Sunday, February 24, 2008

Ire in Auburndale

Auburndale residents, looking for answers to their rezoning questions, left frustrated after a meeting Tuesday night with the Department of City Planning in Flushing.

No Progress For Irked Auburndale Residents

The Auburndale Improvement Association invited an agency representative to its monthly meeting, hoping to learn why the rezoning has been repeatedly delayed.

“Clearly, the Department of City Planning and the mayor (Michael Bloomberg) have failed Auburndale,” Councilman Tony Avella said to start the meeting.

Residents have been pushing for their neighborhood to be downzoned to protect its character since 2004, but so far have been unsuccessful.

According to Henry Euler, the civic group’s Zoning and Housing chairman, they have been promised several times that their community was next on the list, but keep getting pushed back.

“What is holding it up?” Euler asked.


"Hello, Department of City Planning, how may I help you? Oh, you want downzoning? Sorry, we are only taking requests for upzoning at this time. Please call back in 2010." Hey folks, someone in Dutch Kills figured it out:

“The city wants the construction that’s going on. Let’s be real here.”

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Comunity down zoning is a farce. Some areas are clueless about what it is and means to them (doesn't get done) or as Auburndale whom are proactive in getting it done is put off at every turn. The city has no interest in downzoning as it runs against the interests of the developers. Look at all the POlS who have strong ties to developers - Melinda, Peter, Pinky & Crowley and you get the picture why they are not out there 24 x 7 pushing for downzoning in their respective districts.

Anonymous said...

A little footnote here:

"THEY" are out to crush C.M. Avella's
support for down zoning and neighborhood improvement regarding quality of life issues etc.

Avella IS BUCKING THE SYSTEM
and "THEY" don't like it one damn bit!

Reps like Katz, Liu, Gallagher, Crowley, Gioia, etc.
and the rest of the political WHORES of NYC
don't want their lucrative cash stream interrupted!

Tony has been tagged by the clubhouse
as "public enemy #1".

They're card carrying members
of that odious real estate/political partnership
that's choking the life out of New York.

Try and pull this political scum
from feeding off their trough
and they start squealing, grunting
and soon begin to crap all over those
who oppose them!

And, of course, Mayor Mike
presides over this political pig pen!

Anonymous said...

Why should anyone take downzoning seriously. The really important neighborhoods are landmarked, so they spend their time running seminars with examining how to live with a million new people by 2030 (always in someone's neigbhorhood, of course).

Anonymous said...

Has the mayors office ever explained why they do not declare moratoriums in these neighborhoods until the zoning is changed?

The mayor was only elected in the first place because of overwhelming support from neighborhoods like auburndale.

The people who live there universally support downzoning.

What is the explanation?

Anonymous said...

The "haves" get service,
while he "have-nots" get ignored.

It's funny how Broadway/Flushing,
Auburndale's next door neighbor, got down zoned
and its poor relation is still waiting.

Could it be because some judges,
and the politically connected reside
in beautiful Broadway ?

H-m-m-m.....
part of Auburndale is within
John Liu's district lines.

Aye....there's the rub !

Anonymous said...

so they spend their time running seminars with examining how to live with a million new people by 2030 (always in someone's neigbhorhood, of course).
-----------

I guess you are talking about the Muncipal Art Society and Historic Districts Council.

Well placed criticism.