What's in a Name?
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries is a man on a mission, a mission to stem the tide of broker-named neighborhoods like “ProCro” and “Greenwood Heights”! According to City Room, Jeffries is going to introduce a bill next week that would require new names for neighborhoods get approved by community boards, the City Council and the mayor. The…
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries is a man on a mission, a mission to stem the tide of broker-named neighborhoods like “ProCro” and “Greenwood Heights”! According to City Room, Jeffries is going to introduce a bill next week that would require new names for neighborhoods get approved by community boards, the City Council and the mayor. The bill calls for fining brokers who use unofficial names in their listings and, perhaps, suspending their licenses. City Room quotes Jeffries as saying that real estate agents “are allowed to essentially pull names out of thin air in order to rebrand a neighborhood and have the effect of raising rents or home prices.” A senior vice president for the Real Estate Bard of New York, meanwhile, says it would be “difficult to legislate the use of an official name when these neighborhood names are not legally defined.” Still: BoCoCa, we hardly knew ye.
‘SoBro’ and ‘ProCro’ No Joke to Assemblyman [City Room]
Assemblyman Wants To Prevent Realtors From Renaming Neighborhoods [NY1]
yes. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/nyregion/15jeffries.html
re number 1 problem is displacement and gentrification.
i don’t disagree that it can be a problem, and that a certain amount of stability is good for neighborhoods. but statements like this, coupled with bills like this, are pretty divisive when you take a look at what’s underlying them.
WillburgWill,
I also like perfectly good historic names, Not only could DUMBO have been Fultan Landing, but SoHo could have been St. John´s Park.
I would much rather know the cross streets for a place than the neighborhood it was in.
> I think Jeffries is totally right and I support this bill.
Why? What would this bill accomplish?
“this is the same guy who a couple years ago said that gentrification was the worst problem facing his district (all or parts of: prospect heights, crown heights, fort greene, downtown, clinton hill, bed stuy). i’m sorry, really? ”
are you serious? what is it with the assemblypersons in that area of brooklyn putting their residents against each other. it’s really despicable.
kinda makes me feel lucky to have steve levin
Acajou = Jeffries?
This guy has a law degree???? He would likely have a legitimate bill if he tried to regulate Brokers placing listings in different neighborhoods than they really are (assuming there are definable boundaries this is a a bait and switch tactic) or at a minimum if they claim it is in a particular named neighborhood, have to disclose in the advertisement the cross streets of the actual location (i.e. a disclosure law.) BUT he introduces a significant 1st amendment issue when he forbids a broker from ‘making up’ a name for a neighborhood. We have free speech in America, if I want to call the South Bronx “SoBro” – the Government cant stop me (or a broker) with a very compelling reason (and it sounds really stupid is not a compelling governmental reason)
I used to go fishing w/ my grandfather at Hains Pt. back in the 40s & 50s.
I think Jeffries is totally right and I support this bill. All those posting that he should deal with “real issues” are showing your ignorance of what he does daily to represent his district. I am very happy that he is my Assemblyman and is dealing with issues that affect me and others in the district. Just take a look of legislation he has sponsored
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Hakeem-Jeffries/sponsor/