New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams. Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste

City Council unanimously passed a landmark construction safety bill mandating worker training. On September 27, 2017, City Council voted 42-0 to pass Int. No. 1447-C, which will implement mandatory construction safety training standards citywide with equal accessibility. This bill was a controversial aspect of a package of construction safety bills, some of which were passed in May 2017. For CityLand’s prior coverage on this matter, click here.

This bill drew the most debate at the January 31st hearing on the construction bill package. For CityLand’s prior coverage on the hearing, click here. On September 20, 2017, this bill was discussed and approved at the Housing and Buildings Committee meeting. Council Member Jumaane Williams, Deputy Leader and Chair of Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee, sponsored the bill. Williams noted the bill was amended 3 times in response to feedback from all affected stakeholders. Williams ended the meeting by dedicating a moment to the construction workers who lost their lives due to conditions that triggered the need for this bill. (read more…)

Image credit: Perkins Eastman Architects

City Council approved the development of Ebenezer Plaza that will bring affordable housing, jobs, and a new church space to Brownsville, Brooklyn. On September 7, 2017, City Council passed two land use actions by a vote of 45-0 to allow for the development of a mixed-used plaza in Brownsville. The actions enact a zoning map amendment that allows mixed-use development, and a zoning text amendment that establishes a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area. The affected area is located north of Hegeman Avenue between Mother Gaston Boulevard and Powell Street. For CityLand’s prior coverage click here.

The project came to fruition when the Church of God of East Flatbush partnered with Brisa Builders Corporation, a family-owned and community-oriented developer, to create a mixed-use plaza on some property owned by the Church. Brisa Builders then partnered with Procida Companies to increase the project’s capacity. The new plaza is expected to contain 4 affordable residential buildings on 2 lots, retail space marketed to local community organizations, and new walking space between existing residences and the Brownsville Recreational Center. (read more…)

Rendering of Queens Far Rockaway Branch Public Library by Snøhetta. Image credit: NYC EDC

City Council approved a 22-block rezoning of Downtown Far Rockaway, Queens. On September 7, 2017, the City Council approved a large-scale rezoning and development plan for Downtown Far Rockaway by a vote of 46-0. The resolutions will create a Special Downtown Far Rockaway district, a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area, and an Urban Renewal Area. $288 million has been secured to grant amenities this community has been requesting for over 40 years. (read more…)

Jumaane Williams, with a strong background as a community organizer, was elected to the City Council in 2009 to represent the 45th Council District which covers the Flatbush, East Flatbush, Flatlands, and parts of Midwood and Canarsie neighborhoods of Brooklyn. In his work prior to and as a City Council Member, Jumaane Williams has displayed a passion for community issues like combating gun violence, youth development, tenant advocacy and affordable housing. He plans to run to replace Melissa Mark-Viverito as Speaker of the City Council at the end of her term, and if successful, he would be the first Council Speaker from Brooklyn since the passage of the 1989 Charter. (read more…)

Rendering of Proposed Development. Image Credit: KPA Architects

City Council rejected the first private application of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing. On August 16, 2016, the City Council rejected a proposal to rezone a large corner lot in order to construct a new mixed-use development located at 4650 Broadway in Manhattan’s Inwood neighborhood. Currently a two-story commercial building operating as a parking garage and U-Haul truck rental facility occupies the site. The original proposal from the developer, Acadia Sherman Avenue LLC, was to build a new mixed-use building that would have retail and community space on the bottom two floors, contain 335 residential units and rise 23 stories. The original project would have made permanent 30 percent of the floor area as affordable housing under the new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing law.

(read more…)

Manhattan Borough President Brewer, Public Advocate James, and Council Members Chin and Kallos speaking on the initiative outside of City Hall. Image credit: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

Initiatives proposed in the wake of the Rivington House sale would prompt public review process and transparency. On July 19, 2016, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Margaret Chin wrote a letter to the City Planning Commission in favor of subjecting any changes made to deed restrictions throughout New York City to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. The letter is the latest development in a series of events sparked by the sale of the Rivington House, a nonprofit nursing home on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, to luxury condominium developers. For CityLand’s previous coverage on the City’s involvement in the Rivington House’s sale, click here.

(read more…)