Thursday, March 12, 2009

Willets Point business owners challenge City in court

WILLETS POINT UNITED CHALLENGES CITY’S ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
FILES ARTICLE 78 AGAINST MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY AGENCIES

(March 11, 2009) Twenty-two members of Willets Point United Against Eminent Domain Abuse filed an Article 78 petition today with the NY State Supreme Court against Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Council, the City Planning Commission and Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber challenging the environmental review that was completed by the City of New York.

The main points of the filing are as follows:

· Petitioners are challenging the Deputy Mayor’s Office appointing itself as the lead agency on the project. Under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) this office does not “have jurisdiction to fund, approve or directly undertake an action,” and therefore cannot be a lead agency.

· The Deputy Mayor’s Office failed to identify and report many of the environmental impacts it was required to under a SEQRA review, including impacts on traffic and highways, emergency response, the city’s water supply and the likelihood of plan approval by federal and state highway authorities.

· The plan takes private property without a public purpose. The current plan is simply a theoretical possibility and the Kelo decision stated that condemners must have a concrete plan in place and a “carefully formulated economic plan” in order to seize property.

Michael Gerrard, attorney for WP United, stated the following in the petition:

“Here, the Deputy Mayor’s Office has only its starry-eyed vision. The Deputy Mayor’s Office sets forth this vision in the first page of the FGEIS [Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement] executive summary: ‘The proposed Plan’s main goal is to transform a largely underutilized site with substandard conditions and substantial environmental degradation into a lively, mixed-use, sustainable community and regional destination.’ This might be a lofty aspiration, but aspirations alone cannot provide grounds for condemning -- and ruining -- the 61 acres of vital businesses in Willets Point.”

WP United President Jerry Antonacci said, “We are confident that the courts will dismiss the findings of the environmental review submitted by the Deputy Mayor’s office and that the City Council’s November 2008 vote authorizing the redevelopment will be rendered null and void.”

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good work; you hit the nail on the head. These so-called business types at City hall are really flying by the seat of their pants, engaging in very vague, speculative ventures. It is really pathetic once you pull back the curtain of the Wizard of Oz mayor. There really is no accountability, no transparency. This started with the schools takeover--we'll make it up as we go along, and dole out goodies to our friends. There is no reason here. City for sale!Bastards!

Anonymous said...

its about time what took so long !!!! go get them i hope you all win keep fighting and stay strong you will win the city could be beet

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
its about time what took so long !!!! go get them i hope you all win keep fighting and stay strong you will win the city could be beet

Thursday, March 12, 2009

THANKS we will win and we will keep on fighting all the way to the end no way will we give up this is just the 1st step. the city collage kids from EDC think they can run over us ? no way this plan will be over turned . im also glad people want to see us win we pick up more and more support every day ..

Anonymous said...

CAN THE CITY TAKE AWAY PHONY TONY COMO'S HOUSE IN MIDDLE VILLAGE, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

the city collage kids from EDC think they can run over us

i bet they know how to spell "collage"

Anonymous said...

doesn't matter, our lawyer does

Anonymous said...

Hey Joe (Willets Poit Joe) have some of those big craters been filled in yet ?

I need to bring my 71 Vette down there for exaust welding but these classic Vetts and Trans AMs cant get through that street.
Inspection is due soon.

Good luck with Bloombergs scumbags, F_ those SOB pirates where they breath !

-Joe

Anonymous said...

Great....kick that Shulman slob in her fat ass!

Anonymous said...

A modern David and Goliath story.

But today, Goliath is a limp-wristed, pink panty wearing, turtle faced liar whose greed exceeds Bernie Madoff's.

When this is all over, perhaps they can share a bunk and call each other Bubba.

Anonymous said...

If we don't reign in this out-of-control eminent domain no one's property will be safe. Who is a politician to decide that the city can get more in taxes or business by destroying your home?

Unless they can demonstrate a clear necessity for the taking such as a essential public amenity like a necessary road, school, hospital, electrical generating facility, or sewage plant that could conceivably benefit the displaced homeowner as well, the idea shouldn't be on the table. And even then, the city should be prepared to make a tough case that this was a last resort. Eminent domain is not to be used to enrich the powerful or create leisure destinations.

Anonymous said...

give up. you lost. get out.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
give up. you lost. get out.

Friday, March 13, 2009

no one lost yet ass wipe did you ever here of some thing being over turned . well this will
auto part and junk yards for ever ..... stay in south selem you loser