Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Kew Gardens Community Board rejects de Blasio's tower jail


https://i2.wp.com/correctionalnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Feature-Rikers.jpg?resize=800%2C445






The Kew Gardens community board voted unanimously against the plan for a new local jail advancing to the next stage. Queens Community Board 9 voted unanimously Tuesday night to urge the City Planning Commission not to green light the plan for a new jail in Kew Gardens, which would allow the plan to advance to the city's land use review process.

The planning commission must decide by March 25 whether to certify the jail plan as complete and send the plan through the city's land use review process, known as ULURP. The vote Tuesday is largely symbolic, but city rules say the planning commission must explain any decision that goes against community board recommendations.

 
"The City Planning Commission does irreparable harm by starting the ULURP clock," the community board's resolution states. "This proposal, designed without any communication with the affected communities, will quite simply overwhelm and destroy the small historic residential neighborhood of Kew Gardens, and also adversely affect the adjacent community of Briarwood."
A spokesperson for City Council Member Karen Koslowitz, who represents Kew Gardens, declined to comment on the vote.
 Queens BP Melinda Katz finally chimed in:

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. sharply rebuked the mayor's office last week for what they said was a failure to collaborate with the local communities that would house the new jails.

"We are deeply disturbed by the lack of meaningful local engagement on the borough-based jails project to date," Katz and Diaz Jr. wrote in a letter dated March 8. "The process of developing the borough-based jails system must start anew."

"The irony ... of unveiling a citywide plan for 'modern community-based jails' in the absence of community input is not lost on the boroughs," Katz and Diaz Jr. wrote.

 Admin note: The woman who wrote these articles (and the one on Meeks) is Mara Kaufman, the one who got repressed from reporting on this crucial meeting by the mayor's arbitrarily opaque rules

9 comments:

kapimap said...

I cant see a bad impact this will have on residents. Not like the jail is right next door.transit is already in place, the alleged already have to come there.

Potential money savings for the city. Make rikers a college campus!

Anonymous said...

Largely symbolic? No it's symbolic.

fiscus1 said...

Good grief. That rendering makes the proposed prison look like a friendly community center.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Deluxe. Bring the kids. Add a Starbucks and a gift shop, too.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't matter. Mayor dumbdumb does what he wants anyway.

M. How said...

"The vote Tuesday is largely symbolic, but city rules say the planning commission must explain any decision that goes against community board recommendations."

Whether the planning commission "explains" any decision that goes against the community board recommendations doesn't mean the Mayor will listen.

We didn't want bike lanes but the Mayor closed his ears, opened his pocket and the bike lanes no one wanted were implemented.

Now established businesses have closed -- because of no parking spaces -- and residents who pay very heavy property taxes have the very same problem.

We feel patronized and we don't like it.

Mr. Mayor are you listening?

Anonymous said...

President wannabe DiBlasio's hired hands will completely ignore the Community Board on this issue and build his $10 billion dollar dream jail. These Community Boards have no power whatsoever. It will be up to the citizens to keep rallying and vote in another party.

LibertyBoyNYC said...

Wow, looks like a nice friendly place. Dropping off or picking up?

Anonymous said...

You got it wrong- certain more open minded members of the community board will receive goodies - paid vacations, tickets to shows, a new car - & they’ll change their mind & vote for the jail.
In the artist renderings I didn’t see any white people working in that jail