Mayor Bill de Blasio will ask developers of the controversial Mount Manresa project if they'll sell the land to the city to turn it into a park.
The mayor was responding to a plea for campaigners at a town hall meeting in Staten Island Wednesday.
Loretta Drogon from the Committee to Save Mount Manresa asked him to find a way to turn the former Jesuit retreat house into a park instead of condos.
He promised to look into the possibility of purchasing the land from developer's the Savo Brothers — who bought it for $15 million.
"If there is any alternative, I may be the person who's in a position to do something," de Blasio said at the town hall.
"If you got someone who doesn’t want to sell, I don’t know what the options are. If you got someone who does want to sell, that’s a different discussion. So I will pledge you this one thing… we will make that inquiry and report back to you."
5 comments:
Diblasio knows dam well a developer is not going to sell a site to the city for a park. He's just stroking anyone who is stupid enough to believe that crap. If he was serious about it he would have said that he is immediately starting eminent domain procedures to designate the land a park.
We've been down this road - DiBlas is just moving air with his mouth. The Jesuits deliberately sold to Savo: there were other offers in the works. Pls, at this point all the trees have been cut down: we get an asphalt park? And last, the Parks Dept is virtually unfunded. Where the hell is the money supposed to come from? Parks won't even accept free land, claiming they lack the money for upkeep.
"If you've got someone who doesn't want to sell..." Oh you mean like Willets point? Or the people who will be deprived of parkspace so that the Wilpons can build a mall.
Hizzoner is all about eminent domain and park alienation when it's done for profit, just not for people who don't donate to his campaign.
If it happens, I will congratulate DeBlasio. Until that time, it is just bullshit talk.
Plans for a park should have been place at the time of sale. Now the developer has possession and the city has no leverage. That was likely by design.
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