Councilman Reynoso Calls Williamsburg Development "Irresponsible"

In an interview with the Observer, newly elected District 34 Councilman Antonio Reynoso called Williamsburg development “irresponsible.” He grew up in Williamsburg in Section 8 housing and still lives in the neighborhood, although he’s currently house hunting. District 34 covers Williamsburg and parts of Bushwick and Ridgewood, Queens. Reynoso has previously said he plans to rezone Bushwick so it will avoid the same fate as Williamsburg. He told the Observer:

I’m looking to rezone Bushwick, but we’re going to look at it comprehensively. We’re going to sit with community groups, scholars, government [representatives] and residents and talk about how we are going to preserve the character—I mean physical character. Some people thought I meant I wanted to keep the Latinos in Bushwick, and that’s not what it’s about. Bushwick is a beautiful, beautiful neighborhood. Right now, there are small mansions in Bushwick that are gorgeous, and none of them are protected. Rezoning would state that a developer can’t knock down one of these mansions and build a six-story building, for example.

He also denounced Williamsburg developers for putting up condos rather than rentals — apparently unaware most development in Williamsburg and in Brooklyn generally is, in fact, rentals. Developers “promise you the world, but once they build, they’re gone,” he said. “There’s no accountability to anyone in the community. The Edge may be the worst affordable housing project that I’ve seen in my time as a liaison and as a councilmember. The poor [were put in a separate building] on one side. They also did a terrible job with marketing, which is insane,” he said, meaning the availability of affordable units was not well advertised to those who could use them.

What would you like to see happen in Bushwick?