, up from $112,500, and $10,185 higher than the $138,315 salary a commission tasked with reviewing the compensation levels of elected officials recommended, Gotham Gazette reports. (The salaries of the Mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough Presidents, and District Attorneys will all increase too)
21,401 open code violations at homeless shelters around the city at the end of 2015, an overdue report released by Mayor de Blasio shows.
6.4% increase in the number of jobs in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx from the end of 2013 through the middle of 2015, the Daily News reports.
$91 million will be invested to revitalize Far Rockaway, DNAinfo reports.
$2.5 billion is the estimated pricetag for a new streetcar that will run between Brooklyn and Queens along the East River, the Times reports.
89% of New Yorkers say corruption in the state government in Albany is a serious problem, according to the a Siena poll.
THE GLORY AND THE GOAT:
It was a good week for New York City’s elected officials, all of whom will receive at least a 12 percent salary increase after the City Council approves a package of legislation Friday that will enact the raises (although Mayor de Blasio will not accept a raise for the duration of his term).
It was a bad week for City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, who has been widely criticized after he called the $36,000 raise he and other Council members are about to get a “big compromise,” and insisted that they “deserved” to make $175,000. Rodriguez was also the sponsor of the horse carriage bill, which fell apart this week and has also been the source of much controversy.
THE FLASH:
Around this time 103 years ago, on February 2, 1913, about 150,000 people visited Grand Central Terminal for its opening day. Now, about 750,000 people visit Grand Central every day for travel, dining or shopping.
Around this time 4 years ago, on February 2, 2012, 18-year-old Ramarley Graham was shot and killed by police officers in the bathroom of the apartment Graham lived in with his family. The officers followed Graham into his home from a bodega after they thought they saw Graham with a gun. No gun was found, and the officer who shot Graham had the manslaughter charges against him dropped. On the anniversary of Graham’s death, his parents delivered a letter to City Hall officials urging Mayor de Blasio to fire the NYPD officer who shot Graham.
Around this time 52 years ago, on February 3, 1964, 460,000 students refused to go to school in order to protest the segregation of New York City’s schools. Students gathered and chanted “Jim Crow must go!” in front of the Board of Education building, calling for immediate action to be taken to desegregate the schools.
Around this time 17 years ago, on February 4, 1999, West African immigrant Amadou Diallo was killed by police officers in the entrance of his Bronx apartment building after the officers mistakenly believed Diallo was the serial rapist they were searching for, and that he was reaching for a gun. Diallo, 23, had no gun and was in fact reaching for his wallet when four NYPD officers fired 41 shots, hitting him 19 times. His death sparked demonstrations against racial profiling and unfair treatment by the police. The four officers involved were eventually acquitted of all charges.
GOTHAM GAZETTE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
De Blasio Stresses Neighborhood Health in 'One City' Vision, by Ben Max
Planning Commission Sends Mayor's Zoning Proposals to City Council, by Maggie Calmes
Calls for Public Discussion of New Affordable Housing Incentive Program, by David Howard King
After Iowa: Debates & Voting Dates Until New York, by Ben Max
Muslim Immigrant Family of NYPD Captain to Lead Pledge of Allegiance at State of the City, by Samar Khurshid
Questions Remain as City Council Moves Ahead with Pay Raises, Reforms, by Meg O'Connor
Planning Commission Vote Will Send Zoning Proposals to City Council, Ben Max
As Council Begins Oversight, McCray Reports Progress in Mental Health Roadmap Implementation, by Meg O'Connor
What To Do When the L Train Closes, by Alex Armlovich (opinion)
As Federal Aid System Advances, Our Outdated Way Leaves New York Students Behind, by Sue Mead and Kevin Stump (opinion)
The City's Next Steps to Ensure Vibrant, Creative Communities, by Adam Forman (opinion)
A Good Deal for Horses, by Allie Feldman (opinion)
Reducing Organic Waste Without Increasing Costs, by Carol Kellermann (opinion)
To Eradicate Sex Trafficking, Prosecute the Pimps and Buyers, by Lauren Hersh (opinion)
Four Decades of Dedication: City Limits’ Story, by Jarrett Murphy ( City Limits)
Homeless Young Adults Can Fall through a Crack in Shelter System, by Genia Gould (City Limits)
40 Stories, 40 Years: City Limits and the History of Today's New York City, by Jarrett Murphy (City Limits)
MORE FOR THE WEEKEND:
Council Member Brad Lander spoke with Errol Louis on NY1 to explain raising Council members' salaries and to discuss the controversy surrounding it.
Dick Dadey, executive director of the government watchdog group Citizens Union, spoke with Brian Lehrer on WNYC about the package of legislation the City Council voted on Friday that will raise the salaries of all of New York City’s elected officials for the first time since 2006, as well as the controversy surrounding the larger-than-recommended salary increase for Council members and the timing of the vote.
Mayor de Blasio appeared on Hot 97 radio to talk about the presidential race, violence in the subway, the newly announced streetcar line that will run between Brooklyn and Queens, running for re-election, and legalizing marijuana.
Current and former New York Daily News columnists Harry Siegel and Bill Hammond joined Alexis Grenell and Nick Powell on the NYSlant podcast to discuss JCOPE’s controversial lobbying decision, and the equally controversial pay raise proposals from the City Council.
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NOTE TO READERS: we hope you enjoy this new Gotham Gazette weekly feature - please share it if you do; on Twitter, use our handle @GothamGazette.
If you have feedback on this feature for us, you can email editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Watch Sunday evening for our latest Week Ahead in New York Politics, which gives you a preview of key issues and events to be aware of for the week about to start. In the meantime, catch up on the latest original reporting from Gotham Gazette here. And have a great weekend!
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by Meg O'Connor and Ben Max
Mayor de Blasio delivers his State of the City (Mayor's Office)
Strong neighborhoods are essential to a just city, Mayor Bill de Blasio argued from the Bronx Thursday evening, delivering his third State of the City address. De Blasio's speech was long on markers of progress and acknowledgement of the city's uniformed workforce, and included several new proposals ranging from the nitty gritty of city management to major innovations.
The theme of the speech, according to the mayor, was "one New York: working for our neighborhoods," and de Blasio made the case that the city is on the right track, while also outlining new ways in which his administration would improve conditions for New Yorkers, especially those living in long-forgotten places.
The banner items are plans for a streetcar along 16 miles of Brooklyn-Queens waterfront, the development of Governor's Island into a multidimensional attraction, and a new private sector employee retirement fund. These grander items came amid announcements about new efforts to scrub graffiti, prosecute gun dealers, and invest $91 million to revitalize Far Rockaway.
"So two years in, we are building one New York," de Blasio said after going through the highlights of his first two years in office: safer and smoother streets, lower crime, expanded worker benefits, a popular municipal identification card, universal pre-kindergarten and other education programs, and "the most ambitious affordable housing plan in the history of this nation" with strong initial progress.
"The changes we've made are working for our neighborhoods," he said, "and today, we are capturing the momentum of these first two years to push harder, to go farther."
As he often does, de Blasio fit nuts-and-bolts programs and so-called quality-of-life concerns into his overarching focus on creating equity in New York. He promised new health centers in underserved neighborhoods like the South Bronx, expanded WiFi access through sidewalk kiosks and broadband at public housing complexes, and more frequent cleaning of city streets.
The mayor got a thumbs up from business leaders. "Mayor de Blasio focused on investing in the city 's future, ranging from building new centers of innovation and economic activity to developing a novel transit connector between Brooklyn and Queens and creating a network of health centers serving the South Bronx," said Partnership for NYC President and CEO Kathy Wylde in a statement. "These are priorities that the business community shares – practical and achievable. They will contribute to the city's vitality and stimulate private investment."
Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers and advocates are excited about the retirement savings program, which the mayor will work on with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Public Advocate Letitia James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, and others. City Council Member Ben Kallos, who helped develop the model for the program while working with liberal activist Bill Samuels at EffectiveNY, will introduce legislation so that "any New Yorker working at a business with ten or more employees to automatically enroll in a retirement plan."
Unfortunately for de Blasio, his State of the City address was sandwiched between the collapse of a deal he had orchestrated to reform the carriage horse industry and the shooting of two NYPD officers, who were shot during a patrol in a Bronx housing complex while de Blasio was speaking a few miles away. The mayor was quickly briefed after finishing his remarks and went to the hospital, where he and NYPD officials reported that both officers were in stable condition.
During his speech the mayor went to great lengths to praise the NYPD, as well as the other uniformed city workers: firefighters, correction officers, and sanitation workers.
This workforce is essential to a safe and clean city, de Blasio explained, adding that the successes in these areas made possible the city's vibrant economy and efforts to ensure that others would be able to share in the prosperity. Still, he promised continued efforts to bring police and community closer together.
"Now, if making New Yorkers safer is the first and foremost of our efforts to improve quality of life," the mayor said, "then helping New Yorkers get around our city swiftly and easily comes next." He then introduced measures to build the streetcar route - which is estimated to cost about $2.5 billion and be finished in 2024; allow people to pay for parking using a mobile app; and the expansion of bus arrival countdown clocks.
Canopied by talk of neighborhoods, de Blasio gave an almost block-by-block explanation of how he is leveraging the tools of city government to improve New Yorkers' lives. While the mayor's approval rating hovers around 50 percent, it is on a recent upswing, and notwithstanding a recent weekend trip to Iowa to campaign for Hillary Clinton, de Blasio appears to have gotten the message that New Yorkers want him focused on running the day-to-day operations of the city.
On Thursday, de Blasio said that his vision for a growing and fair city "means we need to manage government effectively for a safe, clean, economically strong city with an improving quality of life. And it means we must innovate for the future in all our neighborhoods, always pushing the envelope for new ways to keep New York the greatest global city of the 21st century."
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by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
@tweetBenMax @GothamGazette