The new chairman of the City Council’s powerful Land Use committee, Brooklyn’s David Greenfield, strongly questioned the Bloomberg administration’s unprecedented landmarking of city neighborhoods as historic districts at a hearing Thursday, saying the policy conflicted with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s goal to build 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade.
At the hearing, Brooklyn Councilman Jumaane Williams also called for landmarking in the city to slow down, calling the lack of affordable housing in historic districts "appalling." He said local opposition to projects often played a role in decisions. "It's often one council member, we're not looking at it at a more global scale," Mr. Williams said.
Is that so, Jumaane? I seem to recall a year ago when you were promoting landmarking:
This Sunday, June 9, Councilmember Jumaane Williams will join the newly-formed Landmarks Political Committee at a press conference to promote landmarking applications for Beverley Square East, Beverley Square West, Caton Park, Ditmas Park West, West Midwood, and South Midwood. The conference will be held at 12pm in the South Midwood area of Council Member Williams’ district, at 2684 Bedford Ave. between Foster Ave. and Farragut Rd.
The Landmarks Political Committee, made up of neighbors in and outside of Ditmas Park who have begun engaging more local politicians in fighting for landmark status, have found support in Councilmember Williams, who has recently been involved in trying to landmark Jackie Robinson’s former home. Here's a video.
And another:
City Councilman Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush) and other elected officials are urging the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to bestow that status on the homes, built 100 years ago by a small group of architects who converted the neighborhood from farmland into a tree-lined community.
“We are big believers in preserving and celebrating the history of what we have in this community,” said Williams’ spokesman Stefan Ringel.
It's sad when pols start doing the dirty work of REBNY. Very sad.
11 comments:
I blame lack of deportations for the lack of housing in NYC. Illegals are allowed to rent and destroy neighborhoods that could be so much nicer than what they are. 1.5 million illegals in NYC equals a lot of housing being used....probably close to 400000 units being occupied by illegals.
Rents in Queens are going up because people are being priced out of Manhattan, most immigrants are settling here, the increase in absentee landlords and inflation. Not historic districts. We hardly have any!
He's crazy!! What is wrong with these idiots.
What a liar, people will do and say ANYTHING to get elected.
We don't want more affordable housing we need to provide better services for the people who are here now.
Let’s just state what this whole thing really is – a classic case of “Look over there!”
Any Real Estate Business concern:
“Look over there! See all those historic district designations? That’s what’s stopping us from building all that affordable housing everybody wants and needs…. “
“And… Look over there! See all those building codes? That’s what’s stopping us from building all that affordable housing everybody wants and needs…”
“And hey… Look over there! See all those zoning regulations? That’s what’s stopping us from building all that affordable housing everybody wants and needs…”
“All us real estate folks just want to help you poor souls who make less than 500k a year but our hands are tied. Don’t you see?”
“If you would just let us do anything we want we’ll help you - really we will. C’mon, stop being such a bunch of meanies!”
“Okay, now uh… if you’ll excuse me I, uh, have to go uh, you know, build/rent out/sell some luxury condos/rentals/commercial space uh… somewhere... Well okay gotta-go seeya bye…”
Get rid of all the immigrants - both legal and illegal. NYC is full and a lot of them have no respect for this country. They still refer to their original country as "my country." Then go back to "your country!"
They have destroyed Queens - especially the Latinos and Asians - and I'm not talking about the Asians that have been here for 50 years - it's the new ones. The Latinos all seem to have a ghetto mentality.
We need a moratorium on visas and green cards for at least 5 years. AND NO MORE H1-b VISAS!!! We have too many tech people out of work in this country!!!!
This is f**king shit! I can't stand this guys phony smile and his face. A liar and has switched sides and his morals for his own benefit and his pockets. Please enough with his affordable housing, how about not letting prices sky rocket in the first place and if you can't live in NYC please just leave already. Landmarking is not the issue, luxury condos and apartments are still being built no matter what.
The one real and only true blame for lack of affordable housing is the skyrocketing and over inflated land prices, plain and simple. Land prices are so overinflated, it no longer even make sense to build affordable housing to get a return on your money.
The problem here should be a wake up call to the city's elites in their landmarked districts.
They turned their noses up at Queens while we groaned under the likes of the Vallones and our community boards that denied us landmarking.
They could have come out here and helped - instead they turned their back on us as we were rolled over by the pols and the press.
Now the problems have come home to roost since they have failed to build a broad based city wide constituency.
When they are ready to do so, we await their call in Queens.
Until then, they can go .....
Thank you.
What a douchebag....in spite of the fact that everyone should know that everything you say publicly is recorded and available permanently, they continue to blatantly lie and take both sides of every issue when convenient (when they can get money for changing sides...)
Closet Bloomberg's?
Look how they all voted for Rudin luxury condos and not a hospital.
When did condo greed become more important than human rights --ask them that only Charles Barron okay for hospital in W Village not Tish James, Melissa Mark Viverito, etc. Scott Stringer also a closet Bloomberg sell- out.
Wake up, he is talking about Manhattan... and Brooklyn to a lesser degree. He is talking about middle class housing. Sure, the working class and the poor could also use more housing too, but the Landmark districts are largely in Manhattan, where median income is 70k+.
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