Power!
No one in New York City should have as much power as Mayor Eric Adams is attempting to gain by the City of Yes “COY” Text Amendments. If the City Council approves these amendments, there will be a major shift in the power dynamic of our city to one person: the Mayor regarding land use issues.
MTOPP is doing a series on the Mayor Adams’s City of Yes, “COY” Business/Economic Text Amendments, that will change where, how and what types of businesses will be allowed to exist in the City.
The Business Text Amendments are currently being reviewed by all 59 Community Boards who have up until December 30th 2023, to comment on them, with the City stating they will continue to accept these comments until the New York City Planning Commission votes on these amendments in early February!
After reviewing almost 700 pages of these amendments we found at least 9 major changes that have a serious impact upon the community, and its residents.
- Allowing Commercial Businesses into all Residential Areas.
- Allowing “Small Businesses” to exist in people’s apartments and homes.
- Eliminating restrictive business within Residential buildings.
- Allowing manufacturing businesses to exist in commercial and residential zones.
- Allowing all businesses to exist in all commercial zones.
- Allowing businesses to exists on residential floors and on rooftops.
- Allowing cabaret/dancing to exist on all commercial zones. and New Text Amendment: Casinos!!!
- The Scariest Changes!
- Removal of Environmental Reviews for Developers. (New Text Amendment, just given to the Community Boards on December 15, 2023)
In the 1980’s Borough Presidents were stripped of their power which was then transferred to the City Council. The Mayor, however was and still is powerful when it comes to land use issue because he appoints the majority of the City Planning Commissioners who oversee and approve rezoning proposals.
If Mayor Eric Adams, is successful at rezoning an entire City as he declares “I am Real Estate”, the City Council members will be unable to advocate for their community. There will no longer be the need for Land Use Applications being pushed by individuals, property owners or district wide ones, because all the Mayor hereinafter would have to do is simply propose zoning changes for the entire city.
Precedent!
The second most dangerous aspect of COY is the setting of Precedent. This is the first time that a Mayor has used his power over the New York City Planning Commission to change city wide zoning laws. If he is successful, you can rest assure that future Mayors will be doing the same thing!
Examples
For example, on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) Eric Adams has placed a city wide rezoning amendment, to allow Casinos in commercial districts, all over the city. Click here for a more detailed description of this amendment. Currently Community Boards all over the City are voting No!
Where once casinos were forbidden to be in the city now they will be allowed to be almost everywhere, even under, along side and above apartment buildings (new Economic/Business proposed amendments)
Another example, Mayor Adams is proposing to eliminate environmental reviews for developers. (Our next email will be about this new Text Amendment.)
This means that right in the middle of a low to moderate residential community of color where 99% of the homes are 2 to 3 stores a developer can put up a 25 story luxury building without any environmental review.
The Department of City Planning “DCP” is claiming there will be no negative environmental impacts upon the community, including changing the character of the community, or racial impact like “displacement.”
No Protection
The third scariest issue to come from Mayor Adams’ COY’s Economic/ Business Opportunity changes are a massive deregulation of businesses. This would result in more environmental violations as never before seen in the history of NYC.
The enforcement of the so called environmental standards (which they are reducing or eliminating i.e. merging manufacturing businesses into residential areas), will be left to agencies that are already facing 5% cuts, and who have a history of not being able to handle their current work load, resulting in deaths and residents being displaced from their homes.
For example, it was noted at a community’s general board meeting, that there are only 4 noise complaint officials in all of NYC!!! And yet these amendments will create thousands of noisy businesses on private blocks, inside apartment buildings etc…
What about the thousands of new building code violations, which the Department of Buildings “DOB” will be in charge of to inspect and enforce. Has anyone taken notice of the collapsed building in the Bronx or the apartment building in Manhattan that had to be vacated because DCP inspections did not halt the construction or enforce the building codes? How about the NYC Garage collapse which resulted in a person’s death?
Another Example: A statement by environmental groups regarding the new Climate Law: Local Law 97.
“The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) won and New Yorkers lost today as Eric Adams put the demands of his largest donors over working New Yorkers’ needs.” ….. “Under Mayor Adams’ rules for real estate, owners of New York City’s most polluting buildings will opt to delay or entirely avoid pollution reductions, leaving New Yorkers breathing more pollution, losing good jobs, and paying higher utility bills.” Stated by four environmental groups.
“REBNY, who has spent lavishly on overt and covert lobbying to soften Local Law 97, did not return a request for comment.” (AMNY)
This is the political climate that we are in as the Department of City Planning assures the public that environmental standards are in place in the law for this massive deregulation of businesses all over the city!. But what good are these laws if there is no one to protect the community and residents from the violators!
The Powerless?
A member of MTOPP, had attended a recent Brooklyn community board’s public meeting where the Department of City Planning “DCP” had come and did a presentation on COY Economic/Business Amendments. During the Q&A, DCP gave the impression that all of these amendments were going to pass sometime in the Spring. Implying that DCP’s requests for feedback were just for show, and the community was in fact powerless to do anything about them.
Well we can tell you if these amendments are passed it will diminish substantially the power that the community has to weigh in on businesses proposing to come into the community, including Casinos.
But what is very false is that Community Boards are powerless and basically these amendments will become law. This is absolutely not true, despite the fact that this is the scariest part of these amendments, (the elimination of the Community’s and the power of City Council), the City Council must approve them! All of them and that is where the power lies for residents.
Points of Resistance
In response to our information e-blasts, we have gotten questions as to what to do about these proposed changes. Below is a list of things that can be done.
1. Invite us to your community board or neighborhood event and we will gladly do a presentations on the COY amendments.
2. Go to your Community Board and tell them your position. Most community boards are either having these amendments handled by their Economic/Business committee or Land Use Committee. (Some have already voted No on some of these amendments)
3. Demand that your elected officials show up to the community board and discuss these changes, as well as hear from their constituents about what position the voters want them to take, when it comes to voting.
4. Contact the Mayor and let him know that he will be a one term Mayor if he continues to push the Real Estate Industry and big Corporations agenda at the expense of the voters. (“Mayor Adams approval rating sinks to lowest for any NYC Mayor in the past 30 years.” Thus, it seems very likely he will be a one term Mayor!)
5. Meet with your elected officials and discuss your concerns about these text amendments.
6. If Department of City Planning has not come to your community board and discussed these amendments with the public then write letters to the Department of City Planning Commission and demand that they do so.
7. Follow your elected officials and the Mayor on their social media platforms and state your position on these amendments.
Please Note: There is time to stop this madness from happening as these proposals will not be coming to the City Council for a vote until sometime in the early Spring of 2024. So organizing now is the best course of action.
Next in Our Series
Removal of Environmental Reviews for Developers.
0 Comments