On Thursday evening, Oct 22nd, our Community Board 6 Land Use/Landmarks Committee hosted the Department of City Planning (DCP) for a virtual informational/ Q &A session on the proposed Gowanus Rezone-the largest rezoning undertaking in all of New York City's history. This rezone will increase the CB6 population by about 20,000. CORD believes this is a very conservative estimate. But at a minimum, we are looking at a population increase within our CB6 borders of about 20%, the equivalent of an entire town dropped amidst us. DCP plans to begin the rezoning in January 2021.
New York City has a very specific process for zoning changes written into law. There is a standardized process called a Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure, ULURP, for short. ULURP requires certain actions to take place within a set (seven month) time schedule. These include requisite multiple, IN PERSON, Public Hearings. Those hearings are held before the potentially rezoned area's Community Board, the Borough President's Office and then the City Planning Commission - before finally going before the New York City Council's Land Use Committee and then the entire Council for final vote.
Each of these public hearings are opportunities for the residents of the area to be rezoned to speak out in support of or in opposition to the plan and to detail their reasons why. Each person is granted the same three (3) minutes to speak. It is an essential part of the process and one that allows the community to hear and be heard. Even if you do not wish to speak, you should feel bound to attend and listen to your neighbors, your neighborhood business owners, community leaders and activists, and often, your local elected representatives.
There is a palpable pulse at these hearings. You see each speaker's face. You hear their words, their voice. You feel their mien and measure. You sense their commitment. You can judge for yourself about the sincerity and benefits of those who speak in favor, or the veracity of the concerns of those who are opposed. ANYONE and EVERYONE who wishes, may speak.
You are right there, feeling the mood of the community, taking in each speaker's message. Sometimes, although not encouraged or condoned, statements exact powerful reactions from the attendees as a whole.
These three minute snapshots vary in content, tone and presentation. Some are eloquent. Some are angry. Some are dry and some are impassioned. They are part of the ULURP process and they are real and alive and most necessary for the community to share, in person, in one room, together.
That said ....Back to Thursday evening's Community Board Virtual meeting and our take aways....
CB6'ers were invited to attend via email a rezone info session which, because of the COVID pandemic, was held virtually. Not perfect, since not everyone who may wish to attend is equipped for such gatherings, but an attempt to further inform those who have the ability to use this technology.
Take away: ...The Virtual "meeting",perhaps well intentioned, shrinks in value to the community overall by not being totally inclusive.
The gathering was not a typical zoom meeting where each "attendee's" name or photo/symbol can be displayed each time that person speaks. On Thursday evening, the community participants' names and photos etc were unavailable to one another. Apparently, the technology to hold that type of virtual community board committee meeting was not available to the attendees although we understand that the Land Use Committee members, Brad Lander some of his staff and DCP Panelists, whose names and photos were visible to all, had access to the attendees names available to them.
Take away: ...This Virtual "meeting's" value to the community further shrunken by an air of secrecy and exclusivity.
The Land Use Committee had reached out to the community via email and requested that any questions be submitted prior to the hearing. These questions would be addressed by the DCP panelists during the meeting. At the onset of the Q&A segment, we were informed that the committee would decide which pre sent questions would be asked during the Q&A period, with a couple of random (?) attendees permitted at the end to ask a question directly. The Committee also would and did decide when the Q&A portion would end.
Take away: ....This Virtual "meeting's" value to the community - non existent.
Then the Panelists assured us that each of the questions submitted would be answered. cannot recall hearing how we would be informed of those questions and answers - but what was heard very loudly and very clearly was that the ULURP procedure was going to kick off in January of 2021 and would proceed WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF IN PERSON PUBLIC HEARINGS...because of COVID.
Take away:...Our Gowanus Rezone ULURP Public Hearings are to be minimized into something that is little more than a disembodied, pre scripted, controlled infomercial.
The largest rezoning in NYC EVER, is going to omit in person, public hearings which are part of the legally required process.
The question is why...
There is no logical reason why it cannot wait until it is deemed safe to hold public hearings.
It is particularly reprehensible to try to pull this off in this manner, when so many of us are already consumed with often agonizing concerns about loved ones' health and safety, our livelihoods and fearful of how we will ever manage when the predicted second wave of this monstrous plague is upon us.
Shame on Councilman Brad Lander. Shame on Councilman Steve Levin. Shame on Mayor Bill de Blasio. Shame on the Department of City Planning and shame on ANY OTHER ELECTED official who is planning on going along with them.
You must prepare to fight for your right to IN PERSON PUBLIC HEARINGS!
Where you stand on the rezoning is not the issue. That you insist, no DEMAND the ability to present those views, publicly, in person, is.
PLEASE do not permit the personal political ambitions of some and the purely financial motivations of others to use this enormous health crisis to MUZZLE your VOICE by perverting the rules.
For more information:
Pardon Me for Asking Blog
