Mapping the Future
NYC Housing Calendar, Sept. 22-29
Jeanmarie Evelly |
City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and upcoming affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: NYC’s Aging Water Infrastructure Needs a Climate-Change Upgrade
Shahana Hanif |
“Water main breaks have caused outages across my community and contamination from old pipes have left homes with rust colored water for days…The people of New York City deserve functioning infrastructure and real investments are the only way to get us there.”
A Family Affair: Parents, Children and NYC's Homelessness Crisis
Bill to Require Mental Health Staff at Family Shelters Spurs Worry Over ‘Unintended Effects’
Jeanmarie Evelly |
Supporters of the legislation, which would require the city to fund the placement of mental health professionals on-site at all homeless shelters with children, say it would increase access to care for families experiencing the crisis of housing insecurity. But some advocates worry it could inadvertently ensnare more low-income families in the child welfare system.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: The Moral Imperative to Close Rikers Island
Rev. Chloe Breyer |
The city’s plan to close Rikers by 2027 is “not a perfect plan, but it’s the best plan thus far. And to do the bold and necessary thing—to see this plan through to completion—will take moral courage and political leadership.”
nyc rezonings
Labor is Latest Sticking Point in Debate Over Bruckner Rezoning
David Brand |
The New York District Council of Carpenters issued a statement opposing the plan, saying they would not receive enough work on 349-unit project proposed for The Bronx. Their stance was counter to several other influential labor leaders who have spoken in favor of the project for the jobs and new housing it will create.
Housing and Homelessness
NYC Housing Calendar, Aug. 31- Sept. 7
Jeanmarie Evelly |
City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and upcoming affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
Bronx
NYC Planning Commission Backs Bruckner Rezoning Opposed by Key Councilmember
David Brand |
The proposal has encountered resistance from would-be neighbors and local Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez, who’ve cited concerns about impact on infrastructure, parking and the area’s suburban feel. But one planning commissioner who voted in favor of the project Wednesday believes the opposition is driven by a rejection of affordable housing.
Politics & Government
City Watch: Planning Chief Dan Garodnick Talks Local Resistance to New Housing
David Brand |
“If everything…is just a question of ‘Does the local community support or not support it,’ the answer will almost, inevitably, always be ‘no,’ so it can’t just be that, it has to be a broader consideration,” the former councilmember said during an interview on the WBAI radio program City Watch.
Mapping the Future
‘Innovation QNS’ Plan to Upzone Industrial Astoria on Life Support
David Brand |
The question soon facing the City Council—and in particular, local member Julie Won—is how much affordable housing is enough to replace the Queens industrial scene with a complex three times bigger than One45, another Harlem development proposal recently squashed over affordability concerns.
Health and Environment
As City Health Dept. Weighs New Lead Paint Standard, a Push for Stricter Enforcement
Jeanmarie Evelly |
Advocates want the city to take a more proactive approach to lead paint inspections and enforcement, saying the current system contains loopholes that allow property owners to skirt the rules. Their push comes as the Health Department considers lowering the childhood lead-level threshold that would automatically trigger an investigation.
