Another Emergency Electric Curtailment Event Now Being Called for August 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2006

Grey Wolf-6 wrote:
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 22:55:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: J Reyes-Montblanc reysmont@yahoo.com
Subject: [CB9M Chair's Blog] 7/31/2006 Another Emergency Electric Curtailment Event Now Being Called for August 1st, the CCPB expects the same for 2nd, 3rd and 4th 2006
To: CB9M General Distribution A-1 NYC-CB9M@juno.com

To All:

CB9M has received advised from the Cooperative Coalition to Prevent Blackouts (CCPB) to the fact that the NYS Independent System Operator (ISO) has called an Emergency Electricity Curtailement Event for TOMORROW 1st August 2006 from 12:00am to 7:00pm. The CCPB also expect the same to be called for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th August 2006 as temperatures are expected to continue to soar above the 90 degrees and some days over 100 degrees.

Please reduce electric consumption in the building's public spaces, apartments, commercial spaces and raise the temperature thermostat of your air conditioners, refrigerators and turn-off all non-essentials. Please encourage your neighbors to do the same.We are sure that you have seen all the electric power problems being reported on the news not only about New York City but the tri-state area as well, so this is a very serious current situation and jointly our individual efforts will help alleviate the problem and avoid possible major blackout(s) in New York City and elsewhere.

Ø In the Event of a Curtailment:
o Cooperative buildings Laundry Room should be closed for duration of the emergency.
o Lighting in public areas should be Reduced

Ø During the Curtailment please refrain from using unnecessary electric devices in your apartments such as :
o Air Conditioners (especially)
o Dishwashers, Clothes-washers
o Toasters, Toaster ovenso Irons, Hair Dryers
o Vacuum Cleaners
o Microwaves
o Non-essential Lighting
o Kitchen and Bathroom exhaust fans
o Raise the Thermostat of the Refrigerator and raise the Air Conditioner(s) to 78 degrees

The Board Office will be Open and is a Designated Cooling Station for the District

Movement in Manhattanville: CU Tweaks Campus Plans

Movement in Manhattanville: CU Tweaks Campus Plans

Monday, July 31, 2006, by Jeremy

Skirmishes are rather sporadic at the battleground known as Columbia's Manhattanville project, but there could be some community board action today as the university presents its latest modifications to those development plans for the 17-acre campus expansion north of 125th Street.

Then again, it might be a relatively sedate meeting—wherever/whenever it is; boo-urns to the lack of a substantial CB9 web presence—as the university is aiming to appease the "197-a plan" supporters by shifting a square of "privately owned, publicly accessible" open space farther west, to the block between Broadway and 12th Avenue between 130th and 131st Streets. That's according to the Columbia Spectator, whence comes the graphic you see here, which could've been a little bigger and more legible, but hey, it was the middle of the summer, so we'll cut them some slack.·

University Modifies Manhattanville Plans [Columbia Spec]·
Columbia University Expansion [PlanNYC]·
Manhattan Community Board 9 197-a Plan [Pratt Center]

Posted in Manhattan: Morningside Heights to Inwood, Museums/Cultural, Urban Planning

a Healthy Future for Harlem and New York City / Public School Yards Should Be Open to the Public

a Healthy Future for Harlem and New York City
by Inez DickensJuly 24, 2006


Kids Playing Baseball in Harlem


That which ails society as a whole is usually at crisis level in the poorest neighborhoods and communities of color. This is particularly true when dealing with issues of health. Ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke and AIDS occur at alarming rates in Harlem, the area I represent in the New York City Council.

A 2004 report by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene illustrates the significant correlation between income and health. For instance, those who live in low-income neighborhoods are more than six times more likely to contract AIDS than those who reside in higher income neighborhoods. Likewise, low-income residents are more than three times more likely to have diabetes and suffer from a stroke.

The relationship between an individual's income level and their physical condition exists for a number of reasons.

First and probably most importantly, the overwhelming majority of low-income families have poor or no access to preventive health care. Annual visits to the doctor can often prevent serious illness or deteriorating health conditions.

Poor eating habits also play a key role. Many neighborhoods in New York City are in desperate need of grocery stores that offer more quality foods. Unfortunately, some residents only can shop at smaller stores that do not offer many fruits, vegetables, or other healthy foods. Likewise, nutritious food is often more expensive, which is why many parents purchase items with little nutritional value, such sugar-filled fruit drinks, rather than real juice.

Finally, too many New Yorkers ignore the benefits of exercise, particularly for children who are forming the habits that they will carry into adulthood. Physical fitness classes in our schools have become more lax, and we have simultaneously allowed our children to spend more and more free time on the Internet, playing video games, or watching television. There is little green space in many of our neighborhoods and what we have is often not maintained.

The only solution to this growing health crisis is to educate and engage our communities in healthy practices, beginning with young people.

HEALTHY EATING
Studies have shown that 27 percent of New York City's kindergarteners are obese and 15 percent are overweight. It is likely that these children will grow into adults who continue these unhealthy practices, causing harm to their own bodies and risking the well-being of those who depend upon them.

City agencies and various community-based groups have been gradually developing and implementing programs that will hopefully help us put our community on the track to good health. And fortunately, we are beginning to see these initiatives take shape.

Dr. Gregory Hodge, who is the principal of the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, has created an evening cooking class for both parents and students. This class is geared toward teaching how to cook healthy and fulfilling meals while also increasing the interaction between the parents and the school itself.

The world-famous Sylvia's Restaurant and North General Hospital have taken a similar course of action. These two local establishments have joined forces to create a cooking curriculum that will be implemented in public schools. This program also has the goal of teaching high school students how to diet properly, which can affect one's performance in the classroom. The curriculum will teach children how to tweak familiar foods and recipes in order to make them healthier. The program is still in the planning stages, but when it is complete it will act as a model, giving students the ability to prepare savory foods that are also healthy.

A coalition of health organizations and philanthropists have also created the Healthy Schools Program, designed to improve the nutritional value of food served in cafeterias, increase physical activity during the school day and after school, and implement classroom lessons on healthy lifestyles.

City agencies have created innovative ways to promote healthy living. For example, the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene recently encouraged the owners of small grocery stores in Harlem to sell low-fat milk. Historically, stores in Harlem have been reluctant to sell low-fat milk because they felt that it was not in demand. City officials helped with the promotion and even gave out free samples to children and their parents. The response was very positive and a number of small grocery store owners have recently committed to buying low-fat milk in the future.

PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
We must also make a push to increase physical activity in our schools.

As a City Council member, I have received numerous complaints about the shortcomings of gym classes in our public schools. Overcrowding, lack of gym or classroom space, poor equipment and inadequate lesson planning have created an environment in which physical activity is no longer emphasized. Schools must begin to implement physical education programs that are more demanding, and it is essential that these classes take place five times a week.

Programs such as S.P.A.R.K. (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids), a school based program that promotes physical activity, should be used as the model in engaging our children, parents and teachers in different types of physical activity that will strengthen both their body and mind.

HIV EDUCATION
HIV/AIDS continues to be a problem in the New York City, particularly in low-income neighborhoods.

The mayor’s office has taken a tremendous step by setting in place a curriculumthat seeks to educate young children on this particular topic. It is well documented that prior to this initiative the city was falling far short of its mandated responsibility to educate students in grades K through 8 on health, particularly HIV and AIDS awareness. Moving forward, we hope that this new initiative will make children more aware of their bodies and the responsibility that comes with having sex.

I hope we will continue to create innovative ways to encourage New Yorkers, both young and old, to take proactive health measures that increase their chances of living a long and productive life.

A COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE
With all of the negative things that are taking place in our nation and New York City, we must work to correct things over which we have direct control. Preventive health programs are a necessity for all New York City residents, and we must encourage proactive health initiatives in low-income communities.

We must not allow socioeconomic level be a deterrent from healthy living. Healthy schools and parents create mentally and physically sound children that will one day affect the path of our beloved city and great nation.

Inez Dickens represents district 9 in the New York City Council.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Public School Yards Should Be Open to the Public
By Gale Brewer

On weekdays, the schoolyard at PS 9 on West 84 Street in Manhattan buzzes with students climbing on the jungle gym, skipping rope, and playing basketball. But on the weekends, the scene is different; the playground is empty and the gate to the yard is locked.

It was not always this way. In years past, the schoolyard was open on evenings and over the weekends and neighbors used the area as a place to play with their children and to meet with one another.

This is also the case in more than 700 other schoolyards across the city. All of the underutilized schoolyards occupy approximately 948 acres of public land - an area greater than that of Central Park.

Despite a clear lack of recreational open space for residents, the Department of Education has closed most of its schoolyards to the public during the evenings and on weekends. In fact, 73 percent of all Department of Education schoolyards lie empty when school is not in session.

The citywide closure of playgrounds has occurred only in the last ten years. The exact rationale for closing schoolyards to the public seems to be unclear, but in most cases, the policy has persisted with little resistance.

And although the majority of schoolyards are closed to the public outside of school hours, roughly 300 schoolyards across the city do remain available to the public when children are not in the building. The majority of these are operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation, although additionally almost 25 have been “adopted” for operation by the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land conservation organization.

As more and more families are denied access to outdoor recreational spaces, it has become increasingly challenging for parents to promote their children's physical health.

Designating or creating new public space in New York City is an enormous challenge, requiring us to be creative in our effort to provide residents of all neighborhoods with access to adequate recreational facilities.

Let's open our public spaces to the public and give New Yorkers the space they need.

Gale Brewer represents the Upper West Side district 6 in the New York City Council



Other Related Articles:
React to this article on our Features and Commentaries Message Board.
Visit the Features and Commentaries Archive

Standards Board Halts Construction Due to Developer's ‘Credibility'

Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 06:00:51 -0400
To:
From: "Tenant"
Subject: Standards Board Halts Construction Due to Developer's ‘Credibility'

NB: if the developer commences an A78 proceeding
in Supreme Court, which he has indicated, perhaps
various groups ought to file an Amicus Brief. - Tenant


July 27, 2006 Edition > Section: New York > Printer-Friendly Version

Standards Board Halts Construction Due to Developer's ‘Credibility'

BY LEON NEYFAKH - Special to the Sun
July 27, 2006
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/36805

A zoning dispute in Brooklyn came to a close on
Tuesday with authorities sending a message to the
city's real estate entrepreneurs: Developers who
try to lie and cheat to push their projects
through legal loopholes should step lightly.

In an apparently unprecedented move, the city's
Board of Standards and Appeals, which hears
arguments from property owners looking to bypass
various city regulations, ruled that the
construction of an 11-story apartment building in
South Park Slope should be halted due to "serious
concerns about the credibility of the developer."

In their testimony to the board, neighborhood
opponents of the project accused Global
Development of carrying on illegal work at the
site, something the company denied. Neighbors
provided the board with videotapes showing evidence
to the contrary.

Global had applied for permission to continue the
construction of the apartment building even
though its proposal violated the zoning
regulations passed in the neighborhood last
November. According to the board's zoning rules,
Global would have been allowed to proceed with
the project if the company could prove that it
had laid a "substantial" portion of the
building's foundation and completed excavation on
the site before the new rules went into effect.

Neighbors and community leaders accused Global of
illegally using mechanical demolition to beat the
buzzer on the new zoning laws, arguing that if
Global had used manual demolition ­ the only
method it had permission to use ­ it would not
have completed enough of the foundation before
the cut-off date. That would have required the
company to scrap the project and redraw its plans for
the development.

Global admitted that it had performed mechanical
demolition on the site late last summer, but at
first told the board that it had done so for only
one day, on August 23, 2005. Later, when
neighbors provided the board with video footage
that showed contractors using various demolition
machinery for as many as six days, Global changed
its story, conceding that mechanical demolition
had, in fact, occurred more than once.

The developer's attorney, Howard Hornstein, who
served as the board's commissioner for three
years in the 1970s, argued that this did not
matter ­ that the legality of the demolition was
irrelevant as long as the developer had completed
the site excavation and made substantial progress
on the building's foundation. But in Tuesday's
resolution, the board wrote that if it was
"compelled to disregard the impermissible acts of
developers merely because they occurred
pre-excavation, it would mean that developers
would have an incentive" to ignore the law.

Thus, the board has set a precedent. From now on,
if a developer does something illegal to beat the
clock on zoning regulations, the board will take
it into account when deciding whether to grant or deny their
applications.

"The board's decision is a legal error," Mr.
Hornstein said yesterday, "and we're going to
discuss going to state Supreme Court."

According to a member of one of the neighborhood
advocacy groups opposing the project, Aaron
Brashear, the board's decision may have an impact
on the three pending South Slope cases that will be
decided in the near future.

July 27, 2006 Edition > Section: New York > Printer-Friendly Version
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tenant Network(tm) for Residential Tenants
TenantNet(tm): http://tenant.net
email: tenant@tenant.net

Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant
activists and is not considered legal advice.

Blight, Like Beauty, Can Be in the Eye of the Beholder

New York Times

N.Y. / Region
The City

Blight, Like Beauty, Can Be in the Eye of the Beholder



Ruby Washington/The New York Times
This portion of Dean Street, between Flatbush and Sixth Avenues near the planned Atlantic Yards, is in a part of Brooklyn that a state agency has defined as blighted.

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: July 25, 2006

Of all the real estate jargon, bureaucratic buzzwords and plain old insults exchanged over the proposed Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, no term has evoked quite such unruly passion as “blighted.”

During the last two years, the word has hung like a scythe over the 22-acre site, most of it on the northern edge of the Prospect Heights neighborhood, where the developer, Forest City Ratner Companies, hopes to build its $4.2 billion project.

For the developer, it is a fitting description of the abandoned auto-repair shops, collapsing brownstones and gloomy vacant lots that blemish the area, and of the eight-acre railyards that slice through the neighborhood just south of Atlantic Avenue. For many of the several hundred people who still live there, “blighted” is a term of abuse, one that ignores the sleek, recently renovated buildings on Pacific and Dean Streets, the bustling neighborhood bar, and other signs of revival. Even some supporters of the project, like Assemblyman Roger L. Green, disagree with the description.

“That neighborhood is not blighted,” Mr. Green, whose district includes the Atlantic Yards site, said at a hearing last year. “I repeat, for the record, that neighborhood is not blighted.”

The long-running blight debate took a major turn in favor of Forest City Ratner last week, when the Empire State Development Corporation, the state’s lead economic agency, formally declared the project site blighted. It was the first step in a process that could eventually allow Forest City to acquire, through eminent domain, the few remaining parcels that the company has not been able to acquire privately over the last few years.

But for all the freight the word carries around Prospect Heights these days, “blighted” is a word with no fixed definition, legal or colloquial.

It is not unlike Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous remark about pornography — “I know it when I see it” — said Joseph M. Ryan, a land-use lawyer who has consulted for the development corporation before but has no involvement with the Atlantic Yards project.

“Usually it’s a high crime rate, debilitated buildings. Often you’ll have pollution, or inadequate usage of land.”

Under past court rulings, for example, an area can be declared blighted even if particular parcels within it are not. Similarly, a given plot of land can be declared “underutilized” if what is built there is smaller or shorter than zoning laws would otherwise allow, even if the building in question is not dilapidated. Moreover, it is largely up to government officials to decide how prevalent a condition must be — how much crime, for instance — in order to label an area as blighted.

“There are no hard and fast rules regarding blight,” said Jessica Copen, a spokeswoman for the development corporation. “There’s a large area of subjectivity in evaluating the indicia of blight.”

Such rules as there are have been carved out by state and federal courts over the years. But because condemnation itself is essentially a legislative power rather than a judicial one, courts have tended to grant government officials wide latitude to make findings of blight.

“Reasonable people could differ as to whether something is overcrowded or has too much crime or too many sanitary problems or is losing jobs,” Mr. Ryan said. “But the courts will defer to the agency if they have a reasonable and rational basis for condemnation.”

Hence the 381-page blight study issued by the development corporation last week. Conducted by AKRF Inc., a consulting firm with long experience in land use and environmental engineering, the study amounts to a painstakingly detailed walking tour of the Atlantic Yards’ potential home. Hardly a crack in the sidewalk escapes notice in the study, which declared the project site replete with “structurally unsound buildings, debris-filled vacant lots, environmental concerns, high crime rates and underutilization.”

Fifty-one out of 73 parcels on the 22-acre site “exhibit one or more blight characteristics,” the study found, including buildings that are at least 50 percent vacant or are built to 60 percent or less of their allowable density. The study also noted that, before Forest City came along, 76 parties controlled the land making up the site. Such fragmented ownership, real estate developers say, is what makes large-scale private urban development difficult without government intervention.

The study also dwells in some detail on the eight-acre railyards that make up about one-third of the site, and which also fall within an urban renewal zone the city established along Atlantic Avenue in the late 1960’s. The railyards hindered hoped-for development in the renewal zone for decades, the study notes, and continue to do so on those blocks to the south and west of the yards where the project would be.

Critics have long accused the development corporation of favoring developers. Opponents of Atlantic Yards, say that in that project, the corporation is essentially using the railyards, which constitute blight almost by definition, as a cudgel to obtain additional land through eminent domain or the threat of it.

“No one is arguing that the railyards should not be developed. That’s a pretty commonly agreed-upon point,” said Marshall Brown, an architect who helped draft the beginnings of an alternative plan for the railyards that would not have required eminent domain. “It just doesn’t make sense that the railyards themselves cannot be developed alone.”

The study also included a look at crime in the area. Because the Police Department does not collect crime statistics block by block, the study could measure only indirectly whether the site has more crime than the area surrounding it. AKRF examined three police “sectors” in Brooklyn, each of which overlaps parts of the site but extend well beyond it. The study compared the combined crime rates in those three sectors with the combined crime rates for their respective police precincts. Finding the precinct numbers lower, the study declares that “residents and businesses on the project site are more susceptible to crime” than those in surrounding neighborhoods.

Overall crime in the three precincts, however, decreased slightly between 2004 and 2005.
“They make the footprint sound like it’s a Lower East Side slum,” said Daniel Goldstein, the spokesman for Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, an umbrella organization for groups opposed to the project.

The building that Mr. Goldstein lives in on Pacific Street is now owned by Forest City and is one of two within the footprint of the project that were redeveloped into luxury condos during the past several years. (Mr. Goldstein moved into his apartment shortly before the project was announced in 2003.)

Another building within the project footprint, an old bakery, was widely considered ripe for conversion by its owner, the real estate developer Shaya Boymelgreen. He has since sold it to Forest City, which now owns almost all the property it needs for the project. Company officials say they have paid high premiums on that land to minimize the need for eminent domain.

The blight study began last summer, after Forest City, the development partner of The New York Times Company in building its new headquarters on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, had already bought up large parcels of land for the project. Some critics have questioned whether Forest City’s acquisitions — and the implicit threat of eminent domain since the project was announced in late 2003 — deterred development.

“How much of the blighted conditions were the result of the cloud of eminent domain hanging over that property, and of Ratner’s successful efforts to purchase property there?” asked Tom Angotti, a professor of urban affairs and planning at Hunter College, who studied the site with his graduate students this year. “We call it ‘planner’s blight.’ You create the cloud of eminent domain, you force people to sell, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Residents also point to several Dean Street buildings just outside the project site, and Prospect Heights’ generally strong residential real estate market, to argue that much of the site might have developed on its own.

Deborah Wetzel, a spokeswoman for the state development corporation, stood by the study’s findings. “Irrespective of the recent property acquisitions by Forest City,” Ms. Wetzel said, “we believe it highly unlikely that the blighted conditions currently present will be removed without action by the public sector.”

OEM URGES CITY RESIDENTS TO CONSERVE POWER

NB - As I have been pointing out we are not out of the woods yet. In fact the Queens blackout situation is nothing compared to the potential blackouts we may experience if stern conservation measures are not taken by all.

Unfortunately the City is doing all it can but the real solutions are to be found in Albany at the Public Service Commission, (PSC) the NYS Independent Sytem Operators, (ISO), and most particularly the New York State Research & Development Authority, (NYSERDA).

NYSERDA does not really understand New York City's needs and ignores potential solutions while indulging and generously funding every Upstate manure or air project that comes their way and the nilly-willy installation of interval (smart) meters not used for their intended purpose and yet they mostly ignore the City in their distribution of the funds collected from ConEdison's New York City customers through the System Benefit Charge, which exceed over 50% of the total amounts collected.

The Cooperative Coalition to Prevent Blackouts, (CCPB) have made tested recommendation to NYSERDA and the PSC regarding Real TIme Pricing and the deployment of technology readily available and the City's Energy Office have requested such programs, both being ignored by NYSERDA.

There are only 4 buildings in the State under Real Time Pricing using ConEdison's Rider M Tariff and all 4 are CCPB members. To become really effective the Rider M rate structure must be restructured for as it stands today invalidates the RTP potential benefits and no other cooperative or condominium will volunteer to participate under the current Rider M structure and rental apartment buildings are prohibited from participating. Furthermore incentives and tax abatements are needed to induce more co-ops and condo's to participate and rental apartment buildings should be permitted to fully participate as well.

So don't blame Mayor Mike! This warning from OEM is about the City can do at this juncture.
Put the pressure where it belongs, ALBANY. - JRM



Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:48:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: "My NYC.gov News"
To: reysmont@yahoo.com
Subject: OEM URGES CITY RESIDENTS TO CONSERVE POWER

New York City
Office of Emergency Management
July 26, 2006

THIS IS THE NYC.gov NEWS YOU REQUESTED FOR: Emergency Preparedness, Notifications and Alerts and General New York City News and Events


OEM URGES CITY RESIDENTS TO CONSERVE POWER

In anticipation of rising temperatures for the end of the week, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) urges City customers to conserve energy to relieve stress on power lines.

Power outages are common during periods of high heat. It is important to conserve as much energy as possible to avoid brownouts and other electrical disruptions.

Conservation Reminders:
Set your air conditioner thermostat no lower than 78 degrees — a 75-degree setting uses 18 percent more electricity and a 72-degree setting uses 39 percent more electricity. This setting allows for sufficient cooling while still conserving electric power.

*Only use an air conditioner when you are home. If you want to cool your room down before you arrive home, set a timer to have it switch on no more than one-half hour before you arrive.

*Turn off all nonessential appliances.

*Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms.

*Only use appliances that have heavy electrical loads (dishwashers, washers, dryers) early in the morning or very late at night.

While diminishing your power usage may seem like an inconvenience, your cooperation will help to ensure that utilities can continue to provide uninterrupted electrical service.

If you have any service disruptions to your power, contact Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (752-6633).

Learn more about power outages
Learn more about heat emergencies



This is the NYC.gov news you requested for:
Emergency Preparedness, Notifications and Alerts
General New York City News and Events

To subscribe please go to this link: https://www.nyc.gov/portal/signin.jsp

Comment on this news service: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/news_feedback.html

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!


Conserve Power in High Temperatures
If you experience a power outage, contact Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (752-6633).

With higher temperatures expected for Thursday and Friday, OEM reminds residents to conserve power.
Learn about power conservation tips

More Utilities Disruption Resources
Be familiar with the effects of utilities disruptions
File a claim with Con Edison if you've incurred losses from food spoilage

M.T.A. Slated to Consider Railyard Bid

Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 00:04:56 -0400
To:
From: "Tenant"
Subject: M.T.A. Slated to Consider Railyard Bid

July 26, 2006

M.T.A. Slated to Consider Railyard Bid
NY Times
By THOMAS J. LUECK

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board is expected today
to consider New York City's offer of $500 million for development
rights to 26 acres of railyards on the Far West Side of Manhattan,
the site of the city's failed attempt last year to develop a football
stadium for the Jets.

The authority, which received the latest offer this month in a letter
from City Hall, has not brought it up for public discussion before
any of the committees that advise its board, including those dealing
with finance and real estate. Although the matter had not been
included on a preliminary agenda of the authority's board, which is
to meet this morning, Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the authority , said
yesterday that it would be discussed, but added that it was not known
if the board would take action.

The prospect of such high-level discussion provoked heightened
tensions yesterday over the city's offer, which has been
characterized by some critics as a low-ball bid for one of
Manhattan's largest and potentially most valuable development sites,
between 10th to 12th Avenues from 30th to 33rd Streets. Attorney
General Eliot Spitzer, who is running for governor, has called the
offer "grossly under market value."

Others have urged caution. In a letter last week to Peter Kalikow,
the authority's chairman, Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union,
the main transit union, and the Straphangers Campaign, a riders'
advocacy group, said that the authority would "look very bad if it
turns on a dime and just swallows the proposal whole.''

Gene Russianoff, staff lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, said any
action taken by the board today would deny the public sufficient
warning or input since the city's bid was not submitted to prior
discussion at open meetings.

One option for the authority's board is to give Mr. Kalikow authority
to negotiate with the city. Mr. Kalikow, a real estate executive,
said after the city's $500 million bid was outlined in a letter from
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C.
Quinn that his top priority was getting top dollar for the site "to
support our ongoing enormous capital needs."

Mr. Kelly declined further comment yesterday.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tenant Network(tm) for Residential Tenants
TenantNet(tm): http://tenant.net
email:
http://us.f374.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=tenant@tenant.net&YY=2340&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b
Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant
activists and is not considered legal advice.

Ohio court blocks eminent domain project

From: Araxni8theWeb
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 13:45:05 EDT
Subject: eminent domain
To: reysmont@yahoo.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_us/development_fight&printer=1;_ylt=AkRm2iCdJVTWLhdOdrpCboFH2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-
Yahoo! News
Back to Story - Help

Ohio court blocks eminent domain project

By JULIE CARR SMYTH, Associated Press WriterWed Jul 26, 10:28 AM ET
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that a Cincinnati suburb cannot take private property by eminent domain for a $125 million project of offices, shops and restaurants.

The case was the first challenge of property rights laws to reach a state high court since the U.S. Supreme Court last summer allowed municipalities to seize homes for use by a private developer.

The case involves the city of Norwood, which used its power of eminent domain to seize properties holding out against private development in an area considered to be deteriorating.

The court found that economic development isn't a sufficient reason under the state constitution to justify taking homes.

In the ruling, Justice Maureen O'Connor said cities may consider economic benefits but that courts deciding such cases in the future must "apply heightened scrutiny" to assure private citizens' property rights.

"For the individual property owner, the appropriation is not simply the seizure of a house," she wrote. "It is the taking of a home — the place where ancestors toiled, where families were raised, where memories were made."

Targeting property because it is in a deteriorating area also is unconstitutional because the term is too vague and requires speculation, the court found.

O'Connor wrote that the court attempted in its decision to balance "two competing interests of great import in American democracy: the individual's rights in the possession and security of property, and the sovereign's power to take private property for the benefit of the community."


Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback




Date:
Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:18:15 -0400
From: "John Reddick"
To: "Jordi Reyes-Montblanc"
Subject: Fwd: eminent domain victory in Ohio Supreme Court

Jordi, FYI

An important, unanimous, decision in Ohio, tossing out the use of
economic development alone as justification and sharply curtailing
blight definitions, requiring heightened scrutiny.

A summary of the decision, and a link to the full text can be found at:
http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Communications_office/summaries/2006/0726/050227.asp

For us in New Haven, who have been working on the Campion case, the
violation of equal protection through vague standards has been a
central issue. These excerpts are particularly noteworthy:
"Statutes that regulate the use of eminent domain powers are subject to

a legal doctrine (the "void-for-vagueness doctrine") that
invalidates statutes found to be overly ambiguous. "

"The use of the term "deteriorating area" as a standard for a
taking is unconstitutional because the term inherently incorporates
speculation as to the future condition of the property to be appropriated
rather than the condition of the property at the time of the taking."

This is in stark contrast to the blight standards used in NYC.

In case you missed yesterday's paper, see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/nyregion/25blight.html?ex=1154059200&en=4adf5ffe287bd584&ei=5087%0A

NEWLY CONSTRUCTED APARTMENTS FOR SALE IN BROOKLYN

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 17:58:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: "My NYC.gov News"
To: reysmont@yahoo.com
Subject: NEWLY CONSTRUCTED APARTMENTS FOR SALE IN BROOKLYN


Apartment Seekers
Current housing Lotteries
July 25, 2006

NEWLY CONSTRUCTED APARTMENTS FOR SALE IN BROOKLYN

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has updated its Web content concerning housing for sale in Brooklyn. Bushwick Gardens LLC is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted to participate in the lottery for 87 affordable residential cooperative apartments at Bushwick Gardens, an exciting, new, mixed-use development located at 68 Garden Street and 88 Beaver Street, Brooklyn, NY that is being developed under the HPD, HDC, AHC, HOME, Housing Partnership Development Corporation programs.

For more information, visit the HPD Web site at www.nyc.gov/hpd/html/apartment/lotteries.shtml.

We suggest you look at HPD's apartment and home lists at least once a month.

This is the NYC.gov News You Requested For:
Apartments and Homes for Rent or Sale

To subscribe please go to this link: https://www.nyc.gov/portal/signin.jsp
Comment on this news service

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/apartment/lotteries.shtml


Apartment Seekers
Current housing Lotteries
July 25, 2006

HPD does not rent apartments. We work with real estate professionals and community sponsors who market apartments. We require that subsidized apartments be rented through an Open Lottery System to ensure fair and equitable distribution of housing to eligible applicants.

In order to participate in a lottery, you will have to contact building managers, community sponsors and/or real estate professionals directly to fill out an application and enter it in an apartment lottery. There are no brokers' fees and no application fees.

If you would like to receive an e-mail when the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development has updated its web content concerning apartment and home listings for City-sponsored housing in the five boroughs, please register for this feature at www.nyc.gov/hpd

The full descriptions of the apartments listed below are available in .PDF format. To download these descriptions, you will need the latest copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program can be downloaded for free from this link: "Acrobat and the Web."

Borough & Neighborhood Size of Apartment Units Available Annual Gross Income Application Deadline Full Description
Manhattan
Central Harlem 1 Bedroom2 Bedroom 31 View advertisement July 31, 2006 View pdf

Upper East Side Studio1 Bedroom 44 View advertisement September 23, 2006 View pdf

Brooklyn
East New York 3-Family Homes 11 View advertisement August 30, 2006 View pdf

Bushwick 1 Bedroom2 Bedroom3 Bedroom 87 View advertisement September 22, 2006 View pdf

Bronx
Westchester Avenue Studio1 Bedroom2 Bedroom 48 View advertisement July 25, 2006 View pdf

Mott Haven 1 Bedroom2 Bedroom3 Bedroom 107 View advertisement July 31, 2006 View pdf

Melrose Studio1 Bedroom2 Bedroom3 Bedroom 125 View advertisement August 26, 2006 View pdf

Crotona Studio1 Bedroom2 Bedroom3 Bedroom 71 View advertisement September 9, 2006 View pdf



HDC's Lists of DevelopmentsThe NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has several programs, each with different income requirements. You may be eligible for one or more programs, depending on your income and family size. Check the guidelines for each program first, and then consult the following lists of buildings that are organized by income levels. You should carefully read the income guidelines for all the programs to determine your eligibility, since you may fall within different categories for different programs.

In addition, remember that to apply for an apartment, you will have to contact the Managing Agent for each building to determine if they are accepting applications at this time. There is no central application office for these listings.

Low Income
Tax-Exempt 80/20 (.PDF)
Developments
Low-Income Affordable Marketplace Program (.PDF)
Developments

Moderate Income
Taxable 80/20 (.PDF)
Developments

Middle Income
Housing Opportunity Program (.PDF)

Mixed Income (Low- and Middle Income)
Mixed Income Program (.PDF)
Developments

The Department for the AgingThe Department for the Aging (DFTA) provides a comprehensive on-line listing of senior housing operating within the five boroughs. The information can be viewed by borough or by entering a zip code for the desired area.
Get the list by clicking here.

Supportive Housing:The Supportive Housing Network of New York provides a list of SRO units and studio apartments operated by non-profit agencies which provide some level of on-site supportive services. The majority of the units are for single individuals who are currently homeless in the NYC shelter system and/or who have a disability. Visit the website of the Supportive Housing Network for a New York City Intake List. There are very few vacancies.

a Healthy Future for Harlem and New York City / Public School Yards Should Be Open to the Public

a Healthy Future for Harlem and New York City
by Inez DickensJuly 24, 2006


Kids Playing Baseball in Harlem


That which ails society as a whole is usually at crisis level in the poorest neighborhoods and communities of color. This is particularly true when dealing with issues of health. Ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke and AIDS occur at alarming rates in Harlem, the area I represent in the New York City Council.

A 2004 report by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene illustrates the significant correlation between income and health. For instance, those who live in low-income neighborhoods are more than six times more likely to contract AIDS than those who reside in higher income neighborhoods. Likewise, low-income residents are more than three times more likely to have diabetes and suffer from a stroke.

The relationship between an individual's income level and their physical condition exists for a number of reasons.

First and probably most importantly, the overwhelming majority of low-income families have poor or no access to preventive health care. Annual visits to the doctor can often prevent serious illness or deteriorating health conditions.

Poor eating habits also play a key role. Many neighborhoods in New York City are in desperate need of grocery stores that offer more quality foods. Unfortunately, some residents only can shop at smaller stores that do not offer many fruits, vegetables, or other healthy foods. Likewise, nutritious food is often more expensive, which is why many parents purchase items with little nutritional value, such sugar-filled fruit drinks, rather than real juice.

Finally, too many New Yorkers ignore the benefits of exercise, particularly for children who are forming the habits that they will carry into adulthood. Physical fitness classes in our schools have become more lax, and we have simultaneously allowed our children to spend more and more free time on the Internet, playing video games, or watching television. There is little green space in many of our neighborhoods and what we have is often not maintained.

The only solution to this growing health crisis is to educate and engage our communities in healthy practices, beginning with young people.

HEALTHY EATING
Studies have shown that 27 percent of New York City's kindergarteners are obese and 15 percent are overweight. It is likely that these children will grow into adults who continue these unhealthy practices, causing harm to their own bodies and risking the well-being of those who depend upon them.

City agencies and various community-based groups have been gradually developing and implementing programs that will hopefully help us put our community on the track to good health. And fortunately, we are beginning to see these initiatives take shape.

Dr. Gregory Hodge, who is the principal of the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, has created an evening cooking class for both parents and students. This class is geared toward teaching how to cook healthy and fulfilling meals while also increasing the interaction between the parents and the school itself.

The world-famous Sylvia's Restaurant and North General Hospital have taken a similar course of action. These two local establishments have joined forces to create a cooking curriculum that will be implemented in public schools. This program also has the goal of teaching high school students how to diet properly, which can affect one's performance in the classroom. The curriculum will teach children how to tweak familiar foods and recipes in order to make them healthier. The program is still in the planning stages, but when it is complete it will act as a model, giving students the ability to prepare savory foods that are also healthy.

A coalition of health organizations and philanthropists have also created the Healthy Schools Program, designed to improve the nutritional value of food served in cafeterias, increase physical activity during the school day and after school, and implement classroom lessons on healthy lifestyles.

City agencies have created innovative ways to promote healthy living. For example, the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene recently encouraged the owners of small grocery stores in Harlem to sell low-fat milk. Historically, stores in Harlem have been reluctant to sell low-fat milk because they felt that it was not in demand. City officials helped with the promotion and even gave out free samples to children and their parents. The response was very positive and a number of small grocery store owners have recently committed to buying low-fat milk in the future.

PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
We must also make a push to increase physical activity in our schools.

As a City Council member, I have received numerous complaints about the shortcomings of gym classes in our public schools. Overcrowding, lack of gym or classroom space, poor equipment and inadequate lesson planning have created an environment in which physical activity is no longer emphasized. Schools must begin to implement physical education programs that are more demanding, and it is essential that these classes take place five times a week.

Programs such as S.P.A.R.K. (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids), a school based program that promotes physical activity, should be used as the model in engaging our children, parents and teachers in different types of physical activity that will strengthen both their body and mind.

HIV EDUCATION
HIV/AIDS continues to be a problem in the New York City, particularly in low-income neighborhoods.

The mayor’s office has taken a tremendous step by setting in place a curriculumthat seeks to educate young children on this particular topic. It is well documented that prior to this initiative the city was falling far short of its mandated responsibility to educate students in grades K through 8 on health, particularly HIV and AIDS awareness. Moving forward, we hope that this new initiative will make children more aware of their bodies and the responsibility that comes with having sex.

I hope we will continue to create innovative ways to encourage New Yorkers, both young and old, to take proactive health measures that increase their chances of living a long and productive life.

A COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE
With all of the negative things that are taking place in our nation and New York City, we must work to correct things over which we have direct control. Preventive health programs are a necessity for all New York City residents, and we must encourage proactive health initiatives in low-income communities.

We must not allow socioeconomic level be a deterrent from healthy living. Healthy schools and parents create mentally and physically sound children that will one day affect the path of our beloved city and great nation.

Inez Dickens represents district 9 in the New York City Council.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Public School Yards Should Be Open to the Public
By Gale Brewer

On weekdays, the schoolyard at PS 9 on West 84 Street in Manhattan buzzes with students climbing on the jungle gym, skipping rope, and playing basketball. But on the weekends, the scene is different; the playground is empty and the gate to the yard is locked.

It was not always this way. In years past, the schoolyard was open on evenings and over the weekends and neighbors used the area as a place to play with their children and to meet with one another.

This is also the case in more than 700 other schoolyards across the city. All of the underutilized schoolyards occupy approximately 948 acres of public land - an area greater than that of Central Park.

Despite a clear lack of recreational open space for residents, the Department of Education has closed most of its schoolyards to the public during the evenings and on weekends. In fact, 73 percent of all Department of Education schoolyards lie empty when school is not in session.

The citywide closure of playgrounds has occurred only in the last ten years. The exact rationale for closing schoolyards to the public seems to be unclear, but in most cases, the policy has persisted with little resistance.

And although the majority of schoolyards are closed to the public outside of school hours, roughly 300 schoolyards across the city do remain available to the public when children are not in the building. The majority of these are operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation, although additionally almost 25 have been “adopted” for operation by the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land conservation organization.

As more and more families are denied access to outdoor recreational spaces, it has become increasingly challenging for parents to promote their children's physical health.

Designating or creating new public space in New York City is an enormous challenge, requiring us to be creative in our effort to provide residents of all neighborhoods with access to adequate recreational facilities.

Let's open our public spaces to the public and give New Yorkers the space they need.

Gale Brewer represents the Upper West Side district 6 in the New York City Council



Other Related Articles:
React to this article on our Features and Commentaries Message Board.
Visit the Features and Commentaries Archive

Upper Manhattan Assembly Hearing on Affordable Housing

From: BFrappy24@aol.com
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 23:28:16 EDT
Subject: Re: Assembly Hearing on Affordable Housing
To: reysmont@yahoo.com

Below I am find the testimony I will give at the State Assembly
hearing up at CU Presbyterian Hospital tomorrow that Vito Lopez,
Adriano Espaillat and others have set up.

Tom D
------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Harlem Coalition
PO Box 660
Manhattanville Station,
New York, NY 10027
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
My name is Tom DeMott and I am a member of the West Harlem Coalition, a
non-profit group of volunteers who have been defending tenants rights for
twenty years. Our organization is also part of Nos Quedamos/Project Remain
and the Coalition to Preserve Community and we have all come together to deal
with the general issues of gentrification. We are dealing with very specific
problems - both with landlords like Pinnacle, which has a sophisticated campaign
to empty buildings in the name of "improvements", and with developers like
Columbia University, which has plans to create a biotech business park by
evicting businesses and residents using eminent domain, all in the name of
building an "academic campus".

My task today will be to discuss the role of MCI's in the harassment
process and to suggest some ways that a more equitable system can be
implemented which will prevent landlord abuse. We appreciate that the
Assembly has chosen to hold this hearing on July 24, 2006 and hope that
positive reforms are the result.

CHANGES NEEDED IN THE MCI PROCESS
(1) Financial documents including all bills, contracts, and precise
descriptions of work to be performed by the contractor should be part
of the normal disclosure practice required by the landlord to DHCR and
should be provided to all tenants as part of the MCI notification process by
regular mail.

(2) Relevant information should be provided to all tenants by regular
mail before the repair process begins. A full presentation of documents and
checks and items properly signed and dated must be submitted in a clear
manner with full explanation of who is signing and what their title is.

(3) Progress reports of repair work must be provided in three stages by
regular mail to all tenants. The first notification that work has
started should be mailed within three days of the start date. There should
also be a mid-stage report updating progress, and a final report stating when
the job has been completed.

(4) The process of making requests for information by tenants should be
made easier from DHCR. A sample of possible reasons to contest an MCI
should be developed by DHCR - and reviewed by tenants and lawyers -
and this should be sent to all tenants anytime a landlord seeks an MCI
increase at the beginning of that process.

(5) Requests for extensions to answer MCI's should be extended to 60
days and extensions for cause should be granted and "cause" should be
defined by DHCR.

(6) In co-op buildings, all tenants, not just the regulated tenants, should
share the cost of repairs. At this point, all apartments divide up the cost,
but the co-op owners do not face an immediate increase the way regulated
tenants do.

(7) It should be recognized that in co-op buildings there are often fewer
regulated tenants than in earlier years during the conversions to
co-ops. DHCR no longer gives the same weight to the complaints of the
regulated tenants because there are fewer of them in buildings that are
now co-ops and this unequal consideration must be rectified.

(8) DHCR no longer gives the same weight to the complaints of the regulated
tenants because there are fewer of them in regulated buildings. Because the
percentage of tenants still under rent regulation has decreased due to
vacancy de-control, DHCR must address its policy of unequal consideration of
complaints by regulated tenants if they deem the percentage too low.

(9) Regulated tenants who have paid for MCI increases one time (for
example, have paid MCI increases 20 years ago for window replacement
and are confronting a second round of increases for a new MCI request for
new windows) should pay 50% of whatever is approved by DHCR for those
new increases if they have already paid one shelf life cycle.

(10) Long time regulated tenants face disproportionate increases when
compared to co-opers or deregulated tenants. For example, tenants
paying $700.00 per month face the same cost per room as those paying
much more rent. Tenants with more apparent means end up paying the
same increase (or sometimes no increase) as do the older tenants who
probably have much less means to pay the increases. A more proportional
system of increases must be established so the heaviest increases are not
imposed on older (and more likely less economically capable) tenants.

(11) Certified accountants must submit a statement asserting that no
money has been used for MCI’s from a co-op reserve fund and proof
of must be submitted to back up that claim - proof which should also be
provided to each tenant by regular mail.

(12) The shelf life for replacement items should be extended in all
cases.

(13) A review of certain allowable items eligible for increases should be
done with tenants having equal input with the landlord lobbyists. (For
example, security systems are more often used for surveillance of tenants.
When a robbery occurs, it is difficult for individual tenants to get copies of
tapes. What a security system is should be clearly delineated and the onus of
paying for systems not used for crime prevention should not be on tenants.)

(14) The full brunt of the cost of MCI's should not fall on the tenants. It
should be split 50/50 (landlord covers half and the tenants cover the
other half)

(15) The percentage for allowable MCI increases per year should
reduced.

(16) A better system for collecting retroactive charges for MCI's must
be developed to eliminate the hardship of a huge and immediate bill for
tenants once MCI's have been approved by DHCR.

(17) The allowable time to do a PAR (Petition for Administrative
Review) must be increased to 60 days and extensions for cause should be
granted and "cause" should be defined by DHCR.

(18) There is major abuse of the MCI/amortization rent increase system when
landlords are renovating apartments between tenancies. Somehow they
manage to bring the cost of the renovation to the point where applying the
1/40th formula gets the rent in the apartment above $2000 and it is
deregulated for the subsequent tenant. Claims by landlords that renovations
cost the $40,000 or $60,000 - which result in immediate increases of $1,000
or $1,500 using the 1/40 amortization formula - are hard to contest for the
same reasons outlined above for MCI's.

There needs to be a mechanism for checking renovations and some
industry standard prices set for such work---as standard practice by DHCR or
some other agency that works with DHCR. We are talking about the future of
affordable housing and race and class diversity in a city that is rapidly losing
both. The real estate industry has craftily used a variety of tactics to get
instant and huge increases which go far beyond the original intention of the
legislation.

A cap must be put on the allowable increases to prevent abuse. If a
landlord wants to renovate an apartment, that is fine, but there has to be a cap
on the amount of an increase allowed when these "major renovations" which
double, triple or quadruple rents are claimed. A diverse committee should be
established to set a cap.

Unless there is a tightening of the laws to prevent landlord abuse of
rent-stabilization - legislation which prevents these opportunities for
jacking up rents by huge percentages - there will soon be no more affordable
apartments.

The state should do a survey of the rents being charged in apartments
against the legal maximum rent filed at DHCR. The agency could mail tenants a
printout of what their legal rent should be and ask tenants to send back notice
if this is what they pay or not. Leveraging an additional penalty for all
landlords found to be gouging, similar to the triple-damages clause, could pay
for such a survey Finally, luxury decontrol should be eliminated or the minimum increased
from $2,000 to $6,000.00. And, if a landlord decides to install a dishwasher
or washing machine in an apartment to get increases which will help get to
the decontrol level, tenants in all apartments in the building should be
notified that they have the right to install equivalent appliances.
Thank you for holding this hearing and listening to the problems we
tenants are facing and our ideas for a more equitable system.

Tom DeMott - Executive Committee member of the West Harlem Coalition

New York City Affordable Housing Resource Center

New York City Affordable Housing Resource Center

Welcome to the New York City Affordable Housing Resource Center. Here you will find information on all aspects of City housing, including renting an apartment, buying a home, and apartment maintenance issues. Through this site, you will also find all of the City's affordable housing lottery listings.

Hot Topics
Are you looking for an affordable apartment?
Are you interested in public housing?
Are you interested in Section 8 housing?
Are you about to be evicted from your home?
Do you lack heat/hot water or have other maintenance problems in your apartment?
Are you looking for legal help in a housing matter?
Are you a senior or person with a disability looking for housing?

Columbia rewrites its campus plans

Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 06:26:06 -0400
To:
From: "Tenant"
Subject: Maxine and Jordi

Columbia rewrites its campus plans
Crains
By Erik Engquist & Anne Michaud
Published on July 24, 2006

Columbia University has modified plans for its proposed $7 billion satellite campus in Manhattanville after several years of resisting complaints from community leaders about the way the project walled itself off from the surrounding neighborhood.

The new design shifts open space from the center of the campus toward the western edge, to connect to a city park being developed on the Hudson River. It lowers and varies the height of some buildings, and it reopens a 125th Street entrance to a residential building for faculty and staff, says Maxine Griffith, Columbia's executive vice president for government and community affairs.

Community officials praised the alterations, which they were shown earlier this month. "For them, it has been a major change," says Community Board 9 Chairman Jordi Reyes-Montblanc.

Columbia officials hope to begin the seven-month city land-use approval process for the project in the fall. But Mr. Reyes-Montblanc believes that is overly optimistic. More than 80 people have filed objections with the city Planning Department to Columbia's draft environmental impact study. Those complaints must be answered before the land-use approval process can start.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tenant Network(tm) for Residential Tenants
TenantNet(tm): http://tenant.net
email: tenant@tenant.net

Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant activists and is not considered legal advice.




Other link:
http://plannyc.org/project-33-Columbia-University-Expansion?POSTNUKESID=56425926f792c6b4dd0977b25fb29a1c

NYC Hazards: Coastal Storms and Hurricanes

OEM

NYC Hazards: Coastal Storms and Hurricanes

Coastal storms, including nor'easters, tropical storms and hurricanes, can and do affect New York City. In fact, New York's densely populated and highly developed coastline makes the city among the most vulnerable to hurricane-related damage.

Due to regional geography, hurricanes in New York City — though infrequent — can do far more damage than hurricanes of similar strength in the southern United States. With sustained winds of 74 mph or greater, hurricanes can flatten building, topple tress and turn loose objects into deadly projectiles. Along with torrential rains, storm surge is among a hurricane's most hazardous features. A major hurricane could push more than 30 feet of storm surge into some parts of New York City.

It's important New Yorkers take the time to prepare. If you live within 10 blocks of a coastal area, it is more likely that you will be directed to evacuate before a severe coastal storm or hurricane. However, all residents should have a plan in the event they need to evacuate or ride out the storm at home.

During hurricanes, residents in designated evacuation zones may be asked to leave their homes. To find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation zone, use OEM's Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder or call 311.

To find out more about these storms and New York City's coastal storm response procedures, visit the pages listed in the box at left, or download and print a copy of our Ready New York hurricane brochure. You may also call 311 to receive a copy of the brochure by mail.


Learn More:

Coastal Storm Basics

NYC Hurricane History

Measuring Hurricane Strength

Hurricane Forecasting

Tracking a Storm


PREPARING FOR A HURRICANE

Hurricane Safety Tips

Hurricane Evacuation

High-rise Evacuation

Hurricane Sheltering


HURRICANE HAZARDS

Storm Surge

Coastal Flooding

Others:
Ready New York
CERT
NYC Hazards
Building Collapses/Explosions
Carbon Monoxide
Coastal Storms & Hurricanes
Disease Outbreaks & Biological Events
Earthquakes
Extreme Heat
Fire
Flooding
HazMats, Chemical Spills & Radiation
Severe Weather
Thoughts on Terrorism
Utilities Disruptions
Winter Weather

NEWLY CONSTRUCTED APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN MANHATTAN

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:59:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: "My NYC.gov News"
To: reysmont@yahoo.com
Subject: NEWLY CONSTRUCTED APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN MANHATTAN

July 21, 2006 NEWLY CONSTRUCTED APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN MANHATTAN The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has updated its web content concerning housing for rent in Manhattan. 1115 First Avenue Associates LP is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for 44 affordable housing rental apartments now under construction at 1115 First Avenue in the Upper East Side section of Manhattan. This building is being constructed through the Inclusionary Housing Program of New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and the New York State Housing Finance Agency Multi Family Project with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. For more information, visit the HPD website at www.nyc.gov/hpd/html/apartment/lotteries.shtml. We suggest you look at HPD's apartment and home lists at least once a month. This is the NYC.gov News You Requested For: Apartments and Homes for Rent or Sale To subscribe please go to this link: https://www.nyc.gov/portal/signin.jsp Comment on this news service PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/apartment/lotteries.shtml

APARTMENT SEEKERS
Current Housing Lotteries

HPD does not rent apartments. We work with real estate professionals and community sponsors who market apartments. We require that subsidized apartments be rented through an Open Lottery System to ensure fair and equitable distribution of housing to eligible applicants.

In order to participate in a lottery, you will have to contact building managers, community sponsors and/or real estate professionals directly to fill out an application and enter it in an apartment lottery. There are no brokers' fees and no application fees.

If you would like to receive an e-mail when the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development has updated its web content concerning apartment and home listings for City-sponsored housing in the five boroughs, please register for this feature at www.nyc.gov/hpd

The full descriptions of the apartments listed below are available in .PDF format. To download these descriptions, you will need the latest copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program can be downloaded for free from this link: "Acrobat and the Web."

Borough & Neighborhood Size of Apartment Units Available Annual Gross Income Application Deadline Full Description
Manhattan
Central Harlem 1 & 2 Bedroom 31 View advertisement July 31, 2006 View pdf

Upper East Side Studio1 Bedroom 44 View advertisement September 23, 2006 View pdf

Brooklyn
East New York 3-Family Homes 11 View advertisement August 30, 2006 View pdf

Bronx
Westchester Avenue Studio1 Bedroom2 Bedroom 48 View advertisement July 25, 2006 View pdf

Mott Haven 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom 107 View advertisement July 31, 2006 View pdf

Melrose Studio, 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom 125 View advertisement August 26, 2006 iew pdf

Crotona Studio, 1, 2 &3 Bedroom 71 View advertisement September 9, 2006 View pdf

HDC's Lists of DevelopmentsThe NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has several programs, each with different income requirements. You may be eligible for one or more programs, depending on your income and family size. Check the guidelines for each program first, and then consult the following lists of buildings that are organized by income levels. You should carefully read the income guidelines for all the programs to determine your eligibility, since you may fall within different categories for different programs.

In addition, remember that to apply for an apartment, you will have to contact the Managing Agent for each building to determine if they are accepting applications at this time. There is no central application office for these listings.

Low Income
Tax-Exempt 80/20 (.PDF)
Developments
Low-Income Affordable Marketplace Program (.PDF)
Developments

Moderate Income
Taxable 80/20 (.PDF)
Developments

Middle Income
Housing Opportunity Program (.PDF)

Mixed Income (Low- and Middle Income)
Mixed Income Program (.PDF)
Developments

The Department for the Aging
The Department for the Aging (DFTA) provides a comprehensive on-line listing of senior housing operating within the five boroughs. The information can be viewed by borough or by entering a zip code for the desired area. Get the list by clicking here.

Supportive Housing:
The Supportive Housing Network of New York provides a list of SRO units and studio apartments operated by non-profit agencies which provide some level of on-site supportive services. The majority of the units are for single individuals who are currently homeless in the NYC shelter system and/or who have a disability.

Visit the website of the Supportive Housing Network for a New York City Intake List. There are very few vacancies.



Apartment Seekers:
-
Current Housing Lotteries
-
Mitchell-Lama Apartments
-
Additional Resources