Politicians

July 17, 2008

John Catsimatidis: Tough Guy For Tough Times

John Catsimatidis: Self-made billionaire; owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain; developer of a planned, 660-unit project on Myrtle Avenue; potential mayoral candidate who says only he is tough enough to carry this city through the tough times ahead. In an interview with Brownstoner at his modest office in Hell's Kitchen (not the trendy part), he describes a bleak future for Brooklyn and beyond. He's not even positive the first phase of his Myrtle Avenue project is a "slam-dunk" because he hasn't closed on the loan and "the banks are being a little more onerous than they used to be." But Catsimatidis says the foundation was poured just in time for the 100 units to fall under the old 421-a rules that give him a tax breaks without providing any affordable units. Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) just happens to be planning a protest outside his development site today, furious he reneged on his pledge to build 215 below-market apartments there. The group will also release a report on the displacement of residents and businesses as a result of the Downtown Brooklyn rezoning. Catsimatidis responds to our question about displacement: "There's no displacement of residents that I know of. There's no residential buildings that are really being torn down that I know of, and it's just like I said, people have to stay where they are during a possible recession period." We'll find out in the coming months if he plans to officially throw his hat in the ring. Click through to read the interview, edited for length.

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June 17, 2008

Pols Say They Want an Atlantic Yards 'Trust'

The Real Estate and Atlantic Yards Report have pieces about a rally held yesterday at City Hall calling for the formation of an Atlantic Yards trust that would, theoretically, allow for more community input/involvement in Forest City Ratner's development. The trust would be comprised of 15 members, eight appointed by the governor, two each by the Assembly speaker, Senate president, and mayor, and one by the Brooklyn borough president. A non-voting member would represent the community. Councilmembers Tish James and David Yassky, and Assemblymembers Hakim Jeffries and James Brennan are all supporting the trust's creation. "Atlantic Yards is a public project built on public land using public money overseen by a public entity for a public purpose," said Jeffries at the rally. "It therefore deserves maximum public participation during the life of this project." And Yassky said that AY bypassed typical land-use review mechanisms. “The fundamental mistake that was made here, really the original of this project, is that it was approved in a way that went around all the usual process for approving a big project," he said. "We never had a chance to fix all the problems... I believe there is, somewhere buried underneath all the... special treatment, very deep in there, there is a good project, but the process never had a chance to find it.” AY Report notes that "while such an organization—common with other large projects and thus a glaring weakness of the AY plan—certainly might channel public input, it would be unlikely to fundamentally change power dynamics."
Brooklyn Politicos Call for Trust to Oversee Atlantic Yards [The Real Estate]
Push for AY Development Trust Begins [AY Report]
Photo by threecee.

June 6, 2008

Tony Avella, the Anti-Overdevelopment Candidate

City Councilman Tony Avella has been making himself known around Brooklyn lately, showing up at a community meeting about Gowanus and supporting other politicians who've called for a moratorium on Atlantic Yards demolitions. The common thread is also Avella's main talking point in his (longshot) bid to become our next mayor: Namely, that the Bloomberg administration has sold out to real estate interests, disrupting the fabric of neighborhoods and turning a deaf ear to community concerns. Voice blog Runnin' Scared has an interview with the man who wants to replace Mike. Here are some choice quotes:

"You have so many communities throughout the entire City that need to be protected from overdevelopment. You have the Department of Buildings, which is in a shambles. And it has been such a huge effort to get even the smallest rezoning, even the smallest change done within the City Council. It’s bizarre."

"Listen, a lot of my fellow councilmen seem to be more interested, along with the Speaker, in getting money from the real estate industry than stepping up and doing the right thing. I don’t need to tell you, there’s very little independence in the City Council. It’s amazing to me how nobody speaks up."

"In my opinion the one campaign that you can draw from is the Obama campaign. In terms of somebody coming from nowhere. Really, he had no name recognition beyond his own state, to in effect get the Democratic nomination at this point. People want change, and I think that’s what my campaign is all about."

Underdog Mayoral Hopeful on Quinn, Bloomberg and Obama [Runnin' Scared]
Legislation To Boost Community-Based Planning [Brownstoner]
Photo by No Land Grab.

April 22, 2008

Are the DOB Commish's Days Numbered?

Outrage over Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster's management of her agency is growing amidst revelations that the DOB approved plans for a glass tower on East 51st Street that flouted zoning regulations. Seven people died at the tower's construction site last month after a crane collapsed. According to an article in the Times, even Mayor Bloomberg is having a hard time defending the DOB nowadays. “I don’t think anybody should be fully satisfied with the Department of Buildings’ performance,” the mayor said yesterday. “Whether somebody could have done a better job — I’m trying to — whether they could have done a better job I just don’t know.” Indeed, it is a hard thing to "know," since the mayor's administration has been so staunchly pro-development that the DOB has clearly had a problem enforcing safety standards for all the building's it's approved. “You have a Buildings Department that seems more interested in preserving the rights of developers at the expense of citizens and the community,” said Bruce Silberblatt, a retired contractor. Thirteen people have died in construction-related accidents so far this year, one more fatality than in all of 2007. "If there's more construction, it makes common sense that you probably have more accidents or mistakes made," the mayor is quoted as saying in the Post. "But that's not an excuse. I'm looking at the Buildings Department the same ways I'm looking at every single other agency in this city." Lancaster says she's done a lot to reform the DOB since taking it over in 2002 and notes that she serves "at the pleasure of Mayor Bloomberg...I know we have much more to do to, and as long as I have the mayor's support, I will forge ahead and continue to strengthen the Buildings Department's oversight and regulation of the construction industry."
As Construction Deaths Rise, Buildings Chief Faces Scrutiny [NY Times]
Mayor Dissatisfied With Buildings Department [NY Sun]
Mike Rips Construx Agency [NY Post]
Photo from the Observer.

April 18, 2008

Bright Ideas, Big Cities

In the new issue of Metropolis, Karrie Jacobs pens an interesting piece about how big-city mayors in the U.S. "have emerged as a sort of government in exile, putting forth a remarkably progressive, and occasionally visionary, domestic agenda while the federal government has been AWOL." Here in New York we know all about having a mayor who thinks big, but Jacobs hardly mentions Bloomberg. She concentrates, instead, on Martin O’Malley, the former mayor of Baltimore, who spoke about how forming a response network to address emergencies like terrorist attacks or natural disasters was a job best handled close to home, since Washington "will be thirty to forty years catching up with this reality," and San Francisco's Gavin Newsom, who talks about green initiatives for his city and says, “When you’re going to get serious about addressing the issues of global climate change, it will be happening, by definition, in urban cores...We’re basically following these UN environmental accords and doing it in the absence of leadership from our states and respective federal governments.” As we look forward to a new administration, Jacobs concludes, our future president should take note that cities are no longer something to be fixed, but should be acknowledged as planning leaders, "not only to give them the succor they’ve been denied in the past eight years but also to learn from them how this country can once again move forward." Isn't it pretty to think so?
Like Urban Renewal, Only Backward [Metropolis]
Photo by Just-Us-3.

April 15, 2008

De Blasio Blasts Ratner on AY Obfuscation

Last night Councilman Bill de Blasio held a meet-up for Brooklyn bloggers at which he spoke for a couple of hours about development topics including Atlantic Yards, rezonings, affordable housing, and what he'd like to accomplish if he's elected borough president. Like Gowanus Lounge, we were most interested in what de Blasio had to say about Atlantic Yards: The councilman said he thinks there should be no more demolitions in the Atlantic Yards footprint until Forest City Ratner puts its current plans for the project into writing. De Blasio said he was "livid" about the interview Bruce Ratner gave to the New York Times last month since the likely stall "calls the entire Community Benefits Agreement into question." The Councilman also said that he thinks the entire development should be reviewed again by the state if Forest City Ratner is now conceiving of a vastly different project, particularly one that reneges on its promised affordable housing. "I held out hope for the project because of the amount of affordable housing it would create, as well as the number of jobs it would bring," he said. "But I have been constantly disappointed in the lack of community involvement...I've never seen anything that's been mismanaged so fundamentally in terms of community involvement." The councilman also talked about the possible Coney Island and Gowanus rezonings. While he's not thrilled with either the city or Joe Sitt's possibly competing visions for the area ("I'm not comfortable with the Manhattanization of Brooklyn" that both plans represent), he says that "by and large" he likes Planning's draft framework for rezoning Gowanus because "the best way to get the canal clean is to get residential development around it." As borough president, de Blasio said he'd like to be involved with "shaping more than just promoting Brooklyn." In keeping with one of his primary platforms, affordable housing, de Blasio said he'd use the office to "start addressing the have-nots."
De Blasio Calls for Moratorium on Atlantic Yards Demolition [GL]

April 11, 2008

He Built This City

AM New York's piece this morning assessing Mike Bloomberg's legacy is one of the first of many, many articles that are sure to come as the mayor enters the twilight of his term. The article positions Mayor Mike as a great post-9/11 rebuilder who's played a big role in luring tourists, spurring development and making formerly undesirable neighborhoods hot. "Places like Red Hook that were once a no-man's land are hipster havens, and Brooklyn is now a center for culture and art for the whole country," says Mitchell Moss, a professor of history at New York University and adviser to the mayor's first campaign. "Whoever thought people would want to live on the Gowanus." The article notes that the Bloomberg administration's aggressive rezoning agenda ("one out of every six square feet in the city" has been rezoned) and drive to incentivize development on NYC's waterfront has altered the lay of the land, and New York has much more of a "luxury" sheen than it did six years ago. The cost of all this is high, according to critics who say the city has become too expensive for the working- and middle-class and resulted in inorganic changes. "There has been a pinching of people's sense of place, and a destruction of community identity," says Brad Lander, director of the Pratt Center for Community Development. "They have accelerated the transformation of this place from a manufacturing city to a condo and office tower city, but a lot of people don't feel invested in that growth."
Bloomberg Reshapes City, Despite High-Profile Setbacks [AM New York]
Photo by CarbonNYC.

March 14, 2008

Paterson May be a Foe to Eminent Domain

According to an article in today's Sun, our new governor could end up opposing projects like Atlantic Yards that involve the use of eminent domain. As a state senator, David Paterson participated in a 2005 rally calling for a statewide moratorium on eminent domain. Councilmember Letitia James, who also took part in the rally, says she hopes Paterson's views on the subject haven't changed. "He stood with me and proposed some legislation and I am very hopeful that the lieutenant governor and soon-to-be governor will honor his commitment and will either issue a moratorium or review the abuse of eminent domain across New York City," says James. Steven Spinola, the president of the Real Estate Board of New York, says it's "premature" to make predictions about where Paterson will stand on eminent domain, but that "It would clearly be a mistake for the state to give up one of its powers to get public improvement projects off the ground." Time will certainly tell.
Paterson Could Derail Development [NY Sun]
Photo by d-4ce.

March 11, 2008

Spitzer, We Hardly Knew Ye

Is there anything else to talk about today? If Spitzer leaves office, we're probably only going to be left with a lot of questions about how he might have triggered change for New York City in general and Brooklyn—and Brooklyn real estate—specifically. As Norman Oder notes on Atlantic Yards Report, Spitzer mostly kept mum on AY, thereby offering his tacit approval for the project. Oder writes that if Spitzer is replaced, his successor might affect changes in Phase 2 of the mega-development. In another big real estate-related topic, Spitzer long ago proposed raising the decontrol cap on rent-stabilized apartments, which would have had a huge impact on a wide cross-section Brooklyn tenants and landlords. (This push hadn't been discussed in many months, though it presumably would have been revived if Democrats gained control of the State Senate.) There's also the question of how Spitzer's resignation might affect congestion pricing, which he had reportedly been drafting a bill for. Any other ideas about the potential fallout for Brooklyn?
Spitzer Is Linked to a Sex Ring as Client [NY Times]
Photo by Lindsay Beyerstein.

February 8, 2008

Marty Talks Growth, New Projects

Marty Markowitz’s final state of the borough address in Red Hook last night was apparently chock full of the boosterism that everyone expects from Brooklyn’s cheerleader, but the borough president also mentioned a few interesting new initiatives he intends to push for during his last year in office. A video monitor projected images of the beep showering at Hotel Le Bleu (yum!), according to the Daily News, as Markowitz noted that tourism to the borough rose 10 percent in 2006 (there's some fresh data for you!) and is primed to rise more over the coming years. Marty said that he wants to establish a board of directors to take over the New York Aquarium in Coney Island (the facility is currently run by the nonprofit Wildlife Conservation Society); provide funding for a GLBT community center in Downtown; and push for the restoration of Coney Island’s parachute jump. Although the borough president received a standing ovation and a lot of support from the crowd, Atlantic Yards Report’s Norman Oder notes that Markowitz only mentioned the borough’s biggest development project twice over the course of his 70-minute speech, and it didn’t elicit applause either time.
Tourism, Growth a 'Brooklyn Story' Says Beep [NY Daily News]
City to do the Light Thing for Coney Landmark [NY Post]
AY Gets Mention But Not Applause [AY Report]
Photo from Borough President Office's website.

January 25, 2008

De Blasio, Yassky Replacements Start to Campaign

This morning the Brooklyn Paper has stories about the candidates who are looking to replace Councilmember Bill de Blasio (our next Borough President?) and Councilmember David Yassky (our next Comptroller?). Five hopefuls have already announced their intentions to vie for de Blasio's seat in the 39th District (which includes Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Street, some of Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, and Boro Park), while only three candidates (so far) have said they're running to replace Yassky as the Council rep for the 33rd District (which covers Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint; parts of Williamsburg, some of Park Slope, and Boerum Hill). Here's a rundown of the candidates' bona fides and platforms:

39th District
Craig Hammerman: CB6 district manager; says he's pushing for “affordability, sustainability and livability.”
Brad Lander: Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development; focusing on affordable housing and urban planning.
Gary Reilly: Lawyer, member of CGNA, writes nabe blog; wants to focus on improving mass transit.
Josh Skaller: IT director, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats president; chief priority would be education.
Bob Zuckerman: Executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation, CB6 member; pushing government reform.

33rd District:
Steve Levin: Chief of staff to Assemblyman Vito Lopez; focused on affordable housing.
Jo Anne Simon: Democratic District Leader; broad platform includes education and land use.
Evan Thies: Nonprofit adviser, CB1 member; taking on district growth.

Let the races begin.
A Five-For-All to replace DeBlasio [Brooklyn Paper]
Three-Way for Yassky’s Seat in Heights, W’burg [Brooklyn Paper]
Q&A: Brad Lander On His Run for City Council [Brownstoner]

January 23, 2008

Yassky Floats Biodiesel Plan

Tomorrow the Environmental Protection Committee of the City Council will have a hearing on a bill introduced by Councilmember David Yassky that would gradually phase in the use of biodiesel in New York’s heating oil system. Yassky’s bill, the Bioheat Act, would require that heating oil retailers start selling oil that is 5 percent biodiesel by June 2011, 10 percent biodiesel by June 2013, and 20 percent biodiesel (or B20 biodiesel) thereafter. The use of a biodiesel blend would go a long way toward reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, and oil mixes containing up to 20 percent biodiesel don’t require users to change their oil or fuel systems. Sound like a plan?
Photo by lucky_dog.

How Will Spitzer’s Budget Affect Real Estate?

Yesterday Gov. Spitzer introduced his $124.3 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins in April, a plan that calls for a spending increase of 5 percent as well as various cost-cutting measures meant to address the state’s estimated $4.4 billion budget deficit. So what sort of impact will the governor’s plan have on real estate? For starters, one of the most significant aspects of the budget involves increasing the real estate transfer tax, which is paid on property purchases above $175,000. Spitzer is also proposing a freeze on spending for the $4.7 billion School Tax Relief program, which uses state money to lower property taxes by funding school districts and giving rebate checks to homeowners. At the same time, Spitzer is looking to increase spending on affordable housing via the new $400 million Housing Opportunity Fund, which will go to the creation and preservation of low-cost and supportive housing. Some independent budget analysts say Spitzer’s plan doesn’t go far enough in terms of curbing spending. Nevertheless, the uncertain economic climate was clearly weighing on the governor. “Like every other state in the nation, New York is feeling the effects of a serious economic downturn, requiring us to make tough decisions necessary to continue moving our state in the right direction,” Spitzer wrote in a statement accompanying the budget.
Spitzer Plans Cuts and Fees to Close Deficit of $4.4 Billion [NY Times]
Spitzer's Budget Triggers Backlash [NY Sun]
2008-2009 Executive Budget [NY State]
Photo from state.ny.us

January 18, 2008

State of the City: $3.1 Billion Deficit

In his State of the City speech last night Mayor Bloomberg warned that “this is likely to be a difficult year” and announced belt-tightening measures in response to the Independent Budget Office’s projection that the city will see a $3.1 billion deficit in 2009. Bloomberg is ordering all city agency heads to cut their budgets by 2.5 percent this year and 5 percent next year. Despite the predictions of economic woe, the mayor said the city would continue to offer the $400 property tax rebate and will roll out a few new services, including one that allows online access to 311. Bloomberg also noted that 2008 is the 130th anniversary of the death of Boss Tweed and said it was time to “finally put to rest his style of politics.”
Mayor Hails City’s Immigrants and Innovation [NY Times]
Mike Takes Baby Steps in City Plan [NY Post]
Photo from nyc.gov.

January 15, 2008

Council Members Look to Take on Eminent Domain

A number of City Council members say they’re going to try to get the state to change its eminent domain laws, according to an article in City Hall. Leading the charge is Council member Letitia James, who has been a vocal critic of Atlantic Yards. James says a Council drive to influence Albany is “a priority” and that “we are opening up the door wider and wider to the abuse of eminent domain by private businesses” after the Council voted to OK Columbia’s expansion plan, which involves the use of eminent domain, in December. James argues that the use of eminent domain means the city is diverted from following the 197-a process (which allows community boards to develop land-use plans for their districts) and that property owners should have more time to challenge seizures. Council Speaker Christine Quinn hasn’t made a commitment to pressing the issue in Albany, however, and a rep for Mayor Bloomberg said that “Changing state eminent domain laws is not currently on our Albany agenda.”
Council Members to Push for Imminent Change of State Eminent Domain Laws [City Hall]
Photo by Steve Soblick.

January 8, 2008

Marty: Will He or Won’t He?

An article in today’s Daily News examines whether Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is going to run for mayor and, if he does throw his hat in the ring, how he might fare in the race. Markowitz has raised around $750,000 and is going to start meeting with Brooklyn politicians about the possible run over the next few weeks, according to the article. Some critics say that Marty would have a tough time campaigning for citywide office since he’s so closely linked to Brooklyn and that the borough president’s rep as “Brooklyn’s cheerleader” will turn off voters looking for a candidate with more gravitas. "I am somewhat comical. That's who I am,” says Marty in response to charges that his persona isn’t serious enough. “I'm not going to deny that and I'm not going to change if I seek this office. " Political strategist Norman Adler says that if Markowitz does decide to run, it won’t “be a shot in the dark for him. He's been around too long for that." Think he'll go for it?
Markowitz Mayoral Bid Could be Tough [NY Daily News]
Photo by threecee.

December 31, 2007

Bill Would Temporarily Halt Foreclosures

Shades of the Great Depression: Assemblyman Jim Brennan is introducing a bill that would impose a one-year delay in court-ordered foreclosures, according to an article in the Brooklyn Eagle. During the Depression, New York also had a foreclosure moratorium law. Brennan is introducing a separate bill that would allow the State of New York Mortgage Agency to issue $3 billion in bonds to buy out subprime mortgages. “The dramatically rising number of foreclosures has led to declining property values and threatens New York State’s economy. New York City alone faces 15,000 foreclosures with national rates in November 2007 up 68 percent from the same month last year,” said Brennan.
Brennan Bill Would Impose Moratorium on Foreclosures [Brooklyn Eagle]
Photo by mortgage_foreclosure_solutions.

November 27, 2007

Council Beefs Up Oversight of Developments

According to an article in The Sun yesterday, the City Council is developing an "infrastructure task force" to assess how large-scale private developments impact infrastructure like traffic and telecommunications around the city. Council Members Daniel Garodnick and Letitia James will head the group, which has been formed in the wake of recent infrastructure collapses like the downed bridge in Minneapolis and the steam pipe explosion near Grand Central. "There is no entity today that considers the impact on city infrastructure," said Garodnick. "We want to take a long view and see that our infrastructure keeps pace with our development plan." In the short-term, the task force's juiciest role to play in Brooklyn is likely to be in analyzing the impact of the proposal for Atlantic Yards on the surrounding roadways and subways. Given James' critical stance towards the plan in the past, there's hope that the findings may be more than a rubber stamp for the politically-connected project.
Council's Role in Private Development To Expand [NY Sun]
Photo by NoLandGrab.

October 29, 2007

De Blasio Announces Run For Borough Prez

As expected, Councilman Bill de Blasio announced that he'll be running for Brooklyn borough president in 2009. De Blasio has been a councilman since 2001 and says he wants to be borough president because “Brooklyn is the epicenter of new development in the city. A lot of cultural and business and political change is happening in Brooklyn. And the next borough president will have an opportunity to shape those changes.” De Blasio, who's been picking a fight with bad-boy architect Robert Scarano and cozying up to bloggers in anticipation of the announcement, is the second councilman to announce his candidacy for borough president after Charles Barron; Councilman Domenic M. Recchia Jr. has also said he's considering a run. It's a little early to be taking bets, but how's the field looking to you from here?
Councilman Joins Race for Top Seat in Brooklyn [NY Times]

September 28, 2007

De Blasio Talks Real Estate With Brooklyn Bloggers

Councilman Bill de Blasio organized a Brooklyn blogger gathering on Wednesday night, ostensibly because "more and more of my constituents say they're getting their news from blogs." The meet-up may have also had something to do with the rumor that de Blasio is running for borough president (he admits to being interested in the gig, but says he hasn't "made a decision yet"). Discussion at the meeting, which was attended by bloggers from Gowanus Lounge, Atlantic Yards Report, Found in Brooklyn, Pardon Me for Asking, and Green Brooklyn, touched on de Blasio's positions with reference to a wide range of Brooklyn development issues. The capsule version: De Blasio worked at HUD before becoming a Councilman, and conversation seemed to inevitably circle back to questions of affordable housing. "The government's approach to housing is broken across the board," he asserted. He noted that the city and state's hands-off policies when it comes to subsidized housing (as evidenced by the sunsetting of Mitchell-Lama, problems with the Section 8 program, and the fact that no new public housing is being created), combined with the rising tide of gentrification, have placed the onus of affordability on new construction. Thus, he thinks City Planning's initial framework for the rezoning of Gowanus is "legitimate," particularly in terms of the height and density that are being proposed for the Public Place site (where towers may be allowed to rise as high as 14 stories), since he believes that sort of height is necessary to support the creation of affordable housing. Similarly, he said he approved of Atlantic Yards in large part because of its "tiered approach" to affordable housing (whereby units are set aside for low- to middle-income residents), and that the project deserved the special subsidies it received through the revamp of 421-a tax abatement legislation because of the number of affordable housing units that Forest City Ratner has pledged to build. The councilman was critical of Forest City Ratner's lack of "transparency," especially in terms of keeping community members abreast of demolitions. He said he was also interested in ensuring "transparency" from the DEC during cleanups of toxic sites in Gowanus like the Public Place, and seeing a DOB that's better at communicating with Brooklynites, especially when it comes to responding to citizen complaints at development sites. And so just how communicative and transparent is Bill being about his possible run for borough prez? "The world's changed a lot since Marty came into office," he says.