Announcing the NAG Organizing Agenda

Old and new residents in Williamsburg and Greenpoint have more in common than separates us. We all care about improving our quality of life, keeping our neighborhood affordable, being able to get around our neighborhood safely and quickly, and preserving the unique mixed character of our neighborhood. By working together, we can help address common problems that we cannot solve on our own.

Join us for a working meeting
Thursday December 4, 2008 at 7p
Kicking off NAG's 2009 Organizing Agenda

Holy Ghost Church Hall Basement
160 North 5th Street (between Bedford and Driggs)

Based on ideas generated by the community at our Oct 2, 2008 Town Hall Organizing Meeting and on feedback from a survey completed by community members, we propose the following issues as NAG's priority organizing issues for 2009:

Preserving Affordable Housing Options for Residents
Rent stabilization is being undermined and the anti-harassment zoning provisions are going unenforced. There are also opportunities to get local residents into new affordable housing that is being built.

Improving Open Space and Access to the Waterfront
The promise of new city waterfront parks made during the 2005 rezoning is in jeopardy and access to new waterfront spaces is being delayed.

Offering Safe and Quick Transportation Options For the Neighborhood
The use of local trains and buses has surged, yet we are facing massive potential service cuts from the MTA. There is a lack of education about how to share the road among bikers and drivers alike, leading to more frequent conflicts on the road as the popularity of biking increases.

Improving our Quality of Life and Preserving Community Character
Our commercial areas are losing their diversity and need more street furniture, trees and garbage/recycling collection. Local nightlife has many benefits, but we need to manage it better in areas where noise is disturbing residents. Construction activity is devastating to neighboring residents' quality of life, while buildings that were pulled down in the real estate boom are sure to remain vacant lots for years. Rezoning changes are being proposed in several areas of the neighborhood that will affect what kind of development can happen in the future.

Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and start organizing!