|
What We Are Doing? > Development Watchperson
The passage of the City's zoning plan has unleashed a huge number new construction projects in the upland areas of our community, creating problems that to date have only been addressed on a case-by-case basis by the affected parties themselves (tenants, small property owners and local businesses). Aptly described by the Greenpoint Star as "becoming epidemic," they include:
- Several buildings adjacent to development sites have had their foundations undermined
and/or exterior and interior walls damaged, leading to unsafe conditions, tenant
evacuations, and in some extreme cases, building collapse.
- Some development projects have broken ground without appropriate permits or in violation
of the terms of the permit (i.e., disregarding limitations on days/hours of operation).he passage of the City's zoning plan has unleashed a huge number new construction projects in the upland areas of our community, creating problems that to date have only been addressed on a case-by-case basis by the affected parties themselves (tenants, small property owners and local businesses). Aptly described by the Greenpoint Star as "becoming epidemic," they include:
- Several buildings adjacent to development sites have had their foundations undermined
and/or exterior and interior walls damaged, leading to unsafe conditions, tenant
evacuations, and in some extreme cases, building collapse.
- Some development projects have broken ground without appropriate permits or in violation
of the terms of the permit (i.e., disregarding limitations on days/hours of operation).
- Dust and debris resulting from demolition and construction extending over the development
sites lot lines in violation of New York City environmental laws.
- In the remaining manufacturing portions of the rezoned area, there have been reports of
property owners not renewing leases for viable industrial tenants, thereby establishing
the groundwork for an "economic hardship case" for a future conversion to residential
zoning, through a variance.
This onslaught has been exacerbated by indifferent developers, inappropriate or non-responses from the Department of Buildings (DOB), and inadequate legal protections for those who have been unfairly affected by it. For example, owners of damaged buildings must seek compensation through the courts, and evacuated tenants must find and pay for their own living arrangements.
In most cases, individual tenants and small property or business owners do not have the resources to deal with these difficult circumstances, and local community-based organizations like NAG do not have the capacity, experience, or authority to effectively intervene.
The goal of the Community Development Watchperson Project will be to provide a part-time staff person to address a range of issues and problems resulting from local development, and help mediate fair and timely resolutions for aggrieved parties:
- Develop strong relationships with property owners, tenants, and developers to preempt
possible problems or to better identify and respond to problems as they arise.
- Serve as a first point of contact for the community as questions and problems arise that
cannot be dealt with satisfactorily through regular means.
- Provide direct access to the appropriate City agencies and available assistance programs.
- Resolve issues as they arise.
- Dust and debris resulting from demolition and construction extending over the development
sites lot lines in violation of New York City environmental laws.
- In the remaining manufacturing portions of the rezoned area, there have been reports of
property owners not renewing leases for viable industrial tenants, thereby establishing
the groundwork for an "economic hardship case" for a future conversion to residential
zoning, through a variance.
This onslaught has been exacerbated by indifferent developers, inappropriate or non-responses from the Department of Buildings (DOB), and inadequate legal protections for those who have been unfairly affected by it. For example, owners of damaged buildings must seek compensation through the courts, and evacuated tenants must find and pay for their own living arrangements.
In most cases, individual tenants and small property or business owners do not have the resources to deal with these difficult circumstances, and local community-based organizations like NAG do not have the capacity, experience, or authority to effectively intervene.
The goal of the Community Development Watchperson Project will be to provide a part-time staff person to address a range of issues and problems resulting from local development, and help mediate fair and timely resolutions for aggrieved parties:
- Develop strong relationships with property owners, tenants, and developers to preempt
possible problems or to better identify and respond to problems as they arise.
- Serve as a first point of contact for the community as questions and problems arise that
cannot be dealt with satisfactorily through regular means.
- Provide direct access to the appropriate City agencies and available assistance programs.
- Resolve issues as they arise.
|
