Photo: Jimmy Van Bramer (Twitter)
March 16, 2016 By Christian Murray
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer will vote in favor of two controversial zoning text amendments next week.
The zoning text amendments, called Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) and Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA), are likely to be put up for a council vote March 22.
The amendments were designed by the de Blasio administration to promote the construction of affordable housing and high quality developments. They initially received a cool reception from Community Board 2.
Van Bramer is in favor of the amendments since they have been revised and they address many of the concerns residents have voiced, according to his spokesperson Arielle Swernoff.
Several elements of de Blasio’s zoning text amendments were changed as part of a deal struck with the City Council Monday. For instance, the Council has created a new affordable housing option where developers are given the option to construct a reduced number of subsidized units as long as they target residents in a lower income bracket.
Critics had claimed that the income bands to qualify for affordable housing were too high.
Another change aims to spread the affordable units throughout a development instead of allowing them to be more clustered within one section of a building. It also requires developers who build the affordable units in a different building–offsite–to build more rent-subsidized apartments.
The deal also aims to clamp down on developers trying to skirt their affordable housing requirements by claiming hardship through the Board of Standards and Appeals.
Van Bramer’s spokeswoman said the Councilman will remain attentive to infrastructure keeping pace with the increased housing stock.
She said that he has a strong record of bringing schools to the district.
Last month it was announced that the mayor had allocated $225 million for the construction of four schools in the 26th Council district. Three would be in Long Island City and the other in Woodside.
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8 Comments
Hope Jimmy is enjoying that self approved raise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yaTLYL9etk
JVB sold out to RE interests. Too cozy as a majority leader awaiting re-election.
Havoc will be created in LIC/Sunnyside.
Van Bramer is the BIGGEST sellout that ever came to Sunnyside! I’m sure his mom won’t have to worrying about affordable housing for the elderly!
May karma get you good JVB
The fix is in
“You know, these buildings are disgusting,” Caro says, motioning to the luxury high-rises. “No one seems to speak out against them. You wonder what New York is going to become.”
http://gothamist.com/2016/02/17/robert_caro_author_interview.php
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this sunnysidepost article is heartbreaking.
when pat o’brien and lisa deller and the whole of community board 2 worked so hard to speak for us to reject these proposals, it took wonderful courage. (re lacking infrastructure, obriens’s “10 lbs of potatoes in a 5 lb. bag”).
how can bringing in millions more people or 1000’s more highrises work? how did details of “concessions” by big real estate come to equal affordable housing? are they the mayor?
if we have the taxpayer billions to create infrastructure later,
why not spend now to fix trains, sewers, create parks, and build beautiful affordable housing high and low end without making an unlivable city? there are empty lots here where small units could go and areas crying out for growth. there are a 100 ways to create affordable housing without this wholesale rezoning.
as o’brien said, how will new residents get to work? how are snarled traffic and no parking be then? how is this good to give real estate the city?
what are boro presiidents for? what are community boards for? so they are all supposed to go back to work, for free, on tiny matters?
This is a sad week for the city of new york. our jimmy, who has been courageous on so many things – please reconsider.
others: SIGN THIS to at least show 5 yrs from now you saw what was coming. the sky is not falling; it will be disappearing:) you do not have to have your name shown.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/588/464/620/vote-%22no.%22-stop-massive-zoning-changes-in-nyc-opposed-by-the-majority-of-people-of-nyc/#sign
Didn’t almost every CB in the city vote “no” on this? Didn’t they stress that our infrastructure is already crumbling and life is unbearable already? Aren’t developers famous for making promises they don’t keep? Who cast votes to put our council people in office, millions of hardworking New Yorkers or a handful of real estate developers? NYC’s most famous real estate developer is now poised to destroy two hundred and forty years of American integrity by bullying his way to the White House. And our local elected officials are bowing down to them again. They are looking us right in the eye and Trumping us.
Get out of the way of business and let business do what business does.