An unlikely coalition of manufacturers, business groups, liberal City Council members and housing advocates are pressuring Mayor Bill de Blasio to protect the city's industrial areas. But the mayor himself is pushing the very thing they fear most: housing in their midst.
Mr. de Blasio is looking for ways to add apartments to the city's 17 industrial business zones, or IBZs, which former Mayor Michael Bloomberg shielded from residential rezoning but largely ignored during his final years in office. Critics sense a similar lack of enthusiasm from Mr. de Blasio, whose first budget slashed funding for the IBZ program and whose aides talk of putting "workforce housing" in industrial areas to advance the administration's goal of creating 80,000 affordable units.
"No housing is affordable without a job," said Leah Archibald, executive director of the East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Development Corp., delivering her signature line. Her group, a Brooklyn development corporation, represents about a thousand businesses that employ 15,000 workers.
Advocates for industrial businesses have been fighting a lonely battle to maintain footholds in hot markets like Williamsburg and Long Island City, Queens, but the recent support of housing activists—natural allies of the mayor—could mark a turning point.
18 comments:
Just amazing. These bastards are engineering a new society that cant have jobs so total dependency on the government and democrat votes are guaranteed forever
I never thought I live to see the day this could ever happen, and it has. Perhaps this is what all stupid voters deserve. those lazy ass watching TV on election nights included.
Bloomberg killed the body and built the coffin when hotels were allowed in M1, raising the land value outsize to industrial use. de Blasio is putting the nails in the coffin.
I have a great way to find housing, start deporting!
Well, we're going to need decent housing for those illegals that the Mayor wants to give ID's to, don't we?
I don't think anyone is saying NO manufacturing is good, but c'mon - we're losing factory jobs nationwide. It's just not in America's foreseeable future to have a manufacturing economy like it used to. Some of this land could realistically be rezoned without threatening what little sustainable factory work is left here.
Company towns, in the style of Pullman. That's the answer!
A lot of the M zones were already rezoned, and now there's a shortage of manufacturing space and landlords looking to jettison their tenants in order to rent residentially.
What most people don't seem to get is that the 'industrial' parts of town aren't really being used to build a whole lot (compared to the past). Today, industrial areas are filled with trash depos, food distribution warehouses, bus garages, and a plethora of small maintenance businesses like elevator repair, plumbing supply, etc.
What will happen if DeB gets his way, is that all of these businesses will be forced elsewhere. That will drive up the cost of food and services everywhere around the city - as these businesses have to transport/commute longer hauls from elsewhere.
Trash transfer is something that won't leave industrial areas though - no one else around here is going to take our trash. Parts of LI are in crisis mode due to not being able to get trash off the island in a timely manner. End result will be 'affordable' housing right across the street from trash transfers like the one on Varick ave, where they use some kind of pellet gun around back to shoot at the seagulls that sometimes swarm in.
So in a nutshell, DeB's policy on this one is going to help destroy NYC even more in the long run. But hey, all our politicians do is think about the short term. Who's money can line their pockets today.
Take away jobs, give government housing and food.
Make them all depend on you for everything. Socialist Dictator paradise.
" we're losing factory jobs nationwide..."
Yes, we are losing factory jobs. Humans are being replaced by robotics.
Automation doesn't call in sick, can work 24/7, don't unionize, ask for no raises and don't need benefits.
No jobs, everyone on welfare. Where has this been tried before? Try Cuba, North Korea, USSR... all paradises for their citizens.
LIC Arts Open
Box 321, 44-02 23rd St, LIC, NYC
info@licartsopen.org
www.licartsopen.org
It is our belief that despite many fine words from business, developers and others about how important the Arts are to LIC and Western Queens that in general that actions are not matching these fine words and that the inevitable enforced squeeze on artists and artists' spaces has already begun.
We have noticed that rising rents and the shifting sands that our realty goldrush has created is leading to an exodus of important spaces, people, studios and galleries, at least pressure is building and many people are worried.
Its time to act and for us all to come together with one voice to make ourselves heard.
Arts and artists have been good business for many landlords and businesses but in the haste to welcome the coming tech wave and to build residences the Arts are being marginalised.
Like the worst kind of lovers our suitors have used the reputation and cache that our vibrant arts community creates to sell their properties but now these fickle paramours are moving on to new partners.
Here are our suggestions:
To build a strong coalition of Fine Arts & Performing Arts organizations and non profits, creatives and artists to promote and protect our mutual interests.
To lobby for Long Island City to be designated an Arts District - we should have been the first area for such an honor
To create events and programs that help our mutual mission to secure the future of our community
To pool resources and keep all parts of the Arts scene in LIC and Western Queens at the forefront of all initiatives, schemes and developments
LIC Arts Open will host an Arts in LIC Summit on Monday August 4th to create this new alliance.
We hope all of our LIC Arts Open friends and supporters will attend and will be inviting guest speakers and local movers to contribute.
Please send any thoughts or issues that you would like to be considered for the agenda to
info@licartsopen.org
LIC Arts Open
Celebrating the Arts in LIC
Fix what makes New York City uncompetitive with other metropolitan areas of the United States which are increasing their manufacturing sector employment.
Oh? You won't cut taxes or reduce the regulatory burden. OK, but don't whine to me about not attracting jobs then...
So soon we will just be one big housing area with no jobs and a 9 million person population after Obama gets done housing all of those illegals that he wants in this country! Can you say "welfare"?
Welfare = democrat voters
The ifrastructure can't handle any more people......
You voted for him. No Second Term! No Second Term!
Doing the usual Commie DiBlahBlah thing. Force everyone to be dependent on the government, then watch them dance to the government's tune. Is this what the Founders wanted? How did we end up with this moron anyway?
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