I'd be curious to hear from anyone out there in Crappyland who attended this meeting last night.
What wonderful overdevelopment plan did City Planning present to you? What was the reaction?And why would a civic president warn about legal action? This is a bit strange.
20 comments:
Amanda Burden is proving to be
a burden on many communities.
Though not as thuggish
as Joe Rose was in the past....
nevertheless......the Dept. of City Planning
seems to have deliberately implemented
a "slow down"of the down zoning process
in certain communities.
Now the bully tactic threat of legal action
is being wielded like a club
when any resident questions their authority
or motives!
And what in the hell is the president
of the Dutch Kills Civic Association doing
besides sitting on his "laurels" ?
H-m-m-m....some leadership !
A president of a civic association is a volunteer. They give up their own time for their neighborhoods. Cut them all some slack, unless there's evidence that they're doing something that stabs those same neighborhoods in the back.
By the way, it must be pretty embarrassing (assuming someone's already found it) for a letter to go out announcing a "Public Scooping Meeting." That almost sounds like something a dog-run opponent might attend.
OK guys, here the scoop on John Young. Take down these notes so you can stop him and his minions from this well honed formula in the future.
He will purposely waste everyone time talking in a mumbo jumbo of double talk confusing the hell out everyone in the room. He talks down to people.
If you invite him to a meeting, keep his time on a short leash - and let the public speak. (also invite the press and chat with them afterwards)
In a two hour meeting that should be centered on the community's concerns, 3/4 will be spent on him and his friends wasting the public's time telling them:
1. call 311 and don't worry, no developer can do anything illegal (and if they do, leave a phone message or email)
2. the developers have property rights that must be respected and you can be sued if you try to stand in their way (acknowledging faintly the community has concerns but don't worry it will be addressed by the new and revised plan the city is putting together)
3. there is nothing that the community can do to stop new and unpleasant consequences from development (except quickly quickly quickly ok the massive rezoning 'if we all work together')
4. throw in a few buzz words in the tedious double talk (that surveys have found the community wants to hear). The key is throw them in to assure and calm and confuse the angry.
5. tell the public there is nothing they can do (oh, did I say that before?)
6. when confronted by a public who calls their professional credentials in question (didn't you experts know this could happen?) smile and say 'no, you can't predict this' and make certain the Q&A format does not have a chance for rebuttal. Then ask for the next question from someone new.
7. tell the public there is nothing they can do (oh, did I say that before?)
8. address the fact that your agency let little details like okaying hotel after hotel after hotel after hotel for a small area with a shrug with 'its as of right.'
9. when people ask if a developer can block their windows, or a hotel room (and everything that goes on inside of it) can be a few feet away from your 8 year old's bedroom window, or your back yard is useless when you have a 6 story building to your right, a 9 story building on your back, and your neighbor can bow to development and put God knows what on their property, take the wind out of their sails and surprise the public by saying ‘yes, these can be problems'. No solutions or help proposed, but the public should be satisfied with the acknowledgement that this can be a 'problem.'
Yes ... Yes ... Yes .. indeed.
10. tell the public there is nothing they can do (oh, did I say that before?)
When the public is looking at development, and asks questions about parking, indicate the city has a provision that one space is required for every eight rooms.
Don't tell them it can be waved for up to 120 rooms until after the foundations are in the ground.
Some people asked about developments that seem to have no provision for loading docks and delivery entrances.
John and his buddies got off the hook by letting the public know that this is not their problem: it is the responisibility of the developer, not the city.
(Observation: funny, none of the people on the panel seem to live in a community that has lots of hotels without parking or double parked cars or trucks, but, but these are the people that working class communities under assault seem to have to deal with.
When not being talked down to, their experiences are beneath the radar of those making choices that will permanently effect their community.)
I agree with all the observation that the other people posted here with another suggestion:
The backbone of the civic may play to the audience, but he should be kicked off because the development went along with his encouraging (now he sees the public upset, he is their champion -bull crappie) He is the guy responsible for this. Do we have to bring up his relationship to community board one, that other posters on this board have repeatedly called ‘the community board from hell’?
And the fellow that runs the civic, pathetic, pathetic, pathic. (and yes, please pronounce the word 'meeting' as 'meetinG', not 'meetn.' If you do that in front of these little bureaucrats they will not take you, and your community seriously -- as seems to be the case in this instance)
He may act like a Mr. Meathead, but an effective one as he follows the script given to him to keep the mob quiet.
Oh, yes, he should go too.
That civic desperately needs new blood. In a few years nothing will be left.
Jennifer Manley was weak. She will not last long in that spot.
A president of a civic association is a volunteer. They give up their own time for their neighborhoods. Cut them all some slack, unless there's evidence that they're doing something that stabs those same neighborhoods in the back.
-----
They must be wordly enough to look outside of their neighborhood, and simply not follow a script someone gave them.
The developers and polticians and city functionaries I have no problem with - they are doing the things they set out to do and know exactly what they are doing. And they can be stopped as the public is ultimately in control and when they are organized properly and focused on the right issues, impossible to stop.
The danger is the 'inspired' amateur. Being clueless is no excuse as you are manipulated to undercut the good work of your fellow grassroots comrads.
Then nothing gets done. The community is naked to the developers.
I like when John Young mentioned that they worked on dozens of rezonings. He left out that with the exception of western Queens (and Jamaica) they were all DOWNZONING!!!
I feel for the people who have homes here, but remember this IS an Industrial zone.
I feel for the people who have homes here, but remember this IS an Industrial zone.
---
They never asked for that, yet another fireball in city planning came up with that stupid idea. Any reason that decades of complaints about this from the community was never taken care of, but within a few months developers wishes were in place?
No politicians showed up. Gutless wonders who don't want to face the music until the nails are hammered down.
Come one Bricklayer Onorato, Doorman Gioia - you showed plenty of leadership on Sunnyside.
Where is Vallone and Gianaris and our little Margie Markey? Old Astoria and Elmhurst remain a models of civic vision.
Add Dutch Kills to as another notch on the gun.
Devastating comments.
Just devastating.
Hey it is Walsh's neighborhood.
He should be glad to put in
a lion's share of volunteer service.
It's where he lives.....isn't it ?
A lousy job is a lousy job......
whether you get paid for it or not !
The proof lies in his nabe's condition......
overbuilt and underserved !
Nobody gets cut any slack
while I put in my own VOLUNTEER
mega service !
This is horrible!
This is certainly an abuse of a community. Their trust in every level of government is being betrayed in full sight by all of us.
With all those civic groups and preservation organizations out there how can something like this happen? The loss of Dutch Kills is yet another a major failure of the preservation community.
Does anyone want to help them? Or is everyone just wanting to play nice and cut their own pathetic deal with 'the devil take the hindmost'?
quote
OK guys, here the scoop on John Young. Take down these notes so you can stop him and his minions from this well honed formula in the future.
unquote
Thanks for writing this - we will be on the lookout as he is due to speak in our community in the near future. From what I heard, what you said about him makes perfect sense.
Meeting was never reported in the press.
Censorship is alive and well in Queens.
This is all very confusing.
Can someone tell the residents of Dutch Kills who were not able to attend the last meeting as to where we stand with this rezoning situation?
Has anyone noticed the smell during the day along 36th Ave near 30th Street?
The air quality is really strange and smells like tar and burnt tires for hours.
What is going on?
So did Dutch Kills win the rezoning yet or is gentrification going to take over?
Who can give a valid response?
Will there continue to be more hotels and big buildings going up?
Some of can make it to the meetings so please tell us where to get updated information.
Thank you
Post a Comment