Tuesday, March 17, 2020

It takes a global pandemic to stop hyperdevelopment


https://imgs.6sqft.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/17142123/construction.jpg

6 SQ FT

 All city land use and rezoning processes have been temporarily suspended as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday. In an executive order, the mayor directed procedures “applicable to the city planning and land use processes” to freeze for the duration of New York’s state of emergency.

The city’s official public review process, or the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), involves months of evaluation of a proposed project from the community board, borough president, the City Planning Commission, the City Council, and the Mayor.

“To avoid the need to hold public gatherings and minimize the potential spread of COVID-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio has temporarily suspended New York City’s land use decision making processes,” Marisa Lago, the director of the Department of City Planning, said in a statement.

“The suspension of the City’s official public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), was made via Executive Order. As of the issuance of this Executive Order, all City Planning Commission meetings, including public hearings and votes required as part of land use review processes, are suspended and the time periods for hearings and votes will not run.”

The Real Deal

Build, baby, build — but not in a pandemic.

Brooklyn City Council member Carlos Menchaca is calling for a moratorium on construction work citywide, in what would be one of the most significant industry-related disruptions since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.

“I’m calling on the moratorium of all construction site work in NYC,” tweeted Menchaca, who represents District 38 including neighborhoods such as Sunset Park and Red Hook. “Again, we are putting workers in danger.”

His calls for suspension of all construction were echoed by Council member Brad Lander, who represents District 39 and is the Council’s deputy leader for policy.

“It is essential right now to build new hospital capacity,” Lander tweeted. “It is NOT essential right now to build new condos.”
 
New York’s Department of Buildings notified active construction sites this weekend to follow the latest guidance from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on the coronavirus, but as of Monday afternoon had not shut down the industry.

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation,” agency spokesperson Andrew Rudansky said in a statement, “and will issue further guidance to the industry as needed.”

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is the 4th silver lining I found ever since this started.

CraphurstTrashLady said...

I dunno, here and now in Craphurst the birds are chirping and the construction sounds are ruining my quiet morning as usual.

JQ LLC said...

I think the fact that the birds are chirping is the most positive sign during this collective city panic going on.

Anonymous said...

"“It is essential right now to build new hospital capacity,” Lander tweeted. “It is NOT essential right now to build new condos.”
- - - - - - - - - - -
How about re-opening the hospitals that were closed in the past few years? How many of the closed hospitals are in Queens?

Anonymous said...

"That is the 4th silver lining I found ever since this started"
Yep, sure is.
And when Chinas economy and US Banks goes bust hopefully that will be the end or at least curb this torture. For the first time in 20 years I could go from New Jersey to Maspeth in 14 minutes at 12 noon !!
I could now hear the birds too, even saw a skunk last night.

CraphurstOGCLE said...

JQ: yes, I am grateful for the plethora of birds. Meanwhile, on the ground: a plethora of rats.

Anonymous said...

St. John's Hospital has been closed for decades, and its massive space is abandoned without logic or reason - and, it's got a totally vacant parking garage right across the street!

Meanwhile, Elmhurst Hospital is overcrowded beyond capacity, and the neighborhood is not even a Third World likeness, but the FOURTH World!

Why aren't any of the QUEENS County politicians not addressing this big elephant in the room (among too many to name, like the horrid Racino Aqueduct foreign gambling mill that destroyed all pretense of quality of life for southeastern QUEENS)? That incredible space on Queens Boulevard that used to be a full service hospital should never have been closed in the FIRST PLACE!

TommyR said...

Minababe can write reams on this. Hyperdensity is what CAUSED the need for S O C I A L D I S T A N C I N G in the first place! Nobody says you can't live in duplex, triples, buildings 2, 3, 4, 5, even 6 stories high (look at Barcelona, etc) - it's when things get like Hong Kong that shit gets really fucked!

Anonymous said...

"Things get like Hong Kong that shit gets really fucked!"
Oh TommyR, Oh TommyR are your eyes closed ?
We have Tent Cities full of homeless Americans all in Leftisst Cities.
Why don't you link some pictures to them ? I know why TommyR !
You and a few posters here are on Crapie Jr's Squad !

The left is like the boy who cried wolf and nobody’s listening anymore.

JQ LLC said...

@Anon re: Squad

You know the homeless crisis in America is not limited to "leftist" cities run by fauxgressive politicians. Alabama has had a chronic homeless situation for the last decade.

And what's with the Squad nonsense. You afraid of a few dissenters? I thought you were going to stop reading this blog. Get a life and take care of yourself.

Anonymous said...

"Get a life and take care of yourself."
@JQ LLC Peace Out Good Bye !