Manhattan Community Board 3 has recently approved the much contested Lower East Side rezoning. Josephine Lee, spokesperson for the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side, explains the opposition, and to discuss both sides of the debate is New York Times reporter, Jennifer 8 Lee.
Comments [17]
Josephine Lee rambles about her cause, no dialogue. She didn't back at the days at CSWA, more rhetorically rehearsed jargon, but, she is sincere about her quest I know.
O in Forest Hills,
So the only people allowed to live on the island of Manhattan are non-minorities? And minorities are only allowed to stepped onto the island to serve and do all the low-paying but necessary jobs?
Oh wait, what am I talking about, that's how it is already.
I just want to correct one of the several significant errors in what Ms. Josephine Lee stated on your program today: 50% of the "affordable" units DO NOT go to community board members, 50% of the "affordable: units are set aside for community district residents (meaning anyone who LIVES in Manhattan Community District 3, not who served on the community board). That error in her comments reflects a grave misunderstanding on her part, and frankly, significantly diminishes the quality of her advocacy. Not to mention: in the face of 20-30 story buildings that are being built in the neighborhood TODAY, who considers 12-story buildings to be "towers"? The rezoning plan RESTRICTS the height of all future buildings to 120 feet.
I love her accusation of Bloomberg that he wants to destroy communities of NY.
This Josephine Lee is not speaking in reality. Rezoning is good. All this nonsense about low income housing for minorities. Get a life lady.
For a comprehensive framing, analysis, and critique of what really is going on here, please read my couplet of essays:
"New Yorbanism" (December 2006)
http://www.johnlumea.com/2006/12/new_yorbanism.html
"NIMBYopolis" (February 2007)
http://www.johnlumea.com/2007/02/nimbyopolis.html
The latter essay addresses, at some length, the Lower East Side rezoning.
That is,
construction on the line is not scheduled to begin in the Houston / Chinatown area until 2017.
If you doubt these figures for construction timetable or funding of the Second Avenue Subway (T line) below 63rd Street, just go to the wikipedia site.
Has anyone ever thought of the impact of more high rises in the lower east side on the 6 line??
The 6 train is unbearably crowded, and it can't accommodate more. Just ride -for once- the 6 train between the stations between 59th and 86th street stations, areas with tons of 30 story-plus high rises.
The Second Avenue Subway is not scheduled to start in the Houston St / Chinatown area until 2017. And no funding for construction of the line below 63rd Street has been committed yet.
Welcome to LES, rich people living next door to homeless shelters/people.
I'd like to call attention to the topic of affordable housing from last week. When you impose artificial restrictions on housing supply, as zoning restriction inevitably do, prices go up. It is basic supply and demand.
There are three things that New Yorkers like in housing. They like it affordable, for whatever income group it is defined. They like it plentiful, that is anyone willing to pay the going rate can find it. And they like the current community character, that is not building at to great a scale. However, when a city is going, you can only have all three in a fantasy world. In the real world you have to either accept that only the wealthy will be able to afford, accept that there will be a permanent shortage or allow the construction that will bring supply up to what the demand at affordable prices would be.
Pay $2000 a month rent for a 2 bedroom on $30k a year is affordable according to those people.
Affordable for whom! What they consider affordable isn't affordable to many, MANY. She just said it. She's right!
Baloney if Community Board 3 did that why are those horrible oversized apartment buildings going up all along the Bowery below St. Mark's Place.
community board 3 does have a website and so i vote for josephine.
playing catch up ...
SAMPAN is great but can't find a website for the coalition so no bids. sounds reasonable.
anybody else?
p.s. my photos are not.
She should answer your question; what do the wealthy have to loose by not including the exlcuded areas?
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.