Chair Francisco Moya. Image Credit: New York City Council

The proposed rezoning will allow growing families in the community to remain in the neighborhood without compromising their desire for more housing space. On September 25, 2019, the City Council  voted to approve the rezoning of two areas in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. The areas are located northeast of the Kew Gardens Interchange generally bounded by 72nd Avenue to the north, Union Turnpike to the south, Main Street to the east, and Park Drive East to the west. The applicant proposed to rezone the areas to allow for larger homes to be built. The rezoning would give community homeowners the flexibility to expand their homes and ensure already expanded homes are under compliance.

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Flushing Meadow Corona Park with District Overlay.

Council Member’s lawsuit over non-profit park alliance’s structure and funding continues after the City attempted to squash the claim. On February 16, 2017, the New York Supreme Court denied the City’s motion to dismiss a suit against the Mayor regarding the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Alliance.

In July 2016, Council Member Rory Lancman brought a suit against both the Mayor and the Alliance in New York State Supreme Court. In the complaint, Lancman alleged that the composition of the Alliance’s Board of Directors violated the City’s Administrative Code. Specifically, Lancman argued that Administrative Code Section 18-137(b) requires every licensed non-profit conservancy entity for a park to have local representation appointed to the board of directors by the council member of each district that the park is located within. Lancman also alleged that the Alliance’s funding structure violated the City Charter. Section 109 of the City Charter reads, “All revenues of the city . . . not required by law to be paid into any other fund or account shall be paid into a fund to be termed the ‘general fund.’” Lancman alleged that the USTA’s initial and annual payments violated this section of the Charter because the payments went directly to the City Parks Foundation and then the Alliance instead of the City’s general fund, which would then be subject to the Charter’s budget process. (read more…)

The Rivington House. Image credit: edenpictures/Flickr

UPDATE: On December 6, 2016, the New York City Council voted 42-0 to approve Introduction 1182-2016 which requires the Department for Citywide Administrative Services to conduct an extensive review of a request to remove a deed restriction on a property managed by DCAS, including a public hearing, to determine whether the request removal furthers the best interests of the City.

The legislation is a response the controversial sale of the Rivington House to a luxury condo developer after DCAS removed deed restrictions that prevented such a development. “The City Council can assure that this will never happen again to any other community,” said the bill’s sponsor Manhattan Council Member Margaret Chin.

The bill will now go to the Mayor for his signature. (read more…)

Flushing Meadow Corona Park with District Overlay.

A City Council Member submitted legislation to enact the very relief he is currently seeking from the courts. On October 13, 2016, City Council Member Rory I. Lancman, representative for the 24th council district in Queens, introduced legislation which would amend the City’s Administrative Code regarding local representation on park conservancy boards. The proposed law would require that every non-profit conservancy entity have a voting member on its board of directors designated by each council member representing the districts that the park may be located within. This proposal appears to be the result of an on-going legal dispute between Lancman and Mayor Bill de Blasio over representation in the non-profit conservancy group that helps maintain Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. (read more…)