All aboard the gentrification express

From Crains:

The proposed Brooklyn Queens Connector would run 16 miles from Astoria, Queens, to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, passing through Two Trees’ Domino site, several public housing complexes and rows of glassy waterfront condos in Williamsburg. The commuter line would also traverse commercial-job centers including the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Industry City and several other designated manufacturing zones in Long Island City and Red Hook. “We privately refer to this as the ‘gentrification express,’” said one industrial advocate who did not want to be named because of dealings with City Hall.

The unease felt by manufacturers boils down to two basic concerns: Hotels, commercial offices and nightclubs are already allowed to operate in certain manufacturing districts, and those businesses can afford to pay much higher rents than industrial companies, which typically look for space under $20 per square foot. Second, if the trolley proves a quick and reliable form of transportation, commercial tenants and developers are sure to show up in greater numbers, ready to outbid manufacturing companies for the newly prime real estate.

To address those concerns about encroachment, de Blasio pledged last November to require hotels and self-storage facilities to get a special permit before moving into industrial business zones, a designation that applies to much of the manufacturing areas along the path of the BQX. But while the administration has budgeted $442 million to bolster city-owned manufacturing sites, set aside additional cash for an industrial development fund and launched an advanced manufacturing network called Futureworks NYC, officials haven’t codified any of the promised zoning changes discussed last fall. And even if they had, it would likely take at least a year to implement them.

By then, many changes will be well underway. According to one estimate, the streetcar’s design and financing mechanism will be finalized by mid-2017 and then go through a public review process. Already, developers are eyeing opportunities along the route. In July, real estate developer Madison Realty Capital announced the $40 million purchase of two buildings near a proposed streetcar stop in Sunset Park that it plans to convert to office space. That site sits just across the street from Industry City, a six-million-square-foot industrial and office complex whose owners recently put forward plans to build college housing. The dorms were envisioned to accommodate students at New York University and the City University of New York, with priority placement for manufacturing and engineering applications that would dovetail with the kinds of businesses operating in Industry City. That bid was abandoned under pressure from local officials, but the company is still pursuing plans for a hotel, which industrial supporters such as City Councilman Carlos Menchaca see as the first step toward turning the waterfront residential.

All this has convinced members of the industrial community, including those who support the streetcar, that the administration must make good on promised zoning protections before plans advance too far. “I’m really looking forward to [the streetcar] happening,” said Michael Spinner, who runs car-wash and recycling-equipment businesses in Sunset Park and sits on the board of the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corp. “But you’ve got to tailor the zoning laws and give manufacturing businesses the advantage.”

Regulations on drones and helicopters proposed

NYC Council/William Alatriste

From Gotham Gazette:

Pointing to insufficient efforts on the part of the Federal Aviation Administration, New York City Council members are taking regulation of the city’s skies into their own hands.

In asserting their authority with respect to helicopters and drones on a turf traditionally maintained by the federal government, council members may find themselves in ambiguous legal territory. But they tell Gotham Gazette that they are acting in the interest of public safety and in part to push other levels of government to act.

Council Members Carlos Menchaca, Helen Rosenthal, and Margaret Chin introduced a legislative package of two bills last month that would prohibit the operation of sightseeing helicopters, citing concerns about noise pollution. The council members are supported by “Stop the Chop NYNJ,” a group of community members who complain the noise from sightseeing helicopters are diminishing quality of life.

“What we’ve tried to do is approach this issue from the perspective of the FAA, from the federal body that’s required to regulate this industry. And we’ve tried so hard to regulate this industry to some avail, but not totally dealing with the problems,” Rosenthal said a press conference in July. “What we’ve done at the City Council is identify a different way to deal with the problem, and that is through the issue of noise. And in fact what the city can do is to ban tourist helicopters...they are responsible for this incessant noise.”

The City Council does not have the authority to regulate airspace over the city in terms of flight patterns— that’s under the purview of the FAA. But the council does have some regulatory power, as Rosenthal referenced.

City Council members have introduced two bills looking to curb the use of drones. One, introduced by Council Member Dan Garodnick would ban drones from the city’s airspace with the exception of NYPD drones that had obtained a warrant. In an interview with Gotham Gazette, Garodnick acknowledged that his bill starts from the “strictest possible place.”

Garodnick said that he believes there is reasonable place and time for drone enthusiasts to operate their unmanned aerial systems, but doesn’t want to “open the floodgates” before tools to enforce regulations exist.

The second bill, introduced by Council Member Paul Vallone, would seek to impose a series of regulations on drone usage.

Vallone’s bill would prohibit using UAVs for surveillance purposes, at night or operating them within five miles of any airport and within a quarter mile of schools, houses of worship, hospitals and “open-air assemblies.” Importantly, it also would require users to operate their drones within their line of sight, a requirement also suggested by the FAA.

Bill drafted to stop the chop

From the Daily News:

The City Council is preparing a bill to ban helicopter tourism from the five boroughs, saying the flights are so noisy their wings should be permanently clipped.

Councilman Carlos Menchaca (D-Brooklyn) is drafting the bill to nix the business, which employs around 200 people and operates out of the lower Manhattan heliport, his chief of staff confirmed.

The bill has not been introduced, but Council lawyers have already reached out to the industry — which some studies have shown adds about $33 million a year to the city’s economy — to say the ban bill is imminent, tour group representatives say.

And several Council members — including Corey Johnson, Helen Rosenthal and Mark Levine — have said they support a ban on the tourist flights, citing noise concerns from constituents.

Viv protecting jailed illegal aliens

From Capital New York:

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced legislation that would further reduce the city's cooperation with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

The measure was announced on Thursday and has the support of council members Danny Dromm, Rafael Espinal, and immigration committee chair Carlos Menchaca.

The bill would prohibit the city from honoring civil immigration detainers unless a warrant has been issued by a federal judge. It would also force ICE officers out of Rikers Island and would stop Department of Correction officers from being able to assist federal officials with enforcement efforts such as raids.

If passed, it would mean the New York Police Department and D.O.C. would no longer honor detainer requests issued by ICE unless a federal judge had issued a warrant for the individual.

Reform pol doesn't care who gives him money

From City and State:

Another progressive whose TIE fundraising appears to be incongruous with his politics is Councilman Carlos Menchaca, who, like Johnson, was selected as a freshman by his borough colleagues to be a co-leader of their respective delegations. Menchaca ran as a reformist insurgent against Sara Gonzalez, whom he vilified as a tool of “Manhattan millionaire developers” for receiving support from Jobs for New York, the Real Estate Board’s independent expenditure arm. But soon after taking office, Menchaca accepted $1,500 in TIE funding from Taxpayers for an Affordable New York, which is essentially run and funded by the same major property owners who spearheaded Jobs for New York.

Menchaca also took $1,500 from John Ciafone, a Queens lawyer and property owner who was listed on Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s Worst Slumlord watchlist in 2011. De Blasio returned two large contributions from Ciafone when it was revealed that he was a donor, but Menchaca is apparently untroubled by or unaware of whom he is accepting from.

John Ciafone’s wife is Gina Argento, the CEO of Broadway Stages, a large television and film production studio and sound stage company in Brooklyn and Queens. Argento and her brother Anthony Argento are prolific contributors to political campaigns, and each gave $1,500 to Menchaca’s TIE committee.

Last year the Argentos applied to have a subsidiary company, Luna Lighting, receive a license to operate as a trade waste business, which would allow the company to cart demolition and construction debris from worksites. As the Argentos have ownership interest in many industrial sites that they would like to repurpose for other commercial uses (for example, the Knockdown Center in Maspeth), owning their own demolition hauling company would provide vertical integration to their business. The city’s Business Integrity Commission issued a harsh denial of the Argentos’ application, citing a history of illegal carting by Luna Lighting, and also misrepresentation by Anthony Argento of his arrest record.

Furthermore, Anthony Argento was shown to have over $1 million in federal tax liens against him, as well as his business. As of April 2013 Argento owed the Internal Revenue Service more than $600,000. This information was all published by the city and is a matter of public record. One imagines that Menchaca or his staff must have done some cursory analysis of who was giving him money. Or perhaps the Argentos have papered the city with enough contributions that their questionable business practices do not raise the eyebrows of even the most progressive elected officials.
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"Today's reformer is tomorrow's hack." - Meade Esposito