Community Groups Protest "Racist" and "Illegal" Construction in Broadway Triangle
The Broadway Triangle Community Coalition is planning to protest ” ‘illegal and racist’ construction and permits at the Broadway Triangle,” on the steps of City Hall this morning, according to the group’s website. The Broadway Triangle Community Coalition is a group of 40 community organizations, including tenant associations, that successfully sued to stop the construction…
The Broadway Triangle Community Coalition is planning to protest ” ‘illegal and racist’ construction and permits at the Broadway Triangle,” on the steps of City Hall this morning, according to the group’s website. The Broadway Triangle Community Coalition is a group of 40 community organizations, including tenant associations, that successfully sued to stop the construction of affordable housing there aimed at the Hasidic community, a plan championed largely by former State Assemblyman Vito Lopez — and which may have contributed to his downfall.
The group is calling for Mayor de Blasio and the city to stop issuing building permits for private development aimed at the Hasidic community by private developers on privately owned land in the Broadway Triangle area.
“The Coalition demands that the de Blasio administration stop authorizing the construction of discriminatory housing and stop fostering neighborhood segregation,” execs for the group told us in an email. “For every private site in the Broadway Triangle that has been or is being developed, the City of New York has granted permits to the developers for building and construction. The City has authorized the ongoing development of discriminatory housing, exacerbating existing residential segregation in these neighborhoods. This practice must stop.”
As far as we are aware, all the private development happening there now is “as of right,” meaning no variance is required. The building department considers only building regulations when issuing permits. It would be unprecedented for the DOB to consider the potential for housing discrimination after a building is constructed as well.
It’s perfectly legal to build apartments aimed at a particular market, although refusing to rent or sell to someone on the basis of religion or race is not. But it is notoriously difficult to sue Hasidic landlords for housing discrimination against non-Hasids, since apartments are never advertised.
Meanwhile, Eric Adams has called for the city to restart the development of affordable housing on city-owned land in the area, an idea the group enthusiastically supports.
“The Broadway Triangle is a perfect opportunity for the current administration to start achieving this vision and break from the troubling practices of its predecessor. It’s truly baffling why the City has not seized on this. The Coalition advocates for all land in the Broadway Triangle to be developed in a way that is consistent with fair housing laws and maximizes affordable housing in an area of Brooklyn that desperately needs it. So far, that has not happened.”
Shocker: Borough Pres Wants to Revive Broadway Triangle Development [Brownstoner]
Image via Urban Omnibus
Any new development in this day and age does not get built without Real Estate tax abatements. If the developers/owners do get tax a abatement, then the housing must be put on the open market, advertised, marketed and applicants processed in an open and transparent manner. The City cannot and should not be subsidizing segregated housing of any kind.
Of course anyone can still get around this by it belonging to a religious authority and then no Real Estate tax is paid. Just as the Jehovah Witnesses have done for many years in Brooklyn Heights.
The irony is most of them receive welfare, food stamps, wicked and Medicaid yet are living in luxury apartments. And all though they are home all day they have maids that clean their apartments. .even those in housing projects. Where is the protests along Lee Avenue and Lynch, Heywood, Rutledge, Skillman/Franklin Ave and Mettle
I see your miserable. Generalizing against a whole group en masse. WHOA!
Consider living in Texas. Diverse NYC has no place for haters! Remember what MLK taught us!
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”
Hope u see the light and become miserable no more!
Anonlurker,
3 Genration’s is a lot?
You know how many Westsiders and Lower Eastsiders stem from 5th generation Hasidim and u dont even know their identity.
“Call it what you want”? As I correctly point out, I do not judge whats right and wrong. Im just there to define what is going on from a historical standpoint and its legal ramifications if any. Ill leave judging to the experts here.
Im also showing how this is a minority way of living in many NYC neighborhoods. Maybe people feel when Jews do it its worse than when the Chinese or russians do it. Maybe something else. Im not so smart . I have yet to see a comment about Sheepshead bay.
Good Day!
A very thorough analysis of the complexities and background of housing discrimination for those that want intelligent debate.
http://www.thecyberhood.net/documents/papers/roscigno09.pdf
Exactly what defines excluding is a very grey area and case law varies by location etc.
Who hates who? Or not hate–that’s too strong a word for it.
I lived in Williamsburg for a very long time before it was gentrified and I tried very hard to connect with my neighbors. All of them. I used to take the moppet to a pediatrician where we were one of the only non-Hasids, I used to go to the playgrounds south of Broadway. I always said hello, I dressed relatively conservatively, I put money on the counter in shops instead of trying to hand it over, and got very little response in return. It’s fascinating how insular and protective that community is of their own… but my impression is, if you’re not of their own, you could probably drop dead in the street in front of them and they’d shrug and say it was hashem’s plan.
And thats from a Harvard conducted study? Or from? Love your generalizations!
This is a case (if it is a case-as I pointed out -legally in most states you have to literally exclude people via stating that a minority is excluded etc-but if some group is just attracted to each other and by word of mouth sell out condos to each other-its not discrimatory housing) of reverse racism housing ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_racism ) not discriminatory housing. Its a post ghetto mentality that every minority has when they reach the west. They love sticking to each other: IE the russians in Sheepshead bay. The italians in Bensonhurst , The chinese in CHina town, arabs in Queens neighborhoods etc. In each of these neighborhoods the new condos go exclusively for that minority. Not by way of advertising that states its only for that minority but by word of mouth and nature taking its place.
So its not a group discriminating against a minority. Its a minority with post ghetto mentality that sticks to its own and insular and suspicious of outsiders and thereby stick to their own.
After a few generations in the USA all minorities integrate. @ least we hope so. Your hateful comments delay the process and make insular people become more insular. Hate breeds hate!
1st intelligent comment today.
See link I posted before. That gives u the basic understanding of how complex it is to develop a case….
Especially when there wasn’t physical advertising exclusively for one group and actual language excluding other groups.
It is not illegal if lots are owned privately and no variances were needed. As of right building approval has to do with zoning and city has no say on unit mix or affordability (except when tax break is wanted). the dob’s power is limited to making sure its conforming to existing zoning codes.
Seems like we are missing something. Maybe some of these lots are city owned?
40 community organizations? Wow! Whose their sugar daddy?