As of Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Contents
1. Elected Officials Commit to Join WPP Lawsuit:
- Congress Member and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel
- State Senator Bill Perkins
- State Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, and
- City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito
2. DOB Permit Revocation Deadline Extended;
3. Community Meeting Thursday May 22 to Focus On Environmental Review Issues – What Questions Will a Review Answer?
Substance
1. Elected Officials Commit to Join Lawsuit
State Senator Bill Perkins, State Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, and City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito have committed to join as co-plaintiffs in our lawsuit concerning the proposed “Columbus Village.” Senator Perkins (30th Senate District), Assembly Member O’Donnell (69th AD) and Council Member Viverito (District 8) represent the Park West Village community, and have long seconded the community’s call for input into decisions that will affect our lives forever. As of May 21st, Congressman Charles Rangel has joined as well: Now in his 19th term as Representative, Congressman Rangel has long demonstrated leadership in the development and revitalization of urban neighborhoods throughout America.
“I am proud to join my fellow constituents and public servants in this lawsuit,” Congressman Rangel said. “I commend Westsiders for Public Participation for their vigilant efforts in bringing true, transparent and inclusive community involvement to this huge project. I am hopeful that this lawsuit will help bring about the kind of necessary input that my constituents have demanded for years.”
Congressman Rangel’s district comprises East and Central Harlem, the Upper West Side, and Washington Heights/Inwood.
We welcome our elected officials’ commitment to helping us realize our goal: public participation in an environmental review of the development’s impacts upon our community, followed by required mitigation of those impacts.
2. Manhattan Borough President Says Department of Buildings Deadline Extended
The DOB has stated that it “intends to revoke the approval(s) and permit(s)” for 808 Columbus Avenue unless the developers can correct their zoning compliance related to parking spaces and curb cuts. The deadline set by DOB for the developer to respond was today, Friday, May 16. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s office reported to us late today that DOB, which has based its revocation order on the complaints of the Borough President, had met with the developers and extended their deadline for response to the revocation notice. We do not believe the developers will be able to satisfy their zoning non-compliance issues, and we will also continue to hold DOB accountable to properly overseeing the developers on these and many other issues.
No matter what the DOB does, the zoning violations that have already been identified will now be appealed to the Board of Standards and Appeals (a higher agency than the DOB), and we will schedule an injunction hearing in State Supreme Court to halt construction pending the outcome of the BSA appeal. Our case is not dependent on the DOB action, on its deadlines, on parking spaces or on curb cuts! We will take additional legal action in court to discover full information about everything that has been approved for all five construction sites, including 808 Columbus. Appropriate legal action will be taken concerning all instances of zoning non-compliance as they are discovered. Remember, we still do not have all of the approved plans for most of the development.
3. Public Participation Continues – Our Next Community Meeting
Our next community meeting will take place at
- Second Presbyterian Church, 6 West 96th St. (corner CPW, entrance on south side of 96th Street)
- Thursday, May 22, 2008,
- 7:30 PM (doors open at 7 PM).
What Questions will an Environmental Review Answer?
The community has many environmental concerns that the developer has not answered, because they have not been required to do so, but our concerns WILL be addressed under the legally required environmental review process. What environmental issues concern you most? Community stakeholders have repeatedly raised the following areas of concern. Bring your own concerns to the community meeting on May 22.
1. How will the already crowded 96th Street subway stops be able to handle the additional ridership?
2. How will a destination commercial mall impact traffic in the community?
3. How will trucks be routed through the neighborhood streets and across Central Park?
4. At what hours will the stores receive deliveries?
5. How late will stores be open?
6. How will already sparse street parking be impacted?
7. How much additional pollution will be caused by traffic and by commercial operations?
8. How is it possible to locate commercial loading berths on the same block as a public elementary school and a health clinic?
9. What will be the impact of an influx of transient commercial shoppers?
10. How will condominiums protect the integrity of their playgrounds, green spaces and internal walkways from a large increase in pedestrian traffic?
11. What additional security needs will be created in the community?
12. What will the project do to noise levels in the community?
13. How will trash pickup be handled for the residences and commercial operations?
14. How will sewage and storm runoff be routed?
15. How will the underground garages be ventilated?
16. How will residents in the existing adjacent buildings be affected by suddenly having apartments facing them across a newly created alley?
17. How much sunlight will be lost and how much creation of long shadows on our open spaces will be caused by the reidential towers?
18. How will new commercial development affect the independent local merchants already in the community?
19. How will the community be impacted by the canyon-like effect that will be created by the twin street walls along three blocks of Columbus Avenue?
20. How will residents be compensated for the closure of walkways they have used for decades?
21. How will the new development affect public health?
The Commitment of Westsiders for Public Participation
FIRST: Assure every community stakeholder the legal right to public participation, in every decision that's made about the Park West Village community.
SECOND: Empower all community stakeholders by providing a focus for the contribution of services and funds in support of the Westsiders for Public Participation community legal action.
THIRD: Provide leadership and education to the communities of New York City who want to remain livable within the current climate of rapid urban growth, by working with community stakeholders to identify and exercise their rights to public participation.
************Westsiders for Public Participation, P.O. Box 20093, Park West Station, New York, NY 10025
