Council to City: Don't Do Us With Your Development!

On Monday a bunch of City Councilmembers (including Al Vann, Tish James and Bill de Blasio) are going to introduce a bill that would, in theory, make the ins and outs of public-private development a little more transparent. The legislation would mean “community impact reports” have to be available before a project receives tax breaks or bond financing so that the public can get a sense, say, of how many jobs the development is supposed to create, or how many businesses it’s going to displace. A representative for Councilmember Vann’s office says he’s introducing the bill because of his longstanding concerns over new development not addressing—or in some cases helping to cause—poverty in communities. And Councilmember de Blasio has this to say about the impetus behind the proposed law: “Development should be done with the community, not to the community. It’s impossible to make good development decisions without knowing the real impact that a project will have, including how many jobs it will create and businesses it will affect. With this bill, residents and businesses will have a much better idea of a project’s larger effects, and community members will have enough information to voice their concerns effectively.”