July 25, 2008 update from Westsiders for Public Participation

Westsiders for Public Participation
P.O. Box 20093, Park West Station, New York, NY 10025 westsiders@earthlink.net


Most Documents at DOB are “Lost”; Our Lawsuit to Be Amended;

Most of the documents we were supposed to see last week in response to our Freedom of Information Law request were reported “lost” by the file clerk. The “lost” documents included all of the correspondence between the Department of Buildings and the developers of the proposed “Columbus Village,” related to the permit revocation letter issued by DOB in May. It is clear that the developers have not successfully cured their zoning violations. It is also clear that the DOB intends to do nothing about it.

Furthermore, the BSA has declined to calendar a hearing on our appeal filed nearly two months ago, citing reasons that make no legal sense to our attorney, while assuring us that the developer is proceeding with construction "at his own risk."

We’ll be back in court next week filing an amended lawsuit seeking an injunction to stop construction, and asking the court to compel City agencies to perform their ministerial duties as required by law. Despite the obstruction of DOB and BSA, we are moving towards our goal of obtaining what the law requires and what we as community stakeholders deserve: public participation in the outcome of the development, and mitigation of its impacts on our community. But we need your help.

The DOB’s tactics, and our difficulties getting on the BSA calendar, highlight the fact that no one at the City is enforcing the rights of citizens to participate in the development of their communities. It is up to us. If you have not yet contributed to our goal of defending our legal rights and mitigating the impacts of the proposed “Columbus Village” on our community, will you please do so now?

The total of all contributions we have received since April 14 is $32,270. This is a significant sum, yet we are still $15,065 behind our target for fund-raising by August 1 - the date when our next attorney payment is due.

What will be the consequences of a massive shopping center in our community, built without any input from the community? What will be the consequences for traffic, parking, noise, pollution, crowding on the nearby subways and buses, added security costs for your building? We all will enjoy the convenience of additional shopping, but we all could pay a big price in costs and other quality of life concerns.

With our input, we can keep the positives and eliminate some of the negatives of the development. Without our input, it’s all up to the developers. In the long run, the value of protecting our legal rights and property values will far outweigh the cost of your contribution. Please contribute whatever you can today!

Please also spread the word about the need for funding, and assure everyone you meet that every penny they contribute will be spent directly to fight for our legal rights.

Contributions should be made payable to Westsiders for Public Participation and mailed to:

Westsiders for Public Participation
P.O. Box 20093, Park West Station
New York, NY 10025

Please include your email address if you wish either to receive an acknowledgment of your contribution or to subscribe to our progress updates.

Names of contributors will be held in strict confidence. We pledge our accountability to the community. Complete financial statements are available upon request.