Sunday, September 25, 2016
Court Square "civic" forming
From DNA Info:
Court Square, a longtime hub for office workers that's grown increasingly residential over the last few years, is getting its own civic organization dedicated to shaping future development.
The Court Square Civic Association will hold its first public meeting Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. at MoMA PS1. It will feature a panel discussion with City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, Penny Lee of the Department of City Planning and Paul Januszewski of the local developer Rockrose.
You all always have developers at your civic meetings, right? Say no more. ROFLMFAO!!!
20 comments:
More astroturf optics from the Left.
How do you have a discussion about a neighborhood without at least hearing what one of the biggest players has to say?
How do you have a discussion about a neighborhood without at least hearing what one of the biggest players has to say?
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Absolutely correct. The biggest player is the public.
So why does the public never get a chance to form a civic on their own, as say, those do in Manhattan?
When a group of people are trying to find their voice does it make sense to have city planning, an ambitious local politician, and a developer in the room?
This is part of a spreading movement to form official civics for communities that can channel the community's energies into useful things ...
... as accommodating development of brownfields without sensible infrastructure proposals, or, more importantly, finding employment opportunities for that vast welfare state agency that is slowly absorbing all of the city that is not hipster or billionaire.
Before forwarded central Queens, a new ciivc is on the way for your community soon, too!
Just another small group that will have no power.
They will Receive a bit of lip service from time to time.
The powers that be will give them a minor concession from time to time regarding any Grand Plans (and changed back during commissioning) that the tyrants can say that they "worked" with the "Civic" and Community.
In reality all it will be is a group therapy meeting for all to commiserate...
This is 100% NOT a grass roots effort. I've lived in this area a few years now and have never heard one peep about from any friends or neighbors.
It has actually been in the works awhile now - Van Bramer introduced someone of his at the 'save the lic elks lodge' meeting as being the leader of this group that (so far as I know) no one ever heard of.
The elks lodge, btw, has been asbestos-abated. That is always the step before demolition. I'm only surprised the demo permit hasn't happened yet. (so far as I know)
First order of business...DUMP VAN BRAMER!
He's the one who sold you out.
He took $10,500 (chump change) from the Wolkoff family, then voted for a zoning variance that allows TWO 40 story buildings on the former 5 Pointz site. And they are using non union labor.
Funny about the Elks Building. It was not to be landmarked, then Van Bramer got blind sided when the community responded to the challenge to protect it, and suddenly LPC was 'thinking' about it.
During the meeting over the building someone let slip that 5 people should meet with Van Bramer (I guess behind the community's back?) Then there was the rally and Van Bramers people really worked the crowd and Jimmy made a bunch of promises that, as much as anyone knows, went nowhere - perhaps they were to mollify the crowd? Who knows.
But suddenly, when a select group became 'insiders' no one wanted to meet. So when that building gets destroyed the community that stopped fighting and believing in itself is to be blamed.
Not unusual. Indeed typical. As one highly placed preservationist hinted, its one of the main reasons the preservation movement has a hands off policy with Queens.
So after Jimmy regained control of the community, the LPC once again made up the story that it was not worthy of the clubs found in the other boroughs. Of course, Van Bramer said nothing about that affront to his community.
Is this what happens when a small group meets with a politician and perhaps agrees to stuff without community input or discussion?
Form your own conclusion.
In Queens everything is scripted and orchestrated. Whispered spin on the backstairs to the gullible?
Form your own conclusion.
Like Old Astoria Civic coming out for the $30 million pool boondoggle, 8000 signatures be damned, all that is needed is an 'official' civic that just happens to agree with the local politician.
Everyone else gets the odd dissenting remark in a flood of banner headlines that loudly proclaim that the community wants what every pol and his developer 'donors' want.
That homeless shelter / tower without infrastructure / [name your boondoggle here] is just the ticket to also make the community squeal.
Dutch Kills Civic run by George S and United Community Civic that has close ties to the Vallones are two other ones that come to mind. There are others.
No important issue seems to have been successfully tackled by a Queens civic in some time.
Look at the endless discussions on airport noise as just one example. Studies and discussions and meetings that drone on endlessly until the original focus is either lost or out of date.
If you want to see real civics western Queens is not the place to go.
The problem is that the civic culture in Queens is so eroded that the entire borough stands at the threshold of being 'Stepford Wived' just like Western Queens - if you know what we mean.
Now you know. What are you ready to do about it?
Closing the barn door after all the horses ran away.
Good luck on your pipe dream.
This is just another one of those puny little civic groups that were formed too late.
Drop into one of the new hipster watering holes that are proliferating in LIC.
Bend the elbow and lament.
Your neighborhood is gone, sold out by you who elected pond scum like Van Bramer.
The all one dynasty has been milking Astoria since the mid 1950s when the patriarch of the family,
Charlie "the judge" Vallone was first appointed to office.
Go and try and fight this political mafia.
The Vallones, and their like, will have you for antipasto!
LOL!
What ever happened to that other laughable group, the Dutch Kills Civic?
Gone with the wind, I guess, along with the nabe.
You mean all the whinos?
YAWN!
Another day. Another civic forms.
Same shit....different day.
Bend over , and take it like a man, or move.
Here comes the steamroller of over development.
Stack up all that road kill.
This nabe is already in the tsunami's path.
Too little. Too late.
Take your complaints to Jimmy Van Bramet's door, in his historic district home in Sunnyside Gardens.
He has a safe haven there. You get washed away.
I just love it!
You are either a rhino or a whino....or , perhaps, even a wino!
Drink up me hearties!
No pissin'' on the floor, please.
Van Bramer is poised to really grease up your tookas.
This will wind up to be a civic owned by him, who is in turn, owned by the developers.
And you think that you are making any progress here?
You wind up in the same pockets that councilman Jimmy is.
The real estate developers.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer....
the best thing that has happened to overdevelopment since sliced bread.
And you poor misbegotten fools dare to trust him?
Jimmy voted for those two 40 story mega buildings right across the street on Jackson Ave. where the meeting is being held.
$10,500 from the Wolkoffs who own the former 5 Pointz site, and he voted for the zoning variance which permitted this.
Without a BSA variance, The site was zoned for 20 stories to be built.
Jimmy allowed a rapacious developer to build double that bulk for a pittance of a donation to his political campaign.
You were all sold out for Jimmy's ice cream money.
Did Jimmy recuse himself from voting for this mega monstrosity?
No! Now Wolkoff is using non union labor, just like he has at his , way behind schedule, Pilgrim State project in Suffolk county.
Jimmy was warned by many community residents about Wolkoff's shady dealings.
Did Jimmy care about you?
No! Only about his political advancement, which you voters made possible.
Enjoy the ride to nowhere.
Ditto!
I was at that city council hearing when JVB knuckled under to Wollkoff.
He voted "yes" for those two fourty story buildings abutting the #7 line.
When pollutants were being spewed into the air , during 5 Pointz demolition, where was Van Bramer?
Out to lunch!
This screaming queen of Queens cares only about his own advancement and agenda.
Dump Van Bramer before things get even worse. A better crooked partner, the real estate industry could not find!
Jimmy is cashing out at a fixed black jack game, while you suckers at the political roulette table are getting fleeced!
Van Bramer is not the issue here - its the soul of the community - who do people listen to?
- as someone said here all they do is sell you a ticket to oblivion with these fake civics reported by fake newspapers with fake politicians reading fake agendas.
Queens will never move forward if people are duped into 'civics' that are little more than organized claques while real people fighting real issues are marginalized or belittled by the public that does not know they are being manipulated by those who have almost infinite resources at their disposal.
Stop making this a personality problem. It is a problem of the "body politic" of Queens.
In short, how to we reach out to each other to keep things real and short circuit the bullshit?
Excuse me....Van Bramer is certainly the issue here.
Secondly are the people who elected him.
Without people like Van Bramer and the Vallones,
this kind of shit wouldn't be happening.
Both are real estate industry stooges, ready to bend over for their campaign contributions.
Capeesh....goombah?
Previous poster. Yes, we know about the machine and how they are getting more arrogant and detached from the rest of us each year. This is the real reason we are facing Donald Trump.
Pointing fingers does nothing - we see it over and over.
Its the PEOPLE that need to change and take responsibility... and resolve to do something about it. Pushing the burden of the machine off our backs is a hell of a lot easier than we think.
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