Friday, February 6, 2009

Letter from Riverdale

Letter from the Riverdale Press:

My son has to register in January, then pray that there’s room for him in his kindergarten class in September at PS 81. Riverdale’s getting crowded. Builders are cashing in on the name, and in the process changing it to a high-density area. So Riverdale isn’t the wonderful place it was.

This is our neighborhood. Builders with big plans should in the future be required to pay all costs associated with their projects, such as increases in sewerage, education, police, more transportation and roads, rather than expect the locals or even the city to foot the bill. And certainly, builders should have to put up money to provide for the restoration of the neighborhood should things go awry.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess the letter writer has never heard of these things called "taxes"?

Developers already pay for all of these things he mentions; and at MUCH higher rates than residents.

In fact, commercial property taxes in NYC are (by far) the highest in the nation, and residential property taxes are quite low (at least compared to nearby jurisdictions).

Anonymous said...

Really? So why is it that for every new development I read about, a huge tax break is being offered to the developer? Or deferred taxes for the new owners?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, why is it that these developers go apeshit every time someone proposes to take these tax breaks away from them, saying they wouldn't have built in the first place without them?

Anonymous said...

In fact, commercial property taxes in NYC are (by far) the highest in the nation, and residential property taxes are quite low (at least compared to nearby jurisdictions).
-----------

Yes, property taxes were once the largest share of local revenues.

Then came income taxes in 1913.

Over time, property taxes have contributed a smaller and smaller share of revenue.

Today it is dwarfed by personal income tax.

Anonymous said...

How can you pay commerical property tax on a property if it is not built.

All the services given by the city to start a new project is paid for by the same residents who are getting displaced by it.

faster340 said...

"This is our neighborhood. Builders with big plans should in the future be required to pay all costs associated with their projects, such as increases in sewerage, education, police, more transportation and roads, rather than expect the locals or even the city to foot the bill. And certainly, builders should have to put up money to provide for the restoration of the neighborhood should things go awry."

sorry but keep dreaming!

Anonymous said...

Sorry old boy.

Builders never pay for anything
and don't expect them to in the near or far future!

They just take their $$$$$$$$$$$$$ and run after they've left your nabe in ruins.

Then they scout the next area in Riverdale that DOESN'T SIT WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE LANDMARKED DISTRICT!

That's life.
You either live in a "HAVE" area or you live in a "HAVE-NOT" section.

It looks like NYC red-lined your neighborhood for over development
thanks to Bloomberg & Co.

Make sure
that he never sees a 3rd term
in office!

Unfortunately, NYC is (and always has been)in the death grips of the
real estate/building industry.

Anonymous said...

Commercial properties bring in the highest windfall rents for developers so let the owners pay high in the sky taxes.

Good try #1 (real estate agent)...and FU 2 !

And if Bloomberg had balls the size of his billions... he'd ELIMINATE tax incentives for developers and thus balance NYC's budget in one shot.

Anonymous said...

I have no idea how much developers pay, and I wouldn't know how to find out. I can tell you that, whatever the cost, it isn't enough, because they continue to tear down beautiful single-family homes in Queens and build hideous crap multi-unit buildings. So something is wrong in the plan.

Anonymous said...

So something is wrong in the plan.
---

Not if you live in community board 1

lack of civics - check

press rabidly prodevelopment - check

public believes anything politicans tell them - check

redlined by community preservation - check

new residents could not give two shits - check

community blog bans community - check

Anonymous said...

It looks like NYC red-lined your neighborhood for over development

redlined by community preservation - check


Seems like some around these parts don't know what "redlining" means.

Anonymous said...

Seems like some around these parts don't know what "redlining" means.


DO ENLIGHTEN US

Anonymous said...

Tax abatements are the biggest land grab in years. We pay so the rich play.

2 words - Yankee Stadium

- enough said.

Anonymous said...

Come down to what remains of "Old Astoria," a pre-civil war area that should have been landmarked. Then you can see what your future holds.