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Liu Convenes Task Force on Public Benefits (update)
March 19th, 2010

In an effort to make sure the public receives benefits when the city gives out public subsides, Comptroller John Liu convened the first meeting of a task force this morning that will look into reforming the process of economic development.

Liu announced the task force in February, saying in a press release at the time: “It is simply common sense to have clear standards that ensure benefits for the public when private developers receive benefits from the public.”

Initially charged with looking at community benefit agreements, the task force has expanded its scope to all deals that receive public subsidies, according to Sharon Lee, the comptroller’s spokesperson. They will report back to the comptroller in six months with recommendations, she said.

Over the years, community benefits agreements, which are unregulated, have become standard practice for development deals. The agreements are struck between community groups and stakeholders and developers, often quelling community opposition and ensuring a development moves forward. They are outside of the land use process.

Since the City Council defeated Kingsbridge last year, some officials have questioned the use of public subsidies and are promising to scrutinize projects that receive public benefits.

UPDATE: Here are the co-chairs of the task force:

JOHN “JACK” AHERN – President of the New York City Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO)
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By Courtney Gross on March 19, 2010, 10:00 am
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Economy, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Land Use, Public Finance, Work and Labor, nextNY | No Comments »

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A Regional Market at South Street Seaport
March 18th, 2010

seaport

Photo (cc) 2006 David Reeves

Is the New York City Economic Development Corp. open to Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s proposal to create a regional market at the South Street Seaport?

Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky thinks so.

“We definitely agree that a regional market is a good use for the South Street Seaport,” Pinsky said this afternoon at a City Council budget hearing.

The corporation and seaport owner, General Growth Properties, had been working on a redevelopment plan for the downtown shopping area for several years. That plan included a specialty food market.

But when Properties filed for bankruptcy in April of 2009 — predominantly an effect of the real estate bust — the redevelopment proposal was abruptly put on hold.

Now that General Growth Properties appears to be emerging from bankruptcy, Pinksy expects the project to move forward. A hearing on the developer’s exit from bankruptcy will be later this spring.
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By Courtney Gross on March 18, 2010, 3:10 pm
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Economy, Gotham City, Land Use, Public Finance, Waterfront, nextNY | 2 Comments »

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NYCHA Still in the Woods
March 15th, 2010

Today’s announcement of a $400 million infusion to the New York City Housing Authority will get the authority off of critical condition.
nycha

Photo (cc) DaveTheRavingWave (Dave Sanders)


But it isn’t out of the woods yet.

Testifying at a budget hearing just hours after the announcement of a federal funding boost, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea said the authority still faces a more than $100 million deficit in the current fiscal year.

“While we have made huge strides in addressing our long-term infrastructure needs and moving the authority towards financial health, ultimately reducing our section 8 and public housing operating forecasted deficit from $137 million to $103 million, we still have work to do,” said Rhea.

To close that gap, of which a large part is from the over enrollment of Section 8, the authority has four options, Rhea said, including terminating families from section 8, reducing section 8 payments or getting more funding from either the federal or local governments.

The news soured a more jovial announcement this morning from the Bloomberg administration that 21 NYCHA housing developments, originally built by the city and state after World War II, would become eligible for federal funding. Since these developments were built by the city and state, they never received federal funding, and they gradually stopped receiving city and state subsidies in the 1990s. Through a partnership with Citibank, who will own a stake in the developments, these properties will receive about $400 million in public and private money — the majority of which will go to capital improvements.
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By Courtney Gross on March 15, 2010, 5:58 pm
In category: Albany, City Hall, Community Development, Gotham City, Housing, Public Finance, nextNY | No Comments »

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Bloomberg Updates Housing Plan
February 22nd, 2010

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is injecting the city’s affordable housing plan with another $1 billion, bringing the total investment to build or preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing up to $8.5 billion.

The updated plan, which was first announced by the administration in 2002, focuses more on preservation than on the creation of affordable housing.

The update was given at the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy’s new Institute for Affordable Housing Policy this morning. The mayor’s prepared remarks are in full after the jump.

For more on the history of plan, see “Affordable Housing Not Included.”

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By Courtney Gross on February 22, 2010, 12:32 pm
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Economy, Gotham City, Governing, Housing, Public Finance, nextNY | No Comments »

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Broadway Walkway Here to Stay
February 11th, 2010

For all you Times Square revelers, the Bloomberg administration is going to give you a little more room to stretch your legs — permanently.
broadway
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced this morning the pedestrian plazas at Times and Herald Squares were here to stay. When the plazas were first announced in February last year, the administration said they would be made permanent if they improved traffic flow on 6th and 7th avenues and if it made the areas safer for pedestrians.

The results, according to the administration, will allow tourists and New Yorkers alike to sit back and relax in the plazas colorful furnishings for years to come.

According to the Department of Transportation, travel speeds for trips north in West Midtown improved by 17 percent from fall 2008 to 2009, compared with 8 percent in East Midtown. For trips south in West Midtown, travel speeds fell 2 percent. East Midtown had an increase of 3 percent, according to the transportation department.

Before this morning’s announcement, some speculated that the results would not be good enough to keep the plazas. A report in the New York Times said officials found the results “disappointing.”

Disappointing or not, Times and Herald Squares have officially been taken over by pedestrians.

Pictured above is Times Square now and below is a video from the transportation department about the project.

By Courtney Gross on February 11, 2010, 11:56 am
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Crime & Safety, Environment, Gotham City, Governing, Health, Land Use, Parks, Transportation, nextNY | No Comments »

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Another One Bites the Dust
February 9th, 2010

Councilmember Larry Seabrook, who served in the state Assembly and just started his third term at the City Council, is being charged with money laundering, extortion and fraud, according to an indictment released today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District.

seabrook

Some of the charges directly stem from the City Council’s slush fund scandal — which brought down former Councilmember Miguel Martinez last year.

But they also go beyond that.

According to the indictment, Seabrook also solicited payments from a Bronx subcontractor competing for a boiler contract for the new Yankee Stadium and subsequently used the payments for personal expenses.

Between May and October of 2007, that subcontractor was paid more than $283,000 for work done on Yankee Stadium. Between July 2006 and April 2009, checks were made out by the contractor to Seabrook’s local political organization — North East Bronx Community Democratic Club. The checks were made out to the club at Seabrook’s discretion, according to the indictment. On occasion, the councilmember directed those payments to his personal checking account or to the Bronx African American Chamber of Commerce, which he is closely aligned with, the indictment states.

Those “corrupt payments” totaled $50,000, according to the indictment.

Seabrook funneled the money for his personal use by claiming he had purchased expenses for the club, according to the indictment. He allegedly received reimbursements that he then used for personal expenses, including airfare to Florida, parking tickets, and flowers for his sister.

Seabrook then allegedly forged receipts to try to show his expenses were club-related. On one occasion, he submitted a receipt for a sandwich and beverage purchased near City Hall that originally cost $7. The receipt was doctored, the indictment alleges, to cost about $177.

Beyond that, the indictment alleges Seabrook directed more than $2.5 million in the City Council’s discretionary funding to nonprofits he in fact controlled. Seabrook negotiated office space for the groups (which was reported in the Times last year) and often made decisions for the groups, the indictment states.

Through these nonprofits, Seabrook paid “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to his girlfriend, sisters, nephews and brother in consulting fees. At the same time, these groups fell far short of meeting goals laid out in the council’s discretionary funding initiatives. Some of the groups included the North East Bronx Redevelopment Corp., the Bronx African American Chamber of Commerce, the New York African American Legal and Civil Hall of Fame, and others.

Of the money designated to these groups through the City Council, about $530,000 of it went to Seabrook’s girlfriend and family members, the indictment states. Through this process, Seabrook also allegedly inflated expense and rent payments.

The U.S. Attorney’s has scheduled a press conference for 12:30 p.m. downtown.

Seabrook’s attorney Murray Richman was in court and not available for comment.

The 65 page indictment, which is part of a years-long federal and city investigation, is below.

Seabrook, Larry Indictment

By Courtney Gross on February 9, 2010, 12:01 pm
In category: City Hall, Civil Rights, Community Development, Crime & Safety, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Law, Public Finance, Work and Labor, nextNY | 1 Comment »

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Special Election Announced
February 1st, 2010

A special election to fill former Councilmember Simcha Felder’s seat will be held on March 23, the Bloomberg administration just announced.

The election — as in all special City Council races — will be nonpartisan.

David Greenfield and Joe Lazar have already declared for the seat. Civil Court Judge Noach Dear is also reportedly considering a run.

To keep track of the candidates, be sure to check Who’s Running for What.

By Courtney Gross on February 1, 2010, 12:51 pm
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Governing, nextNY | 2 Comments »

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The City's Nastiest Neighborhoods
January 27th, 2010

3411174211_05f48c0392_m

Photo (cc) 2009 Adrian Miles ©

Is your neighborhood spic and span or rife with refuse?

The Bloomberg administration puts most of the city in the former category and hopes to keep it that way despite a budget crunch. Last month, the Mayor’s Office of Operations reported 97.3 percent of city sidewalks and 96.1 percent of city streets were largely litter free.

But is the city right? The Huffington Post and Gotham Gazette want to know how clean you think your neighborhood is. Has the Bloomberg administration wiped noxious grime and garbage from city streets? Or does trash pile up on your street corner? Is your block cleaner or dirtier than other neighborhoods?

Visit The Huffington Post here to upload photos of your most frightening tales of city trash. Or you can comment below.

And check back later next week to see whether your block is a refuge for neat freaks or still grapples with garbage.

By Courtney Gross on January 27, 2010, 11:55 am
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Crime & Safety, Environment, Gotham City, Health, Parks, Waterfront, nextNY | No Comments »

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Bloomberg Testifies on State Budget
January 25th, 2010

Needless to say, it’s morose.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Gov. David Paterson’s state budget proposal would slice $1.3 billion from New York City, which could result in a workforce reduction of almost 19,000, 8,500 of which would be teachers. The state budget disproportionately affects municipalities, including New York City, and is balanced on the back of the city’s workforce, the mayor said in Albany this morning.

Bloomberg pointed to a proposal that would eliminate the state’s appropriation to homeless shelters, which would effectively slash $55 million from the Department of Homeless Services budget next year. This comes at a time when the city is seeing record number of homeless individuals. The mayor also blasted Paterson’s proposal to completely eliminate state revenue sharing for the city — to the order of $328. Other counties across the state are seeing 1 to 5 percent reductions.

Under this proposal, Bloomberg said the city would have to close 15 senior centers, 500 parks employees would face layoffs (equal to closing recreation centers, pools and beaches, citywide) and 500 soup kitchens would lose funding.

The good news: The mayor did laud the governor’s proposal to tax soda and increase the tax on cigarettes.

We will get a closer look at how these budget cuts affect the city on a micro level on Thursday, which is when the mayor is scheduled to release the city’s preliminary budget, according to his remarks.

Here are his prepared remarks in full:

“Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Farrell, Chairman Kruger, my own State Senator Vice Chair Liz Krueger and members of the committees. Seated with me are Mark Page, the City’s director of Management and Budget, and Micah Lasher, our Director of State Legislative Affairs.

“All of us, at all levels of government, face difficult decisions this year. You and the Governor have the task of balancing a budget that has a $7.4 billion gap between revenues and spending. Projections are for even greater deficits next year and the year after that. The Governor has presented what he calls a ‘budget of necessity.’ We all know that hard budget choices are necessary – but so are fair ones.
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By Courtney Gross on January 25, 2010, 11:44 am
In category: Albany, City Hall, Community Development, Economy, Education, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Public Finance, Work and Labor, nextNY | 1 Comment »

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Musical Chairs
January 19th, 2010

As promised, today starts the seat swapping in the Bloomberg administration.

For the next three weeks, first deputy commissioners will be assigned to another agency in the hopes of breaking down bureaucratic barriers. The idea was integral to the mayor’s inauguration address on New Year’s Day. Some assignments have been done with specific policy proposals in mind, such as the swap between Department of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, who are tasked with focusing on foreclosure prevention.

Here are the assignments:

Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) — DOE
Administrative Justice Coordinator (AJC) — CCPC
Business Integrity Commission (BIC) — DSNY
Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) –CUNY
City University of New York (CUNY) — CEO
Citywide Events Coordination and Management (CECM) — NYC & Co
Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) — CHR
Commission for the United Nations Consular Corps and Protocol (UN) — MOIA
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) — CCRB
Commission on Women’s Issues (CWI) — MOCDV
Commission to Combat Police Corruption (CCPC) — AJC
Community Affairs Unit (CAU) — CECM
Criminal Justice Coordinator (CJC)– Law
Department for the Aging (DFTA) — MOPD
Department of Buildings (DOB) — NYCHA
Department of City Planning (DCP) — HDC
Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) — SCA
Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) — HPD
Department of Corrections (DOC) — DHS
Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) — EDC
Department of Design and Construction (DDC) — DCLA
Department of Education (DOE) — Parks
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) — DOF
Department of Finance (DOF) — MOO
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DoHMH) — DOC
Department of Homeless Services (DHS) — HHC
Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) — DCA
Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) — MOFTB
Department of Investigation (DOI) — MOCS
Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) — DEP
Department of Probation (DOP) — ACS
Department of Sanitation (DSNY) — BIC
Department of Small Business Services (SBS) — HRA
Department of Transportation (DOT) — DDC
Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) — DOP
Design Commission (Design) — DOT
Economic Development Corporation (EDC) — SBS
Fire Department* (FDNY) — NYPD*
Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) — CAU
Housing Development Corporation (HDC) — LPC
Human Resources Administration (HRA) — DoHMH
Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) — DOB
Law Department (Law) — DOI
Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) — DFTA
Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) — CJC
Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (MOFTB) — DoITT
Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) — UN
Mayor’s Office of Operations (MOO) — DCAS
Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs (MOVA) — CWI
Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence (MOCDV) — MOVA
New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) — DCP
NYC & Company (NYC & Co) — DYCD
Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) — TLC
Office of Emergency Management* (OEM) — FDNY*
Office of Labor Relations* (OLR) — OMB*
Office of Management and Budget* (OMB) — OLR*
Police Department* (NYPD) — OEM*
School Construction Authority (SCA) — Design
Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) — OATH

Those with an asterisk are participating in the second phase of the program starting February 1.

By Courtney Gross on January 19, 2010, 2:32 pm
In category: City Hall, Civil Rights, Community Development, Economy, Education, Electoral Politics, Environment, Governing, Housing, Immigrants, Land Use, Law, Measuring UP, Parks, Transportation, Waterfront, nextNY | No Comments »

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De Blasio Takes on Bloomberg on Homelessness
January 19th, 2010

homeless

Take a look at the numbers, and the mayor’s homeless policies just aren’t working.

That was the message Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and homeless advocates sent this morning at a press conference urging the administration to rethink its homeless policies five years after it committed to reduce homelessness by two-thirds. Since the mayor took office, according to Mary Brosnahan of the Coalition for the Homeless, the number of homeless New Yorkers has increased by 45 percent.

“Their original goal was gutsy and noble and I think it took a lot of commitment and focus to even put that goal out,” said de Blasio. “But they did not follow up on it with the same kind of fervor and focus as they have in some other areas. So now acknowledge that the previous strategies have not worked, and borrow from old strategies that did work and create new ones and work with the people that are some of the experts right here next to me,” the newly minted public advocate said from his 15th floor office in the municipal building.

Act one, said de Blasio, should be giving homeless families priority for Section 8 vouchers, which was the practice under the three previous administrations before Bloomberg. The practice was suspended in 2005. The administration should also stop referring homeless individuals to three-quarter houses — small residential buildings that operate as illegal boarding houses, according to the public advocate’s office.

In the council, de Blasio introduced a bill that would have banned the city from referring homeless individuals to facilities that failed to meet occupancy standards.

In a letter to Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs dated January 18, de Blasio implored the administration to hold homeless services harmless in the upcoming budget negotiations by keeping open shelters slated for closure or by securing replacement facilities before their doors are locked. De Blasio also urged the administration to focus more on prevention.

This latest dispute is one of many more likely to come with de Blasio as public advocate.

By Courtney Gross on January 19, 2010, 2:03 pm
In category: City Hall, Civil Rights, Community Development, Crime & Safety, Economy, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Housing, Public Finance, Social Services, nextNY | No Comments »

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Batista Schlesinger Departs DMI, Joins Administration
January 8th, 2010

Longtime Drum Major Institute executive director, Andrea Batista Schlesinger, will leave the progressive public policy group to join the Bloomberg administration as senior policy advisor to Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs and special assistant to the mayor.

Batista Schlesinger took a leave of absence from the think tank last year to serve as an advisor to the Bloomberg campaign — which came as a surprise to some of the city’s progressives. Batista Schlesinger had previously served as an aid to former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, who ran for mayor in 2005 against Bloomberg.

Now — somewhat less surprisingly — she is making a move to the administration full time.

DMI fellow and former council candidate in the 36th district, Mark Winston Griffith, will be heading up the search for her replacement.

At a recent book release party thrown by the institute, Batista Schlesinger and Bloomberg sat down to discuss how to make the city more sustainable (more on that here). Many of the book’s themes — and DMI’s work in general — focus on social and economic justice issues. With Batista Schlesinger in City Hall, you can imagine many of these same issues will end up on Bloomberg’s third term agenda.

The full release from the institute is after the jump.
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By Courtney Gross on January 8, 2010, 10:51 am
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Economy, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Governing, nextNY | 1 Comment »

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Air Pollution Borough by Borough
December 15th, 2009

Image provided by the mayor's office

Image provided by the mayor's office


The Bloomberg administration released its first ever street-level air survey chronicling the air quality in every borough. The survey showed that Manhattan’s high traffic areas have the worst air quality.

The survey compiles data, including measurements of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and elemental carbon, gathered from 150 sites throughout the city last winter. The survey was conducted as part the mayor’s PlaNYC 2030 — his vision for sustainability in the five boroughs.

In a prepared statement, the mayor, who is at the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen, said, “We are collecting air samples around the city at ground level so we can measure the air New Yorkers breathe while walking on the streets. This study clearly demonstrates the impacts that pollution from vehicles and certain oil-burning boilers has on our neighborhoods – and it shows us that the most densely populated areas are also the most polluted.”

The level of pollutants correlated with the level of traffic and building fuel use, according to the survey. All of these contaminants are associated with health problems, like asthma and emphysema.

Just last week, the City Council approved legislation to force large buildings in the city to conduct energy audits every decade. When first introduced, the bill would have also required those buildings to implement the audits’ recommendations, but it was retooled following criticism by property owners. It does require those buildings to conduct maintenance to reduce their energy consumption.

By Courtney Gross on December 15, 2009, 6:14 pm
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Electoral Politics, Environment, Gotham City, Governing, Health, Land Use, Law, nextNY, sustainability | No Comments »

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Kingsbridge Armory at the Council today
December 9th, 2009

UPDATE: According to Councilmember Joel Rivera, the council is worried about 432 potential employees at the Kingsbridge Armory project who would probably not receive living wages. In total, the project is expected to create about 1,000 permanent jobs.

Rivera said the Bronx delegation is considering a proposal to use the funds from the sale of the armory, which he says is $4 million, toward subsidizing these workers’ wages.

This project has already received millions in city subsidies.

UPDATE: A vote on The Related Companies Kingsbridge Armory has been delayed at least until Friday and possibly Monday.

Council members are still negotiating with the developer and the administration over whether to require employers pay living wages at the site, which Related plans to turn into a large shopping mall.

The project must be voted on by Monday. If there is no vote by then, the land use review project would have to start over.

All afternoon members of the Bronx community have rallied on the steps of City Hall, calling for the living wage mandate. Councilmember Oliver Koppell, whose district abuts the project, said the major disagreement continues to be a living wage.

“You get the best you can,” said Koppell. “We’re getting closer on the issue of paying people a living wage.”

But not everyone sees the living wage requirement as a reason to delay the project.

“Every job is not designed to support a family, some are designed for people that are retired or kids after school,” said Councilmember Peter Vallone.

The City Council is set to determine the fate of the Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory — a mammoth landmark that developer, The Related Companies, wants to turn into a shopping mall.

At the center of the controversial project is a proposal supported by the community and multiple council members to require the developer pay living wages at the site.

Right now, the City Council’s Bronx delegation is holed up in a small room in City Hall debating the deal. Interesting to note, Councilmember Maria Baez, who was voted out in September, hasn’t been spotted. Her predecessor, Fernando Cabrera, was seen entering the negotiation room.

More to come later, and for more on the project go here.

By Courtney Gross on December 9, 2009, 1:56 pm
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Governing, Land Use, Measuring UP, nextNY | No Comments »

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The Last Word on Fiterman Hall
December 1st, 2009

fiterman

This morning, the mayor, Manhattan borough president, administration from the City University of New York and others gathered on Greenwich Street to break ground on the new, and now infamous Fiterman Hall — a 15-story building that hosted classroom space for the Borough of Manhattan Community College, which was severely damaged from debris during the September 11th attacks.

More than eight years later, the city is putting down $139 million for a new building, set to boast 96 classrooms, office space, community areas, a small conference center, art gallery and cafe. The city also says the new 14-story building will be environmentally friendly.

“Fiterman Hall’s reconstruction will be the latest milestone in Lower Manhattan’s remarkable comeback, and its transformation into a vibrant, 24/7, family-friendly community,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “This new world-class academic building is an investment not only in Borough of Manhattan Community College, but in the students and faculty that will occupy the building and the people that live and work in Lower Manhattan.”

But it has been a long, long road to get to this place. Gotham Gazette covered the controversy over Fiterman Hall last year. Then, critics accused the administration of not wanting to pay for its fair share of the reconstruction. The city and state share the cost of community colleges within the CUNY system, Gotham Gazette’s Gail Robinson reported.

In total, the project will cost $325 million, which includes $66 million for the deconstruction and decontamination of the old building, according to the Bloomberg administration. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, a joint city and state entity, is picking up $186 million of that.

Fiterman Hall was a bit of a blemish in the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan following September 11. Now that it is moving forward, you can bet residents and New Yorkers citywide will be wondering when the rest of it will completed (Originally the memorial and the Freedom Tower were supposed to be completed in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Obviously, they are way behind schedule).

For an in depth look at all of the development slated for Ground Zero, take a look at Gotham Gazette’s timeline.

By Courtney Gross on December 1, 2009, 4:46 pm
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Broadway Triangle, Kingsbridge Armory Approved (Updated)
October 19th, 2009

<i>The Broadway Triangle from HPD</i>

The Broadway Triangle from HPD

The City Planning Commission approved the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx and the development of the Broadway Triangle in Brooklyn today — both controversial applications that have seen significant community opposition.

Both of the projects will go to the City Council now, which has 50 days to approve or reject them.

Proposed by one of the city’s largest developers, Related Companies, the Kingsbridge Armory is now one step closer to transforming into a large shopping mall, dubbed the ‘The Shops at the Armory.” Estimated to cost $310 million, the project will host a large supermarket, local shops, a movie theater and recreational space. Community leaders and Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. oppose the plan and have lobbied Related and the city to require the provision of “living wage” jobs on site.

In response to the vote, Diaz said in a prepared statement, “We are not asking for anything radical or extreme. We are simply asking that, in a borough that has the highest poverty rate in the nation and has consistently seen the highest unemployment numbers in New York State, Related and their future tenants provide living wage jobs with benefits that allow Bronxites a chance to provide for their families and to build a better life. I am hopeful that the developer will sit down with my office to negotiate this issue and others prior to the City Council’s upcoming vote on the project, and I will continue to stand up and do what is right for the people of The Bronx.”

The project was approved by a vote of 8 to 4 with one abstention. Appointees from the Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn borough presidents as well as the public advocate’s office voted against the proposal.

The Bloomberg administration has been a vocal supporter of the project. In a prepared statement, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “The project represents a tremendous vote of confidence and commitment from the private sector, with an investment of $310 million. It will provide significant benefits to the community, including specialty and local retail shops, a public plaza, dedicated community space, restaurants, a recreational facility and a seasonal farmers’ market, all while creating 1,200 permanent jobs and more than 1,000 construction jobs at a time when we need them most.”
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By Courtney Gross on October 19, 2009, 4:21 pm
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Gotham City, Governing, Land Use | 2 Comments »

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The Eminent Domain State
October 8th, 2009

“New York is perhaps the worst state in the nation when it comes to eminent domain abuse — the forcible acquisition of private property by the government for private development,” according to a new report by the conservative Institute for Justice

The study goes through a litany of examples of what they see as an unfair eminent domain process here. They point out that an area need only be considered in danger of becoming blighted in order to be condemned; describe a byzantine, opaque, and unaccountable hearing process; and focus on the short window of time for property owners to protest at inadequate proceedings.

Nicole Gelinas, at NY Fiscal Watch, adds that the threat of eminent domain can freeze business activity and actually create blight.

Although the report paints a bleak landscape of abuse in the state, it really doesn’t compare New York to other states. Another report by an arm of the Institute for Justice gave New York an ‘F’ – one of eight states to receive the grade – for failing to pass legislation reforming eminent domain.

Hopefully New York can get off that list, writes Damon Root at Reason Magazine. Next week the Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments against the use of eminent domain for the Atlantic Yards proeject. Root says this case is an opportunity for the state “to start reining in these abuses”

By Mike Muller on October 8, 2009, 6:25 pm
In category: Community Development, Economy, Housing, Land Use, Law | 1 Comment »

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Another Audit Day
October 8th, 2009

Take two, or three or ten (I lost count).

Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson released another audit from his comptroller’s office this morning, slamming the administration for failing to secure contracts for minority and women owned businesses. This is the second audit this week that criticizes the administration’s fiscal policies, in what some say has become a politically-motivated trend for Thompson to use his office in the mayoral race.

Thompson said that in fiscal year 2008 the city had more than $369 million in prime contracts with a goal to spend nearly $108 million with women and minority owned businesses. According to Thompson, the city spent $14,882,561 on minority and women owned businesses — about 4 percent of all of the city’s prime contracts. The mayor signed legislation in 2005 to boost the number of women and minority owned businesses with city contracts. Thompson said this morning that the administration has shown “indifference” to that law.

“The agency has demonstrated a stunning pattern of inaction,” Thompson said in front of the City Hall steps this morning regarding the Department of Small Business Services. “We found that SBS was sitting on its hands.”

Just last month, the Bloomberg administration said it had spent more than $1 billion with minority and women owned businesses since fiscal year 2007. Thompson alleges the vast majority of that goes to businesses that were not targeted by the city’s 2005 program. His office said certain minority businesses don’t have issues getting certain contracts. The focus of the law was to get minority firms typically overlooked in certain fields city contracts.

As Thompson berated the administration this morning (the precursor to a term limits rally the candidate held immediately after), Bloomberg’s campaign office announced another endorsement. This time it was from a women and minority owned business advocate: Maria Alvarez Castro, the president of the Manhattan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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By Courtney Gross on October 8, 2009, 12:43 pm
In category: City Hall, Civil Rights, Community Development, Economy, Governing, Public Finance | 1 Comment »

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Yes 39, There is a Republican Party (and a Green One Too)
July 23rd, 2009

Reporting from Brooklyn, this post is from Douglas A. Hinnant.

Much to the surprise of the five Democrats running for the City Council’s 39th District, the Republican and Green Parties have candidates in the race. When the candidates heard that all eight would be interviewed for a campaign profile, at least one member of each Democrat’s campaign, and even a couple candidates, raised an eyebrow that said, “Eight?” When I pointed out that the Republicans have two men running and the Greens have one, responses ranged from, “Oh, yeah,” to, “Oh, really.”

In a district where Democrats reportedly outnumber Republicans and Greens eight to one, it might be understandable that Democrats are so focused on the primary. As one campaign worker speaking off the record explained it, for a Democrat to win the primary and not the general election, he would basically have to die. Still, the lack of concern of one party for the others in this election is interesting.

By Courtney Gross on July 23, 2009, 1:06 pm
In category: City Hall, Community Development, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Governing, nextNY | 1 Comment »

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Promises Kept and Broken
July 14th, 2009

Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday released a report on how well he has kept, or not kept, his 2005 campaign promises. Not surprisingly he gives himself pretty good grades.

(More surprising might be why this report shows up on the official New York City government site rather than on the campaign site, since whatever the merits of the tally, it is difficult to see it as anything other than a campaign document.)

Of some 100 promises Bloomberg made in 2005, the mayor says 38 are “done” and that he has launched another 55. Only two — expanding the gun court into Manhattan and working with the state “to create a family health plus buy-in program” –are listed as “not done.”

Pretty impressive but, of course, it depends a bit on what the definition of “done” is, as Elizabeth Green makes clear in her analysis of the education promises made and kept.
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By Gail Robinson on July 14, 2009, 12:18 pm
In category: Community Development, Education, Electoral Politics, Housing | No Comments »

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