Month: September 2017

Bedford-Union Armory Plan Puts Luxury Homes On Public Land, Residents Tell City

Angry Crown Heights residents filed into the latest in a seemingly endless string of public hearings about the future of a vacant armory Tuesday, this time before the City Planning Commission.

“It is a shame that we are even here to discuss this today,” Bertha Lewis told the panel. “It’s an outrage that this sham of a deal is even coming before this body in this form. And it’s yet another example of the mayor putting the needs of the people who funded his campaign above the people who elected him.”

City Hall open to pumping more money into Bedford-Union Armory project

Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that his administration will work with Crown Heights Councilmember Laurie Cumbo to meet her concerns about the project, Politico reported.

“The plan as it’s written now is a sustainable plan that can actually keep that facility open for the community for the long haul at an affordable level,” the mayor said. “In the end, we’re going to work with the council member to see if there is a way to improve the project that would win her support and be more comfortable for the community.”

Note: Leave it to the Mayor to turn popular opposition to BFC Partners into a reason to give them more money from public coffers.

Mayor’s Affordable Housing Not Helping People Who Need it Most, Study Says

In order to make a dent in the homelessness crisis, we must increase the number of units developed for households who earn less than $25,000 a year — households that are not served by the private market,” states the report from the RAFA coalition, which includes groups such as Legal Aid Society, United Neighborhood Houses, and Tenants & Neighbors.

The group, for instance, is critical of the plan for the Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights where an entire city-owned block will be used for 386 units of luxury housing while just 18 units would be affordable to the local community earning about $34,000 for a family of three. In order to make a dent in the homelessness crisis, we must increase the number of units developed for households who earn less than $25,000 a year — households that are not served by the private market,” states the report from the RAFA coalition, which includes groups such as Legal Aid Society, United Neighborhood Houses, and Tenants & Neighbors.

With Cumbo in the clear, Crown Heights armory is in de Blasio’s hands

City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo’s win in a contentious Brooklyn primary Tuesday sets the stage for a deal on the administration’s Crown Heights armory project. And because her positions on the development have largely been laid out, the question now is whether the mayor will be willing to make concessions that run counter to a lucrative housing strategy he likes to employ.

Cumbo wins decisively in Crown Heights despite contentious development proposal

Cumbo secured 58 percent of the vote over Ede Fox’s 42 percent in the heated Brooklyn race, according to New York City Board of Elections returns.

No polls were circulated from the district, but it was considered one of the most competitive races in the city. Fox won 26 percent to Cumbo’s 35 percent in the same matchup four years ago, and this cycle she raised $83,000 in private donations to Cumbo’s $121,203 — a notable amount for a challenger to an incumbent.