Weeks ahead of the June 22 primary, some of the largest donations in the race have come from real estate developers, a City Limits analysis of campaign finance records found. The contributions come at a hotpoint for the quickly developing borough, a moment where anti-development sentiment remains high, and recent city zoning plans have drawn criticism.
‘In spite of its reputation as a progressive liberal bastion, New York City has failed to adopt a comprehensive and deliberate approach to end its own segregation.’
He’s raised big money from real estate, advocated for lots of development, and approved the majority of development deals he’s considered—with a few important exceptions.
‘We call on the next mayor to invest… $2.5 billion for affordable housing rental and homeownership opportunities and $1.5 billion for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and to move the city’s reporting structure away from raw production totals and into more meaningful areas, including racial equity and levels of affordability.’
The city’s Law Department argued their second appeal in court Wednesday against two lawsuits which resulted in an earlier injunction stopping the project, which would build four new skyscrapers on the Lower East Side.
‘Upon close examination, the speaker’s proposal falls short and leaves the door wide open for the continuation of City Planning’s top-down, developer-driven rezonings by offering them a new shroud of legitimacy: a comprehensive plan engineered by city officials that fast-tracks rezonings.’
Engagement is the foundation for reversing a historical backlog of distrust that is stalling the agency’s current efforts not only to restore its portfolio to a state of good repair but reinvent itself in a way that better serves tenants in the future.
‘A landmark is not merely an old building, but a navigational point for a community. Landmarks are given meaning by our relations to them – they do not exist in a vacuum. And where developers are able to displace monuments, we fear they will also succeed in displacing communities.’
Just five councilmembers voted against the land use application for the project, which has drawn the ire of critics who say it doesn’t include nearly enough affordable housing.
‘1607 Surf Ave. can begin to address the pain of the housing and food instability that many in this community face every day, and offer an economic boost for the neighborhood as well.’