Greenpoint- Shocking news regarding Saturday's Four Square Showdown at the western edge of Brooklyn, India Street Mural project. Details still emerging.
Did Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg, Bushwick) show up at high noon to defend his title? Did he send council candidate Steve Levin instead to do square off in the ultimate epic battle? Did Councilmember David Yassky (1-0-0) and candidate Evan Thies engage in Four-Square-Four-Play? And what's up with all those cowboy references? Where the hell did that come from? Check back Monday to find out!
Greenpoint- Since I can't challenge anyone's ballots, I'm challenging everyone to Four Square, Saturday at the India Street Mural Project. 2-6 PM. All day every day, yo. I'm challenging Vito Lopez. And I'm challenging Steve Levin. And I'm challenging Evan Thies and his helper elves. And I'm challenging Jo Anne Simon and her ninjas (again). And I'm challenging The Kens and Doug Biv and The Incredibles, and Isaac Abraham and his 2900 petitioners... yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Vito was a little busy Thursday night, at the Board of Elections (thanks to Azi Paybarah for the photo), but if he comes to India Street tomorrow, I'll be ready. I'll be ready to go, allright. Fired up! Ready to Go! Fired up! Fired up! Fired up!
Brooklyn- We've had a couple of days since Tuesday night's epic Community Board One (Greenpoint/ Williamsburg) vote over the Broadway Triangle. I kept waiting for Ward Dennis to part the Red Sea, leading CB1 members to the promised land, but it never happened. Instead, everyone got sucked into the Triangle debate like Bruce Campbell at the end of Evil Dead 2.
Time for some perspective, and what better way to do that than with a Winners/ Non-Winners list. I'm reluctant to use the word "Losers" because no one really lost this week. Except for the National League. Again.
Winners:
*The Plan 1895 units, 8-story buildings, 31 acres... on a possible South Williamsburg brownfield. Well, ok then. There are a few things standing in the way of this plan becoming a reality: Borough President Marty Markowitz, Councilmember David Yassky and his colleagues, Mayor Micheal Bloomberg, and the city's financial situation. It is unclear how strongly Bloomberg actually cares about this development plan, though he could certainly use the electoral support of... *Rabbi David Niederman and United Jewish Organizations The good Rabbi spoke throughout the meeting, hammering away at the lack of affordable housing and jobs in the Hasidic community.
*Jack Hammer When you have a name like Jack Hammer and you work for the Department of Housing and Preservation Development (HPD), you're always a winner. *Chris Olechowski In his 2009 debut, Chairman Chris ran the board meeting efficiently, fairly and cut people off when their time elapsed. Though heated interchanges resulted in the hallway, and there remains some bickering between Chairman Chris and Duran for letting supporters of the Broadway Triangle rezoning speak at the last minute, many in press row ere surprised with how well Olechowski handled himself publicly. *Vito Lopez Nobody except Luis Garden Acosta seemed to want to reference Assemblyman Lopez by name at the meeting but the board's vote reaffirms much of the respect that a significant part of the community (seniors, some Latinos, many Hasidic Jews) have for the Democratic Party leader and the nonprofit, RBSCC, he founded. Even though Lopez has been immersed in petitioning drives and council campaigns for much of this week, this vote did not go unnoticed.
*Rob Solano Perhaps the most eloquent voice of the opposition to the rezoning, Solano lobbied hard behind the scenes for community board members to vote against the Broadway Triangle. Then in public, Solano and his group Churches United for Fair Housing put pressure on public officials to support their side. His leadership has been impressive throughout the process and that did not go unnoticed either.
Non-Winners:
*The Process Everyone kept talking about transparency Tuesday night, and even UJO members acknowledged there should have been more of it. The question about why the UJO pulled out of the charette meeting remains unanswered, and HPD took a beating from community members for not communicating with other city agencies, particularly Parks, concerning open space within the Broadway Triangle. When your city agency is less popular than the Department of City Planning in Williamsburg, you know you have a problem.
*St. Nicholas NPC Tough week for St. Nicks. First, District Manager Gerry Esposito's campaign staff releases an article accusing the nonprofit of picking sides in the 34th District City Council race. Then, the vote which handcuffs their ability to build housing on the Broadway Triangle doesn't go their way. Now, more bickering between community board members and St. Nicks staffers over statements made at the end of public session excoriating board members for their vote. Tracking. *Evelyn Cruz Congressional liaison Evelyn Cruz tried to speak several times during the meeting but was cut off and had to settle for interviews in the hallway and a brief statement exhorting the city for "broken promises and failing to meet its rezoning obligations." I haven't seen her this frustrated before.
*Evan Thies You can't win if you don't play. One of the questions a few of us had in press row was "Where is Evan?" Turns out he resigned from the board, effective on July 15, just in time for the vote. Thies has spoken publicly against the plan and he lobbied behind the scenes for fellow board members to vote against the rezoning, but missing the final vote where he could have made a statement publicly against the Democratic Machine did not look good. These opportunities do not come up very often.
*Marty Needelman Going into this meeting, Marty and the other members of the Broadway Triangle Task Force kind of knew that the vote wasn't going their way, and Marty has vowed to challenge the rezoning in court. His strategy of emphasizing civil rights discrimination may not be as successful as fighting the city's attempts to invoke eminent domain over industrial operators like Shanghai Steel and Service Smoked Fish. Marty's strengths are in the courts, but so far, this battle has been playing out in political offices, where public opinion matters more than legal precepts. *Reform-minded CB1 members who voted "Yes" anyway Few of the yes voters have been able to defend why they voted the way they did, and this is why David Yassky will ultimately support this rezoning action. Here's Jaye Foxe's explanation of her vote: What I meant by that, by the way, is that I'm no fan of HPD's process, but the vote was on a zoning action, which I thought was basically good on it's merits. This is unlike DCP's plan for the Big Rezoning in '05, which I thought was basically bad, in the form in which it came to us for a vote. I'll have more on how this vote went down the way it did next week.
It's over. There's no way I'm going back to the Four Square courts. I was outplayed and embarrassed last Saturday. David Yassky beat me at Williamsburg Walks fair and square. There is nothing that nobody would say that would get me to even think about playing Four Square again. It's not going to happen. It's not going to happen.
My phone rings. It's an 860 area code. Gotta be my mom's new cell phone.
Me: Hello... mom? Coach: I'm not your mom. This is Coach Jim Calhoun.
Me: Stunned silence...
Coach: UConn Huskies Mens Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun Me: Uh....
Coach: Hall of Fame UConn Huskies Mens Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun
Me: Stunned silence...
Coach: Hello? Kid? You still there?
Me: Yeah.. yes... Coach! Why... why are you calling me?
Coach: You know why I'm calling you.
Me: Is it the pitch to Men's Health that I haven't made yet? Because I swear I'm totally going to send that over to Sports Information.
Coach: I'm calling because you quit at Four Square.
Me: I... I didn't quit.
Coach: Bullsh#t!
Me: The ball just didn't bounce my way on Saturday.
Coach: Excuses!
Me: I made... I made a lot of errors. The other guy got hot.
Coach: Do you think I quit when we lost on Denham Brown's last second miss against George Mason in 2006 or when Donyell Marshall couldn't make his free throws against Florida State or when NCAA investigators came after me for recruiting violations connected to Nate Miles?
Me: ...Um
Coach: What?
Me: No. No you didn't quit.
Coach: You're damn right I didn't quit.
Me: Well, what should I do?
Coach: You need to challenge Assemblymember Vito Lopez to Four Square on Saturday.
Coach: It's the only way you'll get back in the game.
Me: But Coach... I'm... not great.
Coach: Bullsh#t. You can do it, Aaron.
Me: I can do it.
Coach: Just believe in yourself.
Me: I believe in myself.
Coach: You're a winner
Me: I'm a winner.
Coach: And if you don't win... I'm going to drive down to Bushwick, drag you out of your tiny apartment, and make you run up and down the steps of the Chrysler Building for twelve hours.
Me: Um..
Coach: I have a lot of time on my hands this summer.
Me: I can do it, Coach! I can do it!
Coach: Go get em, kid. Click.
Well, it's on. Again. Assemblyman Lopez, I hereby challenge you to a Four Square match at the India Street Mural Project unveiling, Saturday July 18. And any other candidates for City Council who show up... I will take you on too.
Let's take a break from the Broadway Triangle rezoning and recognize some recent important pieces of local journalism that have blossomed like goldenrod in a vacant Williamsburg lot.
David Amsden's big New York Magazine piece: The Billyburg Bust is one that is getting a lot of attention locally, and rightfully so. It's well written and well put together. Good job David. Gotham Gazette's ace political correspondant, Courtney Gross, has two very solid pieces on the city budget and the importance of local community boards. She's had a busy June. Up next? A feature on Tony Avella.
City Limits comes to Bushwick (for the first time?) and discovers Bushwick Impact. Definitely check out this piece by Nekoro Gomes and learn about all the interesting things Impact is up to.
What I'm still waiting forthis week: Kareem Fahim's New York Times piece on the Broadway Triangle, and Tom Robbins' Village Voice piece on Vito Lopez. Let's go guys.
8:04 PM Chairman Chris passes the mic to ULURP Chair Ward Dennis who rolls through his report. Meanwhile Juliet starts scrolling through U-L-U-R-P-D-A-Y Nights Part One. "I don't want to read this. This literally just happened," says Juliet. Meanwhile, Jeff Mann has figured out where Evan Thies is. "He resigned from the Board a few days ago," says Jeff. "When the police were taking roll of community board members at the door, Evan Thies was not on that list." I guess Evan won't be voting tonight.
Ward gives his report and starts talking about the ULURP vote from last month. I want to say first off I think the committee did a tremendous job looking at the city's proposal and judging it on its merits. On the other hand we have a process that has not been in any way ideal. It was not transparent, or open or inclusive. What it boils down to is a good rezoning proposal and a bad process.I think the committee did a very good job and we arrived on a consensus consistent with past positions on the board on affordable housing, open space, and industrial development.Contextual zoning is not trying to supersize the zoning. There are five areas where the plan was lacking, including industrial retention, open space, and keeping as much inclusionary housing as possible within the area. The committee voted to approve all four actions of the rezoning with the conditions. Ward reads the four actions. (Note: I will try to get the electronic link for these actions up as soon as I can). Scrap Metal is leaning against the wall. I notice him and he adjusts his tie. Good call not wearing that suit. It's so hot in here we're actually baking a pizza on Juliet's laptop.
8:26: More squabbling about two HPD letters and the ULURP vote. The crowd is tiring and Press Row is beginning to lose interest in the discussion. We've wandered away from what's important and Ward Dennis or Chairman Chris need to reign this back in. Press Row perks up as Ward clears up a technical point in the vote that's pretty important. And CB1 member Simon Weiser (aka "SiWi) is at the center of this issue.
"Any board members have a conflict of interest would have to recuse themselves from the vote. Conflict of interest rules state that you have to acknowledge this. If you vote in a resolution that you are not supposed to vote on, that vote can be challenged and the entire vote can be thrown out," says Ward. Rabbi Niederman makes a clarification and states that Simon Weiser resigned from the UJO and is in eligible to vote. This is like the rule for vampires, wh0 have to ask for permission from a guest before entering a room. Maybe HBO should make their next vampire show about the fight for more affordable housing in North Brooklyn. I doubt the buildings would have any windows.
or
What kind of vampire is SiWi? Vote in the comments
Fortunately a lawyer from Borough President Marty Markowitz's office, who for the record is against vampires, is on BP's office is on hand. "For the matter in question, you may not vote on the matter but you may participate in discussion with the communit board on the matter. The matter is that the conflict of interest law is very very gray. (applause from the BTFF half of the room) Everyone in this room has an interest. If you have a conflict of interest, you must recuse yourself. I would be happy to let anybody know do this outside. I'm not going to do this in a public venue because it is not the place of the office of the borough president." 8:42 PM WGNews and Arts Reid Pillifant calls me. He finally got into the room. Reid has a healthy man-crush on me, kind of like the man-crush I have on Greg Hanlon, the man-crush Ben Muessig has on Mike McLaughlin or the man-crush Jeff Mann has on himself. Sorry I couldn't save a seat for you, Reid. Maybe you can sit on Luis Garden Acosta.
8:46 PM I receive the following text from Rami Scrap Metal: "I just started eating a cookie that Lincoln Wrestler [sic] gave me and as I started eating it Teresa Toro stared me down until I gave her half of it. I want food.
8:47 PM We have some back and forth before the final vote, but I feel we're getting close. Esteban makes a comment: This vote on the broadway triangle should not be before us. We have not had sufficient time to have our input. The presentation from AIA did not get input from us beforehand. The issue is the affordable housing that is being built here is not inclusive. I joined the community board after the rezoning in 2005. We can't trust that the rezoning will give us the promise of open space. Thank you for your time. Please vote no on this (applause from the BTCC half of the room).
A Hasidic CB 1 member answers back that the project is ready to go and the zoning is there and the community is going to get what they want, as Jaye Foxe follows with her comments saying that lower-rise contextual zoning is more feasible. This is a crucial vote and a bad sign for the BTCC (and a good sign for the BTFF. Confused? So am I.).
"As much as this is not a project that is ready to go, I'm concerned that once we get into 15 story developments the cost is astronomically higher. That just bothers me... I just think that lower rise contextual zoning is more feasible," says Foxe.
Heather Roslund talks and then Rabbi Niederman tees off. He's had an unusually public role tonight."This is a commitment to a hundred families who tomorrow will have a home to live. Yes the process is very important and from future it should be transparent. There are a hundred families, 50 percent from CB 1, whose lives are at stake now and need a roof on top of their head. This is what I believe is at stake over here. For the moment now, we're talking about a project that is all affordable, and we would be going back to the drawing board (if we vote no). It will take another 25 years to get this going and I urge you let's not take 25 years from now so we still see the blighted areas."
Evelyn Cruz is trying to speak but Ward shuts her down. "The value to open process and the respect to public government..." says Evelyn. "Evelyn I'm sorry we can't recognize non-board members..." says Ward.
EWVIDCO's and CB1 member Karen Knieves gets the last comment "The whole point of community board is to represent the community as a whole. There is no job generation in this plan. We should get this opportunity now to get a comprehensive plan to help this community now. I'm sorry, that's the way I feel. Loss of jobs, you're displacing more manufacturing jobs and you're not creating jobs."
8:55 PM: Ward motions to call to question. Vote fails, we continue discussion. Don't worry, it's not much longer.
9:05 Ward calls the vote as Vinnie "The Chairman" Abate makes an appearance. Vinnie stayed the whole meeting, sitting in the back, avoiding the maelstrom, but he comes back to the front of the room.
The Chairman's still got it.
Gerry Esposito speaks for the second time tonight to take the vote. We'll have the full roll call tomorrow. 23 Yes-12 no- 1 abstension Solomon Bondy: Yes Ward Dennis: Yes Esteban Duran: Emphatically No! Jaye Foxe: Yes Regrettably! (corrected) Karen Knieves: No Rabbi Niederman: I would like to recuse myself, but if I could vote, I would vote yes. Dealice Fuller: Yes Gillespie: No Paul Pullo: Yes Roslund: No Teague: Yes Dewey Thompson: Yes Toro: No James Vicente: No Simon Weiser: I Recuse, but I would vote yes. I miss the others, but 23 Yes-12 no- 1 abstension Based on the vote, motion carries. Applause from half the room and people begin filing out.
Before and After. Can't win 'em all Marty.
9:15 PM Press Row departs the table and circles around Marty Needelman, Rob Solano, Evelyn Cruz and Luis Garden Acosta getting comments in the lobby right outside the meeting room. Solano gives a brief statement about the result "This is one battle in a long war. What happened tonight was a discussion. What drives me crazy is if you were against the process and you said, 'well I'll vote for it.' says Solano. Needelman says that the city is abdicating to this kind of deal and vows to fight on, possibly with a legal challenge. Garden Acosta says none of this would have happened if the Assemblyman for this district was not also the chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. It's interesting that Luis and Needelman are looking towards Assemblyman Vito Lopez while Solano is focusing more on Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Councilmember David Yassky for the reasons behind the passage of the Broadway Triangle rezoning. Meanwhile Esteban Duran seems more disappointed in his fellow board members who voted yes.
9:18 PM SiWi bursts through the double doors to start pointing at Needelman and Solano, as they engage in a screaming match about his recusal. An argument ensues, but it's civil. Then Rabbi Niederman walks up to the crowd saying, "I am very proud of my record for the community as a whole. We will continue to provide housing to anyone who wants it." believing that Needelman has been criticizing him (he hasn't, or at least I wasn't aware of it).
"No one questioned your record, Rabbi, we've only questioned the process." says Needelman. "You were behind the open charrette. Why did you pull out? That's the piece I don't understand," says Garden Acosta. "David... what happened?" Niederman gets flustered and turns to chew out Needelman. It's Rabbi on Rabbi right now and Solano is antsy. "I don't care about your 30 year history with Marty, Rabbi." "I'm not... I'm not..." Rabbi Niederman has had enough. He takes his blackberry out and walks down a long hallway back into the community room. Jeff Mann goes to talk with them and I spot SiWi giving Jeff Mann an elaborate handshake. I think they're both definitely vampires. All Jeff eats is sushi. And blood.
9:37 PM: Inside the Community Room where the meeting was held, David Dobosz starts shoutin during the middle of public session. All I catch is "We need to stop these divisions in the community and stop letting these issues divide us!" He is red as a beet. I spot NBDC's Rich Mazur sitting in the back of a vacant community room, save for a few board members, typing dilligently away on his blackberry.
"Hi Rich" "Hi Aaron." "What was that about? "He's upset about the way the meeting was run and the divisions in the community." "He shouldn't take this personally." "Yeah"
9:45 PM A number of other community members take the podium during public session for their two minute speeches, including EWIDCO's Leah Archibald, Shanghai Steel's Ernie Wong, St. Nick's and UNO's Alison Cordero, Evelyn Cruz, and a few others, but I'll let Rob Solano wrap this up because he had the most eloquent explanation to community board members of what unfolded Tuesday night: South 4th and Bedford is very different today than it was when I was growing up, but one thing is the same. The Latino community has stood strong. It's not you. They see the Broadway Triangle as a bigger plan. When they see the plan get pushed through, they get offended and they lose hope. They lose hope because they know it's the last chance to do something big for them so they can stay in this community. It's not just shadows and buildings for them. It's life.
5:32 PM: We're back in the saddle, live from Community Board One in Williamsburg with another Short Story running diary. The Brooklyn Paper's Ben Muessig and I get off the G train and walk up Ainslie Street, talking about the block of tall developments along Union that Ben says is coming along. I have a different view, since the buildings likely led to my eventual gentrification-driven migration from the neighborhood.
"Oh no," said Ben, spying a crowd that had formed on the steps of 211 Ainslie. "Get your camera out," I said, as Ben and I do the slow-motion gun fight reference to the guys from Hot Fuzz. You know what I mean.
5:37 We come to the press conference already in process. The Gazette's Juliet Linderman is there taking notes. So is The Daily News' Erin Durkin. We've got a CBS 2 news crew filming too. In the crowd on the Manhattan Avenue side are a bunch of United Neighbors Organizations (not the UNO group that is based in Chicgao), Broadway Triangle Community Coalition, and Churches United for Fair Housing members, as well as Councilwoman Diana Reyna (she showed up early!), Congressional Liaison Evelyn Cruz, City Council candidate Jo Anne Simon, and El Puente's Luis Garden Acosta, UNO's Rolando Guzman and Alison Cordero, and Brooklyn Legal Services' Marty Needelman. All eyes are on Rob Solano, Director of Churches United for Fair Housing, who is running the show.
"Our message is to the mayor now. It's a unified group of people, African Americans, Latinos, and Hasidic community," says Solano. "We want a plan, not just a rezoning that would be transparent and inclusive for all these community members."
Evelyn Cruz, community liaison to Rep Nydia Velazquez, adds her two cents, but inflation has caused the amount to rise to about to a quarter.
"I'm encouraging board members to vote no on the plan if you believe what we need is real change. We have one message to the mayor today. We say to the mayor, listen to the people. They're your voters. These are the voters you should be suporting. Listen to our community and finally bring home a rezoning we can live with," says Cruz.
On the Ainslie side of the street is the polite opposition which largely supports the rezoning action. It's members of the Broadway Triangle Task Force (BTTF), composed primarily of Brooklyn Unidos and Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizen Council (RBSCC) members and they're shouting "Support Rezoning! Vote Yes" repeatedly. It's an interesting facet of this community that newish-sounding groups that spring up seemingly out of thin air (such as the BTCC, BTTF or Churches United for Fair Housing) are composed of a familiar cast of characters, kind of like every Aaron Sorkin production following the West Wing.
Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry are members of the Broadway Triangle Task Force.
6:02 PM. Councilmember Diana Reyna and CB1 Chair Chris Olechowski (aka Chairman Chris) talk for several minutes as the RBSCC's Emily Kurtz sweetly greets the BTFF members, "Thank you all for coming," The New York Times' Kareem Fahim scoots over to talk to Brooklyn Legal Services' Marty Needelman, while I catch up with Luis Garden Acosta of El Puente. I haven't seen him in a month. It feels longer. "Miguel Martinez... Washington Heights... resigned? That's major!" says Acosta.
You know, like nunchuku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills. Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.
Reyna has taken a seat but her Chief of Staff Will Florentino is still standing, surveying the scene. I catch Leah Archibald of EWVIDCO and she says that Ernie Wong is stuck outside. "I'm going outside and I'm going to switch places with him," says Leah.
6:15 PM CB 1 staffers and an NYPD community affairs officer close admittance after reaching their headcount limit at the door and several community regulars are not going to be able to get it. They should have moved to a bigger venue, like Harry Van Arsdale. I say this out loud. "It's not about a bigger venue," says Juliet. "They want to limit the drama. With a bigger venue, this would go on forever."
The Bushwick Observer's (Bushwick's only community newspaper) Ken Kern is leaning against the side of the wall while his counterpart at Greenline, Jose Leon, gets up from his seat to speak to Rob Solano and Alison Cordero.
"Okay, Evelyn prevailed and Ernie is back in," says Leah. "This is the most ass-kicking iced coffee ever. I'm telling you: Fortunato's." 6:22 PM There's a backlog in the line, and I see a familiar face at front. So does Diana Reyna. A few minutes pass, and in walks The Legend himself, Greg Hanlon. Greg has been breathing this story long before anybody else on Press Row got a sniff, and has gotten ripped up a few times for it too. Welcome back, Greg.
"I wasn't going to miss this for the world,"says Greg.
Press Row just hasn't been the same without the presence of The Legend.
6:32 PM Chairman Chris starts the meeting and District Manager Gerry Esposito runs the roll. Twenty-four members accounted for. That's right about a fifty percent attendance rate. Not good (Note: this number rose as the meeting went on with a voting count of 38). Chairman Chris gives the floor to Councilmember Reyna who reads a statement which I have excerpted here:
I am urging you this evening to say no to the city forcing their will on the community and that they withdraw their plan as proposed so as to allow us as a community to best plan for the future. In contrast to the 2005 Waterfront Rezoning Plan, the process by which this item has come to Community Board 1 for a vote has lacked a transparent and open dialogue. Our community will suffer the consequences of planning without input in the development of a site that will forever have negative irreversible consequences. This is being done when the city has not delivered on the waterfront rezoning promises for affordable housing. Through all the displacement, overcrowding and obscene rents in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, the city chooses to sit on property that has been ready to be disposed and developed through a commitment made in the W/G Waterfront rezoning. The city has not delivered. Like the Waterfront Rezoning, we deserve an open process where all ideas are considered. Moreover, at this meeting we must ask why the city has not delivered on 4-year-old promises and why it is giving away land and millions of dollars before you have the opportunity to consider the zoning changes presented. We should insist on a transparent process and demand the city fulfill the promises made to our community 4 years ago!No to a deal and yes to a plan.
6:41 We're on item number one. I hear a commotion outside and wander out to see what's up. "I'm a board member! I'm a board member" says Teresa Toro, who bowls through the security posted at the door. Ken Diamondstone and Doug Bivano, however, are not board members. "Hi Aaron!" says Doug. "We're trying to get in!" "Hi Aaron!" says Ken Diamondstone. He's being held back by the Community Affairs officer. I see St. Nick's Michael Rochford (aka "Mike Roch") scowling in the back and Diana is talking with him. Marty Needelman is getting increasingly agitated and Rob Solano is smiling and shaking his head. Will Florentino is furiously pacing the lobby and talking on his cell phone, as Diana has crossed the line and is trying to get community members into the room. That effort is not going well. "This is a sham process, they're trying to keep you out!" says Needelman.
6:50 PM We go to a transportation presentation about the traffic calming project on Cooper Park and Chairman Chris wants to know where the Department of Transportation rep is. A few minutes later, a frazzled DOT project manager finally nudges her way through the crowd. "Yes! Yes! They wouldn't let me in," said the DOT's Kerry Tyler. Juliet asks if there is anyone else who needs to be let in. I tell her that Mike Roch is trying to get in and he's stuck outside. Mike Roch is really itching to get into the building.
7:06 PM Pratt Graduate School's Ron Shiffman and El Pueuis Garden Acosta step up to the plate to give their presentation but first Rami "Scrap" Metal from David Yassky's office gets recognized by the New Chair and speaks briefly. BTFF members silently hold up signs in support of the rezoning. "Why isn't David here?" Esteban asks. I know! It's because David and his Yassky for Comptroller staff are at this.
Luis gives a background of the history of the Broadway Triangle negotiations, focusing on the process:
Two organizations were invited to represent the community's voice and only one org would be invited to represent the community board, and only one would be recognized. Only one organization, albeit a respected one, would be the only group that would be invited. That can't happen. It's not about affordable housing. Even the plan that Ron is about to present is just a plan. We don't want you to think about the plan, as an end all, be all. What we're most committed to is good government practice and openness and communication. We're not asking you to vote on the plan tonight, we're asking you to vote on your mission. You are the guardians. To allow all these other vested interests to step between you and your office and your mission then we don't have a community that will provide its own future. Shiffman goes through a two-minute drill of the Pratt plan introduced at a previous BTCC meeting and puts his case forward.
We're not asking for a a rezoning action. What we want is a plan for the area to address how we build for the affordable housing. It should be a little bit higher density have a greater number of units, and provide for more open space.
They take questions and there are several about the Pfizer property and how it fits into the picture. More on this later. UJO Executive Director Rabbi David Niederman, who speaks for the first time tonight, asks a follow-up with a suggestion and Shiffman kids him about stealing an idea.
"There's a different economic environment today, with spread out tax incentives. We can benefit from a bargain sale. Ten years into the future, I think we can bring them to the table. They've made a contractual obligation with the city of New York to add jobs," says Shiffman.
There's a question about green building and sustainable housing which Shiffman jumps all over. "There's a new sustainable housing initiative that's been passed in Washington. If you build the kind of project proposed in the broadway triangle, you won't get one penny of that. If you build the kind of proejct in the Bronx that is sustainable, you'll get 100 percent," says Shiffman.
Mike Roch standing next to HPD's Jack Hammer. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?
7:25: Broadway Triangle Task Force, featuring Maria Viera. This gets a much louder applause: I endorse the city's plan primarily for the following reasons. First the plan will result in over 900 units of affordable housing available to community residents earning from 30 to 80 percent AMI. All apartments built on City-owned land will be 100 percent affordable. Further the proposed inclusionary housing program will create even more affordable housing units.Second, the plan follows the example of recent CB1 rezonings in North Brooklyn by providing for R6A and R7A contextual zoning, liminitng buildings to 6-8 stories. The task force also supports the CB1 land use committe's recommendations caling for increased greenspace ration and a relocation fund for manufacturing and industrial business in the Triangle.I urge the communtiy board to vote yes today to allow for the transformation of this area which has for too long been a blight on our community.
Question and answers for Maria. One community board member asks why she was excluded from the charette discussions "Well you should have asked your councilmember Diana Reyna. She was there," says Maria. "It's not her district" says Greenpoint Gazette publisher Jeff Mann. I've got a question. Where's Evan Thies?
Esteban has a question about a brochure distributed but he's really asking why the BTFF was a late addition to the CB1 agenda. Apparently the BTFF was added Monday night to the public session agenda. RBSCC's Scott Short attempts to answer way, saying the plan has been a long process. For the record, we are not related. Or are we?
"I asked Jack Hammer what he thinks of your blog. He gave me a look," says Jeff.
NAG's Peter Gillespie, who's been quiet all meeting, suddenly decides to tee off: "To me the failure here is not the product it's the process and especially tonight. Why was the community baord not involved in the the planning process from the beginning?" asks Gillespie. Rabbi Niederman circles the wagons in response "Let me say this ended in chaos. HPD has come to the community board in the process of hundreds of people participating to present the plan before these groups started politicking."
7:45 PM: Gillespie moves to move public session up for this meeting, just for this meeting, before committee reports. Esteban seconds. There's some squabbling over procedure, but Chairman Chris locks it down. It's his first major decision and Chairman Chris handles it well. Motion fails 16-20-2. More squabbling. "Vote was taken, the vote was counted. It was a legitimate vote." says Chairman Chris.
Time for Chairman Chris's report. Chairman Chris notes that Mike Roch (ironically) raised an issue about the capacity of the room, which is close to 200. We seem a few over that now, but everyone has behaved well so far. "Isn't it a conflict of interest if Rabbi Niederman (or anyone else in UJO) to be voting on the Broadway Triangle rezoning if they are going to benefit directly?" asks Luis Garden Acosta. He's right on track and Ward Dennis clears this up a bit later. Meanwhile, Esteban asks why the BTFF was a late addition and we get our answer:
Chairman Chris: I think that's a pretty simple answer: equal representation. I didn't feel it was appropriate to leave anybody out. I believe we should have an open voice, as many participants as possible. So I allowed them the privilege of speaking in front of us.
Williamsburg/ Greenpoint- Now that we've got your attention, tonight is the final Community Board One vote on the rezoning of the Broadway Triangle. We've come a long way, baby. At a June ULURP (Uniform Land Use Rezoning... I mean... Review Procedure) Committee meeting, the Community Board members voted through four parts of the rezoning action, paving the way for the full board's consideration. Broadway Triangle Community Coalition members did not demonstrate at that meeting, but they are planning on packing the house tonight and will warm up the crowd at 5:30 PM right outside 211 Ainslie Street.
Oy Vez Mir or Oy Vez Como Va? We'll find out soon enough.
Several unanswered questions that will likely be resolved tonight. Will the ball finally bounce Rob Solano's way? Will that smile on Ward Dennis' face remain there after the meeting? Will everyone actually get into the meeting tonight, as police officers and CB1 are keeping a strict headcount at the door (get there early people!)? Will Vinnie Abate realize that he's no longer Chair and can finally watch that Law and Order show everyone has been talking about for twenty-nine years. Tune in TONIGHT where we will be live blogging the results!
All eyes will be on New Chair Chris Olechowski... except for Rabbi Webber's.
Updated!...This just in from Councilmember David Yassky:
"The rezoning of the Broadway Triangle is a long overdue step toward the creation of much-needed affordable housing and a revitalized central business district in this largely underdeveloped section of Williamsburg. This rezoning will allow for the creation of over 1,900 units of housing - including over 900 units of affordable housing- through the development of both 100% affordable public housing as well as through the use of the inclusionary housing bonus on privately owned property.I am particularly pleased that this will be a contextual rezoning.Furthermore, Community Board 1 Land Use Committee’s recommendations for additional open space commitments and greater protections and resources for affected small businesses should be incorporated into the plan. With those important adjustments, this rezoning will finally allow the neighborhood to move forward in a positive direction."
Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg, Bushwick) show up at high noon to defend his title? Did he send council candidate Steve Levin instead to do square off in the ultimate epic battle? Did Councilmember David Yassky (1-0-0) and candidate Evan Thies engage in Four-Square-Four-Play? And what's up with all those cowboy references? Where the hell did that come from? Check back Monday to find out!
