Aug 28, 2013 Downtown Express

VOLUME 5, NUMBER 26

THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

Clock Ticking on New Housing at Fulton

BY EILEEN STUKANE The 158 units of affordable housing being developed by Artimus Construction on a Fulton Houses’ parking lot and trash compactor location (on the north side of West 18th Street near 10th Avenue) continues to draw strong community interest. On August 19, a crowd of nearly 100 people gathered at the Fulton Center Auditorium

Continued on page 3

Photo by Cheryl Williamson

Yetta Kurland and Corey Johnson, the two Democratic candidates for the City Council's District 3 seat, faced off at a debate sponsored by NYC Community Media on Aug. 26 (on the right, Gay City News editor Paul Schindler — who moderated the debate, along with Villager editor Lincoln Anderson).

As Primary Looms, Corey and Yetta Spar

BY SAM SPOKONY For two people so ideologically similar in their fundamental concerns, the Democratic candidates for the District 3 City Council seat have proven increasingly adept at getting under one another’s skin.

Corey Johnson, the current and twiceelected chair of Community Board 4, and Yetta Kurland, a civil rights attorney and activist, each traded verbal jabs and concrete proposals during their debate on August 26, at the Chelsea Bow Tie Cinemas on West 23rd Street.

The event, which was sponsored by NYC Community Media (the publisher of Chelsea Now), marked one of the last, if not the final, face-to-face showdowns between the two candidates before the primary election on September 10.

The result of the primary will effectively decide the winner of the District

3 seat, which has been held for the past 14 years by Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and which spans from 55th Street to Canal Street and from Fifth Avenue to the Hudson River.

But beyond that sense of urgency, the explosive atmosphere of the last debate — which featured an audience of extremely vocal supporters on both sides (but particularly Johnson’s) — was fueled primarily by pointed and, at times, personal attacks that have become a constant element in this tense race.

ST. VINCENT’S SITE

Both Johnson and Kurland led by declaring that their first priority, if elected, would be to work towards restoring a full-service hospital to the district, since so many Lower West Side residents feel that their healthcare needs have been

neglected following the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

Kurland has long made the hospital issue a centerpiece of her campaign by touting her strong leadership in the fight against St. Vincent’s demise, while also reminding voters that she — with the support of a community coalition — later succeeded in forcing the state’s Department of Health to recognize an obligation to restore a hospital at that site.

The Rudin Management Company — the developer who is building a massive luxury housing project on the former St. Vincent’s site — has thus been compelled to work with a Long Island hospital to build a $139 million, two-and-a-half bed emergency medical facility across the street from the new housing.

(119 Ninth Avenue) for the Community Board 4 (CB4) Land Use Committee meeting — where a vote on zoning and building modifications was on the agenda, as well as presentation and discussion of the building’s proposed amenities, including those relating to parking.

The Fulton project received a Uniform Land

Candidates Talk ULURP Reform

BY SCOTT STIFFLER We’ve followed them on the campaign trail. We’ve read their website bios and their policy papers. We’ve watched the debates, hosted a few of our own and welcomed them to our round table for lengthy roundtable discussions.

Under the stewardship of publisher Jennifer Goodstein, NYC Community Media — comprised of Chelsea Now, The Villager, The East Villager, Downtown Express and Gay City News — has been meet-

Continued on page 5

5 15 CANAL ST., U N IT 1C • MAN H ATTA N , N Y 10 013 • C OPYRIG HT © 2013 N YC COM M U N ITY M ED IA , LLC

ing with candidates for city council, borough president and mayor, in anticipation of choosing our endorsements (see pages 8 and 9 of this issue). Each editor asked questions of particular interest to their readership — which, for Chelsea Now, meant exploring possible reforms to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process.

When a developer’s ULURP application is approved by the City

Continued on page 4

ENDORSEMENTS PAGE 8

REaDY TO RUN, iN THE SUMMER SUN PAGE 14

2 August 28 - September 11, 2013

'Wives' Eavesdrops on Bronx Bombers' Better Halves

Photo by Jonathan Slaff

L-R: Eliza Simpson, McKenna Fox, Jennifer Laine Williams, Cristina Marie, Chudney Sykes and Samanthan Strelitz are the “Yankee Wives.”

Those Bronx-based boys of summer have had their share of drama this season — on and off the field. But year in and year out, some of best action happens behind the scenes, as the players on a “team-within-a-team” experience the rivalries and partnerships that come with being one of the “Yankee Wives.”

This Group Theatre Too production has novelist, screenwriter and playwright David Rimmer (a Pulitzer finalist for 1980’s “Album”) directing a revised version of his sexy and irreverent 1982 play. Inspired to pen a fictional account of Yankee wives after watching the real Bronx Bombers on TV in the 1970s, Rimmer recalls how he “realized they were an alternate

family. They spend more time with each other than with anybody else because no one else is there for them. It’s a cloistered society — no one else knows what it’s like.” Audiences seem to disagree with that last assessment: Over the years, Rimmer’s been told by more than one real-life baseball wife that the play’s fly-on-thewall observations are right on target.

Aug. 29-Sept. 15. Thurs.-Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 2pm (except Aug. 29 at 7pm & Sept. 12 at 6:30pm). At The Hudson Guild Theater (441 W. 26th St., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.). For tickets ($18, $15 for students/seniors), call 212868-4444 or visit yankeewives.com. Also visit grouptheatretoo.org.

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August 28 - September 11, 2013

3

CB4 Weighs In On New Housing Development At Fulton Continued from page 1 Use Review Procedure (ULURP) certification on July 8 from the Department of City Planning (DCP). Once the ULURP certification was obtained by the project managers, the clock that allows the community to weigh in on the project began ticking. CB4 had 60 days from July 8 to hold public hearings and make any recommendations for changes to the City Planning Commission (CPC).

That would make September 6 the deadline for CB4 to make its wishes on the project known to the CPC — hence, this unexpected August meeting at the height of summer vacation time. (After CB4 weighs in, the borough president has 30 days to respond, and the CPC, 60 days after that — at which point it goes before the City Council, whose final vote is subject only to a rarely invoked mayoral override.

Lee Compton, co-chair of CB4’s Land Use Committee, moderated the meeting from a dais that included 10 members of the committee, as well as Joe Restuccia, co-chair of CB4’s Housing Committee.

At a July 10 meeting, the possible displacing two of Fulton Housing’s playgrounds for parking lots greatly concerned the community, and Artimus Construction offered a poor presenta-

tion of the project (with barely visible poster boards propped on an easel, and no paper handouts). At this meeting, Evan Kashanian of Artimus was prepared with a full-screen power point presentation accompanied by handouts with the proposed zoning changes and drawings of the project clearly identified. At issue: a zoning map amendment, which would change the project district from an R8 to an R8A, allowing for a higher building. Also at issue: zoning waivers that would allow changes in the proposed building’s base height from 85 to 124 feet (front setback from 20 to 10 feet, rear setback from 20 to 24 feet) and change the requirement for a sky exposure plane — the height at which a building begins to be angled for light and air.

PLAYGROUND VS. PARKING: RUMOR OR REALITY?

Before Compton introduced Kashanian, he stated that in addition to the 158 units, a new playground would be created. “It is unfortunate that the rumor got started that the project was going to displace parking and in order to make up for it, was going to take over a playground,” asserted Compton. “That was never the plan. It was not in any of the papers at all.”

Continued on page 22

Photo by Scott Stiffler

Artimus Construction plans to build 150 units of affordable housing, on the north side of West 18th Street (near 10th Ave.).

4 August 28 - September 11, 2013

For Sept. 10 Poll Site & Ballot Info: vote.nyc.ny.us or 866-VOTE-NYC

Candidates Agree on Need for ULURP Reform Continued from page 1 Planning Commission (CPC), CB4 weighs in — then the borough president has 30 days to respond, and the CPC, 60 days after that — at which point, it goes before the City Council, whose final vote is subject only to a rarely invoked mayoral override.

Everyone we spoke with voiced support for reforming the process. Candidates differed, however, in the extent to which they’d grant something more than advisory power to community boards and the borough president. Our discussions often touched upon embedding community benefits such as schools and affordable housing into the ULURP process.

The below is not a complete collection of all the candidates we interviewed, but it does represent the major points of view and proposals.

----------------------------------------

JULIE MENIN

Former Community Board 1 Chair and candidate for borough president I put out a policy paper a couple months ago on the need to reform ULURP. When I chaired Community

Board 1, I testified in front of the charter revision commission and submitted testimony…Other cities are doing this so much better. They have clear, mandated standards that say if you are going to have development, we are going to insist that the project provides enough new school seats to the new residents that are part of the project. Similarly, other cities require a mandated percentage of set-aside for affordable housing on site.

If you look at the larger land use ULURP projects — Columbia University expansion, NYU expansion, Chelsea Market expansion, South Street Seaport — you have widely differing results. And so sometimes the giveback might be a school, sometimes it might be real affordable housing. It’s a complete free-for-all without enough clear, discernible standards, and that does not benefit the community.

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JESSICA LAPPIN

District 5 City Councilmember and candidate for borough president The borough president should play a central role” in shepherding ULURP applications while they’re at the community board level, before it reaches the BP’s

desk…Whatever it is, they need to be heard through the process, I think the borough president should be helping make sure that happens. That’s something that I don’t think [current borough president] Scott [Stringer] has done as much as I would do.

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BILL THOMPSON

Former City Comptroller and mayoral candidate We have to focus and build affordable housing — low, moderate and middle income housing across the city of New York. It is less a city of opportunity if people can’t afford to live here, and you are seeing that occur right now. In places where the city controls land, we should be working with residents of the hosing authority to talk about doing some things on the grounds, at different housing authority developments…If I’m starting to talk about market [rate affordable housing], then my conversation shouldn’t be 80/20. It should start to become 50/30/20 — that 30 being middle income.

I dislike the part of the ULURP process that gets into the city council and each city council person appears to be negotiation these days a community benefit

agreement. I think we need to make that more of a standardized type of situation.

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CHRISTINE QUINN

City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate As Speaker, I proposed a number of ideas for the Charter Revision Commission on how to improve the ULURP process that I would work to get implemented as mayor. They included changes to the pre-certification process that would allow for more community input, by requiring City Planning to meet with the Community Board or Borough President within 30 days of sending them required materials.

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BILL DE BLASIO

Public Advocate and mayoral candidate We’ve all been to this movie. The front end is where the action is. It can be one year, two years, four years of

Continued on page 21

August 28 - September 11, 2013

For Sept. 10 Poll Site & Ballot Info: vote.nyc.ny.us or 866-VOTE-NYC

5

Candidates Voice Plans, Trade Jabs Continued from page 1 At the August 26 debate, Kurland continued to push her plan to turn that tiny center into a more hefty 200-bed facility.

“The coalition I’ve worked with on this has had engineers come in to analyze the site, and they said they could add four to six floors to that building for the same or similar cost,” she said. “That would be a good stepping stone, a good first step for our community, and it would save lives.”

But when pressed later on in the debate, Kurland balked on committing to being able to get a project like that underway within her first term on the Council, instead simply repeating that it would be a “number one priority.”

Johnson, on the other hand, did commit to being able to get started on a bigger hospital within his first term, although he (like Kurland) said that in the end, he doesn’t care where within the district that hospital is eventually built, as long as it gets done.

Johnson did, however, point to his interest in a “creative plan” that is being talked about within the community to look at the St. John’s building — at the corner of Houston Street and the West Side Highway — as a potential site for a full-service hospital.

“It would still be a good location for the community,” Johnson said, “and I’ve been told that the folks who own that building are open to discussing it.”

Even though their attitudes towards the need for a hospital are nearly identical, Kurland chose to attack Johnson’s record regarding activism at St. Vincent’s.

At one point, when Johnson spoke about his vehement opposition to Speaker Quinn’s support of the Rudin plan before the hospital’s closure, Kurland called him out for allegedly jumping on the bandwagon too late in the game.

“For Corey to say that he opposed the St. Vincent’s closure by testifying at a City Council hearing that took place two-and-a-half years after the hospital closed…I think we really want to see people standing up before that,” she said.

That remark prompted some audience members to aggressively shout Kurland down, with one even telling her, “Shut up!”

Johnson responded by acknowledging his opponent’s well-known leadership on the issue, while stressing that he had, in fact, been there during the struggle.

“Yetta, you did a great job with regard to St. Vincent’s,” he said. “And I will work with you on that issue whether or not I’m elected.

But I was at those community meetings [to fight against the hospital’s closure]. I wasn’t up front leading them — you were. And you did great work. A lot of people did a lot of work and pitched in to that effort. But for you to try to hurtfully say this…I think we need to stop blaming people like that. It’s not the way to move forward.”

CLASH ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Both candidates stated that a fight for new affordable housing in the district would be

another top priority if elected.

Johnson, who has served on CB4 since 2005, has promoted his work with the board on affordable housing as one of the key aspects of his personal record.

In particular, he had stressed at a previous debate on August 22 (sponsored by the LGBT advocacy group FIERCE) that, under his leadership, CB4 was able to partner with elected officials and agency officials to succeed in creating 139 units of affordable housing at a new building at West 29th Street and 10th Avenue, which will be opening this fall. Those units — of which 70 percent will house artists, 15 percent seniors and 15 percent CB4 residents — were restored to the community by transferring former Section 8 housing units (which were no longer being provided to lowincome tenants) from Manhattan Plaza, an artist housing development on West 43rd Street.

“During my time on the community board, the number one issue we’ve pushed is building affordable housing,” Johnson said at the August 22 debate. “And I can’t say that we’ve built enough, but we’ve done our best, and I’m going to keep fighting for that.”

At the August 26 debate, Johnson reiterated his belief that the city should stop relying so heavily on the state-level 421a program — more commonly known as the 80/20 program — which provides a tax abatement for developers who put up a residential building with 20 percent affordable housing.

“The city should be investing public dollars into real affordable housing, like Westbeth [in the West Village] and Penn South [in Chelsea],” he said.

Kurland took every opportunity at the August 26 debate to undercut her opponent’s orations on that issue, claiming that he just “talks a good game” when it comes to affordable housing and standing up to big developers.

She stated, at various times during the debate that big development projects like Hudson Yards (of which only 5,000 out of 20,000 residential units will be affordable), the Chelsea Market expansion and others were basically unaffected by Johnson’s personal opposition.

“Every single one of those plans has been approved by the community board that Corey Johnson chairs,” she said.

Kurland, however, did not provide any concrete plans to create affordable housing, and instead stated that her work as a tenants’ rights attorney has given her experience in protecting SRO (single room occupancy) and low-income tenants against conniving landlords.

OFFENSIVE (AND DEFENSIVE) CHARGES

The issue of real estate interests is one that has led to some of the most heated exchanges in this race, as Kurland continues to portray Johnson as an untrustworthy candidate with unbreakable ties to big developers. Her efforts to do that figured heavily into the August 26 debate, perhaps at the expense of her ability to present her own ideas within the time allotted by the moderators.

Specifically, Kurland attempted to publicly shame Johnson for his past job at GFI Development Company, and his current part-

Photo by Sam Spokony

Aug. 22: Yetta Kurland and Corey Johnson, the two Democratic candidates running for the City Council’s District 3 seat, faced off at a debate sponsored by LGBT-advocacy group FIERCE.

time work for the Sydell Group, both of which are New York-based developers.

“The real question is,” Kurland claimed, referring to her opponent, “are you going to elect the person who the political insiders and the special interests are going to feel most comfortable with?”

Although he did not choose to publicly disclose his past and current employment as part of his candidacy until it was revealed by

a political website (citycouncilwatch.net) and then pounced upon by Kurland, Johnson has not backed down from those pointed questions of his political integrity.

At the most recent debate, as in previous forums, Johnson instead sought to spend time actually providing detailed answers to the moderators’ questions, as well as trying to

Continued on page 18

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Apartment Household Rent** Total Annual Household Income Available Size Size* Minimum – Maximum*** 40% Area Median Income 4 5

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Initial occupancy expected for March 1 of 2014. Building amenities include: 24-hour attended lobby, on-site resident manager, sun terrace, fitness center*, computer lounge*, bbq terrace*, party rooms* (*additional fees apply). Qualified applicants will be required to meet income and household size guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify.

Households may elect to submit an application by one of two methods: EITHER online OR by mail. To submit your application online now, please visit NYC Housing Connect at www.nyc.gov/housingconnect and select “Apply for Housing”. All online applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM on September 30, 2013. To request an application by mail, send your complete name and mailing th address, including apartment number and zip code, to: RW30, 328 8 Avenue, Box 240, New York, NY 10001. Completed applications must be postmarked no later than by September 30, 2013. Applications will be selected by lottery; applicants who submit more than one application will be disqualified. When completed, this application must be returned by regular mail ONLY (priority, certified, registered, express, overnight mail, or oversized envelopes will NOT be accepted). Disqualified applications will not be accepted. Eligible households that include persons with mobility impairments will receive preference for 5% of the units; eligible households that include persons with visual and/or hearing impairments will receive preference for 2% of the units. Current and eligible residents of Manhattan Community Board 4 will receive preference for 50% of the units; eligible City of New York Municipal Employees will receive a 5% preference.

THIS IS A SMOKE-FREE DEVELOPMENT. No Broker’s Fee. No Application Fee. MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, Mayor The City of New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development MATHEW M. WAMBUA, Commissioner New York State Homes & Community Renewal DARRYL C. TOWNS, Commissioner/CEO www.nyc.gov/housingconnect

6 August 28 - September 11, 2013

Suspect Sketches Released in Attack on Gay Couple in Chelsea

BY ANDY HUMM Police have released sketches of two men suspected of assaulting a gay couple walking through Chelsea after midnight on August 14 as they headed home from a movie. The victims said they were attacked by six youths shouting anti-gay slurs as they rounded the corner from Ninth Avenue onto 24th Street walking west, arm in arm.

“What are you looking at, faggot?,” one of the assailants was said to have shouted before attacking the two men. The survivors of the attack, Michael Felenchak, 27, and Peter Notman, 53, suffered lacerations to their faces, with the younger man requiring eight stitches just below his lip. Notman, a 20-year resident of the London Terrace apartments that span the block from Ninth to 10th Avenues, underwent an MRI and said it is not yet clear if he suffered a concussion.

The NYPD described the two suspects as between 16 and 20, one a black man wearing a white T-shirt; the other, a black Latino man who was shirtless and had tattoos on his chest and arms. Both were said to have black hair and brown eyes.

Leafleting about the attack outside London Terrace on the morning of August 15, Notman — explaining the incident began when he was cold-cocked on the side of his head by one of six men he described as no older than 18 — said he feels as though his head “is in a vise.”

Felenchak said that the force of the blows

Courtesy of NYPD

Sketches released by the NYPD in connection with an August 14 attack on two gay men.

he received suggested his attacker might have been wearing brass knuckles.

He said there were initially two attackers, who were soon joined by another four young men. Recognizing they were outnumbered, the two victims said, they focused on defending themselves from serious injury. Notman said at one point, hoping to defuse the situation, he tried to pull Felenchak into one of the London Terrace entryways.

A witness, London Terrace resident Laurie Leonard, said she did not see the attack itself

but heard the “screaming” and saw “two black guys, very young — they could have been kids” running from the scene.

Notman and Felenchak said the youths were a mix of races.

State Senator Brad Hoylman and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, both out gay or lesbian officials, called a press conference on the evening of August 14 to decry the attacks and urge a community response.

The victims were at the press event, but did not speak.

Quinn, who lived on the block for 20 years and now resides several blocks away, said, “It shouldn’t happen in any neighborhood, but for this to happen in Chelsea is shocking.”

She and Hoylman urged any witnesses to contact the police, anonymously if they choose, at 212-577-TIPS (8477). The 10th precinct has stepped up patrols in the area and reviewed surveillance video taken nearby in producing the sketches they circulated.

Alicia Mehl, another resident of London Terrace, said she has noticed that the block of West 24th Street where the attacks occurred has increasingly become the scene of drug deals. No less than 30 minutes before the press conference took place, she said, she witnessed one such deal go down nearby.

Felenchak warned that the type of attack he and Notman suffered is unfortunately unsurprising given the “toxic environment” in which city youth grow up in today, where education about diversity and the dangers of violence is lacking.

“All they know is struggle,” he said.

Late in the spring, the city saw a surge in anti-gay violence, with assaults near Madison Square Garden and in the East Village and Soho. On May 18, Mark Carson, 32, was shot to death point blank in a homophobic assault in the West Village.

“We need to make sure that this summer doesn’t end the way it began,” Quinn said.

The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce LGBT-2-B Committee & Gay City News present

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Join us for The Village Temple’s Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services.

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Add your voice to our songs and prayers!

Join us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in the Great Hall at Cooper Union: FREE CHILDREN’S SERVICES at 2 p.m. on Sept. 5 and Sept 14.

Visit our school’s Open House on Sept. 15 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at The Village Temple, 33 E. 12th St.

Reach us at www.VillageTemple.org · 212-674-2340

Join us for a brief panel discussion on the update of marriage equality – economic, Supreme Court ruling on DOMA, etc.

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For Sept. 10 Poll Site & Ballot Info: vote.nyc.ny.us or 866-VOTE-NYC

August 28 - September 11, 2013

7

Is it 2017 Already? Candidates, on First Term Musts FORMER U.S. REP. ANTHONY WEINER

BY SCOTT STIFFLER January 21, 2013: Before the final balloon made its trip from the rafters to the floor, more than one TV pundit had seized the opportunity to pivot from Obama’s inauguration to the viability of Hillary in 2016. Thinking so many steps ahead that you’re actually playing the next game of chess is a move largely driven by the political machine’s relentless forward momentum. As such, electeds arrive at the podium for their acceptance speeches with a new campaign cycle already beginning to cast its shadow.

At least the next time around, they’ll be running on a record of accomplishments, as opposed to the promises that put them in office. That assessment inspired our final question — when NYC Community Media recently met with the five democratic candidates for mayor, as well as the two looking to fill the District 3 City Council seat being vacated by Speaker Christine Quinn.

As our publisher and the editors of Chelsea Now, Gay City News and The Villager/East Villager looked on, Josh Rogers of Downtown Express asked: “We have a question, and it’s a fill-in-the-blank. I won’t deserve to be reelected unless I am able to accomplish_____?”

Unless I’m able to convince the middle class and those struggling to make it that their lives are better.

DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

CB4 CHAIR COREY JOHNSON

CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN PUBLIC ADVOCATE BILL DE BLASIO

We need to address income disparity…and achieve universal Pre-K and after-school program. If I can’t show progress in four years on those things, I shouldn’t be reelected.

Unless I am able to keep crime down, improve schools and move us towards more jobs and more affordable housing.

I won’t deserve to be reelected if I don’t bring more truly moderate, middle and low affordable housing to these communities — if I don’t work with and help local schools, bring class sizes down and get the resources they deserve, and if I don’t partner up with the community to try to find a solution to getting a hospital for the lower West Side.

CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY YETTA KURLAND

I’m not going to deserve to be reelected unless I use my best efforts to be an advocate for my community, to continue to fight to restore a hospital for our community, to fight to protect jobs and small businesses and to work to make sure our community has a voice and can stand up to some of the powerful special interests like real estate.

For our endorsements, see pages 8 & 9. In our next issue, which will be released on Sept. 12, we will have extensive coverage of the Sept. 10 primary.

CITY COMPTROLLER JOHN LIU

Unless I create good jobs, build decent housing and fix our schools.

FORMER CITY COMPTROLLER BILL THOMPSON

Unless I’m able to make this a more affordable city. Unless I’m able to increase opportunity in this city.

8

August 28 - September 11, 2013

Christine Quinn for Mayor ENDORSEMENT Though it’s been nearly 20 years since New York’s last Democratic mayor left office, the party’s September 10 primary and a runoff likely to follow on October 1 could well decide who leads the city over the next four years. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Over the past two decades, New York has seen extraordinary reductions in crime — but the city wrestles with fundamental questions about how policing is carried out as well as critical challenges regarding affordable housing, schools, healthcare access and public employee union contracts.

In choosing a Democratic mayor who can provide the leadership their administration and the city need to succeed, voters must look beyond the campaign’s easy sound bites and simplistic assumptions about who each candidate is and is not. We also urge voters to make their decisions based on a candidate’s potential effectiveness and overall merits, instead of where that candidate falls on the scale of any single-issue litmus test.

It is always tempting to settle on the candidate who can help us imagine a world in which the policy choices are consistently unambiguous and doing the right thing is the option right in front of us. Progressive voters, however, must not forget the overriding importance of finding a leader with whom they can do business. From a field that includes several candidates who are intelligent, progressive and impassioned about making a difference, we won’t pretend the choice is easy — but that is what elections are all about.

Our choice is the candidate with the fortitude to translate lofty ambitions into workable solutions, and the negotiating skills to broker compromise between stalled parties. Our choice is a longtime Chelsea resident who, in public and behind the scenes, has been an effective advocate for tenant rights.

Our choice is Christine Quinn.

Throughout the campaign, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Comptroller John Liu have made the most explicit arguments for electing a mayor who offers a sharp point of departure from the 12-year incumbent, Michael Bloomberg.

Those two, as well as former Comptroller Bill Thompson and former Congressman Anthony Weiner, make a related point as well — that the City Council should never have altered term limits in 2009 to allow Bloomberg to seek a third term in the first place. At forum after forum, this has been central to the case against Quinn, who as Council speaker could have halted the mayor’s third term bid dead in its tracks.

In an election likely to provide the city with a marked political reset, these five Democrats share broad philosophical

Photo by Michael Shirey

agreement on critical issues — including civil rights, economic justice, healthcare, education and police-community relations.

On all these issues, the Democratic field offers clear alternatives to the worldview that Bloomberg and his predecessor, Rudy Giuliani, brought to their administrations. We voice strong disagreement with the role Quinn played in altering term limits. It is a black mark that will never be erased from her record of public service. That said, we also believe that Quinn is neither in the shadow, nor the pocket, of Michael Bloomberg.

Much of the other criticism Quinn faces from her opponents is based, in one way or another, on a factor for which she ought not be penalized — her role as the second most powerful elected official in the city, which involved responsibilities and risks far greater than those faced by any other candidate in the mix.

Critics and her rivals have revived discussion about the closing three years ago of St. Vincent’s Hospital, where the state health department was the final arbiter and mismanagement and lack of transparency on the part of the hospital had fatal consequences. What’s lost in the St. Vincent’s debate is any acknowledgement that hospitals have been closing all over the city in recent years. More helpful than election year protests outside

imperiled institutions would be an honest discussion about a plan to reengineer the city’s health care system.

Quinn catches flak for moving slowly on paid sick leave legislation, which guarantees time off with pay for employees of any business with more than 20 — and eventually 15 — employees. Critics say she wouldn’t have moved at all but for the skilled efforts of advocates who made inaction politically unpalatable.

But that’s the case with any important social or economic reform.

The City Council in recent budgets has been stalwart in protecting funding for LGBT homeless youth. That’s to their — and Quinn’s — credit, but no one should pretend that determined advocacy from outside government wasn’t the driver.

Quinn’s leadership came in working with those advocates, something she did as a Council staffer early in the Giuliani years to save AIDS services and a decade later in the effort to win nondiscrimination policies from contractors doing business with the city. In this campaign, she’s the only candidate putting forward new proposals on LGBT concerns — regarding both homeless youth and housing for seniors.

On police-community relations, Quinn demonstrates calibrated finesse.

A critic of the NYPD’s excessive use of stop and frisk, she lent her voice to last year’s massive protest and will

likely oversee the Council’s override of Bloomberg’s veto of an important package of reforms. Still, as speaker, she had day to day responsibility for working with the police, and even as she faulted Commissioner Ray Kelly on stop and frisk, the two crafted historic revisions in the department’s procedures for handling transgender suspects in NYPD custody.

Chelsea Now takes great pride in endorsing a candidate who would become New York’s first woman and first openly LGBT mayor. The accumulated life experiences and subsequent worldview particular to her gender and her sexual identity would be both welcome and utterly unique. They should not be a deciding factor, but certainly merit consideration.

It was Harvey Milk who led the fight 35 years ago to beat back a draconian proposal to fire all gay schoolteachers in California. It’s no accident that marriage equality won its first victory in the New York State Legislature under out gay Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell’s leadership. And, in Texas, it is a woman, Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis, who has indelibly articulated what is at risk from that state’s assault on the right to choose and to healthcare access.

We gave great expectations that Quinn can bring unique and disciplined skills to the job of mayor, and we also hope all New Yorkers are prepared to hold her to that promise.

August 28 - September 11, 2013

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Julie Menin for Borough President ENDORSEMENT It’s probably a testament to Scott Stringer’s fine work as Manhattan borough president that there are several good candidates to replace him. All four of the Democrats running would continue and build on Stringer’s exemplary system of screening, appointing and training community board members — which has pretty much ended the cronyism and conflict of interest problems of the past.

The candidates in this primary represent what is the best field of any of the races we looked at this year, but one candidate, Julie Menin, former chairperson of Community Board 1 (CB1) in Lower Manhattan, stands out.

Except for appointing community board members, borough presidents have mostly advisory powers and can be easily ignored. It takes skill and

savvy to be effective, and like a community board chairperson, the post’s power rests more with the person, rather than the office.

Menin has an impressive record of accomplishments, demonstrating leadership on so many important issues. Without her, Downtown would never have secured $200 million of 9/11 money originally slated for large utilities, but which the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. had been sitting on for years. The money had been forgotten by most, and it was Menin who raised the issue, rallied support and got money redirected.

Occupy Wall Street was a “gimme” issue for progressives around the city and the world — but in the neighborhood surrounding Zuccotti Park, it was a thorny situation in which free speech and assembly rights had to be balanced against the need of residents not to be disrupted.

Menin led the effort to forge a compro-

mise resolution at CB1.

The so-called “Ground Zero Mosque,” actually a mosque and Islamic center in the same neighborhood as the World Trade Center, was something Menin and Board 1 could have easily ducked, but they stood up against calls for government interference with religion.

Whether it came to fighting to move the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial and its security risks outside of Lower Manhattan or getting more desperately needed school space, Menin time and time again worked with others to get results. We have watched this community leader rise and learn and get better with time.

She has a thoughtful plan to use the borough president’s budget to give community boards more resources to do comprehensive surveys in order to identify the greatest needs in each part of Manhattan, which should empower them to get more

affordable housing, schools and better park space. Making urban planning more responsive to community needs is something that she has been thinking and talking about for years.

We were also impressed with Councilmember Jessica Lappin, another candidate, who has put forward good ideas on land use and community board improvements. Councilmember Gale Brewer has real legislative accomplishments on important issues like paid sick leave and protecting small shops on the Upper West Side, and would probably be a good borough president. Although his legislative record is not as strong as his two opponents in the council, the fourth candidate — Councilmember Robert Jackson — was a leader in the effort to get fairer state education funds for the city. But none of those three have shown us they are likely to be as effective as Menin.

Corey Johnson for City Council ENDORSEMENT The District 3 City Council race, for the seat held the past 14 years by Speaker Christine Quinn, pits two passionate and energetic LGBT contenders against each other for what has often been dubbed “the gay seat.”

Yetta Kurland is an attorney who has won some impressive civil rights victories in her career, remains outspoken on the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital, and has rallied community members on other issues including Superstorm Sandy relief.

Corey Johnson has also been a community activist during his 13 years in New York and has served for eight years (including two terms as chair) on Community Board 4 (CB4), which encompasses Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen.

The two share common progressive

views on a host of issues, including the need for more affordable housing, more classrooms, increased spending on HIV prevention, greater citizen participation in allocating funds available to the Council member and curbs on the excessive use of stop and frisk tactics by the NYPD. A central theme of Kurland’s campaign has been her willingness to take on established powers in the city, an approach typified by her 2009 challenge to Quinn’s reelection and her tireless activism around the St. Vincent’s issue.

Johnson emphasizes his skill at working with government bodies and other stakeholders to achieve the goals he values. Evidence for that includes his demonstrated mastery of policy details and the confidence his CB4 colleagues placed in him by twice electing him chair.

We believe that Johnson’s skill set and his vision for his role as a Council

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member better suit him to represent the diverse communities within District 3.

The bitterness and pettiness that has characterized this contest –– including determined whisper campaigns waged by surrogates for both candidates –– are disappointing. Both Johnson and Kurland bear responsibility for not having waged a more positive race. Kurland spent far too much time trying to link her opponent to the evils of the real estate industry based on two staff jobs with developers he held for relatively short amounts of time.

Johnson, for his part, for too long was inexplicably opaque about his résumé, which did little but fuel the sense there was something to be uncovered.

The August 26 debate at the Chelsea Bowtie Cinema, however, nicely clarified the choice between the two candidates.

Johnson offered detailed explanations for community board work he has accom-

PUBLISHER Jennifer Goodstein ASSOCIATE EDITOR / ARTS EDITOR Scott Stiffler REPORTERS Lincoln Anderson EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Sean Egan Maeve Gately Michael Vaughan PUBLISHER EMERITUS John W. Sutter

plished, which gave credence to the proposals he discussed. He also set a generally positive tone for the evening that suggested he has the ability to work with community members of widely divergent opinions.

Kurland offered her vision and also a profile of herself that matched that vision. She was too often, though, short on specifics — a flaw that hobbled both of her Council runs. She also has an unfortunate tendency to use upbeat language to mask serious aspersions she is suggesting about her opponent –– ones she apparently is unwilling to make directly.

Should Johnson be elected, we hope he will recognize the vital importance of transparency in his public life.

His community work to date suggests significant promise — and we urge a vote for him.

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1 0 August 28 - September 11, 2013

Police BLOTTER Grand Larceny: Taken for a ride A 50-year-old California man luckily lived to regret ignoring that childhood advice about not taking rides from strangers. Standing outside of G Lounge (225 W. 19th St., btw. 7th & 8th Aves.) at around 5:45am on Sun., Aug. 18, he struck up a conversation with two men who offered him a ride back to his hotel. He accepted — and by the time the red four-door sedan arrived at the corner of 21st St. & 8th Ave., the victim had been robbed and dragged from the vehicle. Unable to provide a description of the perps due to intoxication, the victim did recall sitting in the back seat, having his wallet removed and then falling asleep during his twoblock trip. In addition to the wallet (whose contents included $250 in cash, several credit cards and a CA driver’s license), the victim’s T-Mobile cell phone was also forcibly removed from his person.

Burglary: Window was closed, but not locked A resident of the W. 400 block of 37th St. left his apartment early on a recent Friday morning, and returned late in the afternoon to find his bedroom window

open. The contents of his drawers and closet were all over the bed. In the victim’s complaint, he noted that he did not leave his window open, nor did he place any belongings on his bed prior to leaving — and nobody else (other than a housekeeper five years in his employ) had access to the apartment. In a final, telling detail, the complaint also contained a statement from the victim that the closed window was left unlocked. That mistake resulted in the theft of his Apple laptop, valued at $400.

Petty Larceny: Two thefts of two-wheeled transportation Do Citi Bike docking stations trump chains? Two victims might be contemplating a change from the private to the public sector, after their own $500 bikes were stolen. The first theft happened at 12:30pm on Sat., Aug. 17 — when a woman parked her bike at Pier 66 and went kayaking for 30 minutes. She returned to find that her bike (purchased only three weeks ago) had been stolen. The second theft happened within a two-hour time frame on Sun., Aug. 18. The victim, who locked his bike to a pole on the W. 400 block of 15th St. at around 1:30pm, returned to find the chain clipped and the frame stolen.

Trouble lives on Dyer Ave. Three recent incidents, all occurring on Dyer Ave. & W. 36th St., involved theft or damage. On Wed., Aug. 14, the owner of a vehicle (left parked and unattended for nearly 24 hours) returned to discover her driver’s side front window smashed. A GPS worth $200 (and its $20 charger) had been stolen, and all the glove box contents were thrown about. On Sun., Aug. 18, a driver returning to his black 2012 Chrysler Jeep found the front rear passenger window destroyed, and the molding damaged. The estimated cost of repair: $250. On the same day, nearby, another man returned to his car and found the driver’s side window broken. The glove box had been searched, and $2 in change was stolen from the cup holder.

Assault: Dance floor fracas After a night of dancing to the beat of pounding music, his head hurt — but it wasn’t from exhaustion or drinking.

On Sat., Aug 17, a 24-year-old Saddle River, NJ resident was at Marquee (289 10th Ave., btw. 17th & 18th Sts.), enjoying some Manhattan nightlife. But by the time last call had come and gone (4:10am on Sun., according to police), he was regaining consciousness and nursing a laceration to the top right portion of his skull — after a 31-yearold man walked up to him on the dance floor and hit him with a beer bottle. The arresting officers, who charged the man with assault, did not note what motivated the defendant’s violent action, or if the victim had any interaction with him prior to the incident.

Vehicular Assault: Two strikes, one arrest Two witnesses told officers of the 10th Precinct that at around 4:15am on Sat., Aug. 17, they saw the driver of a gray four-door sedan (with MA plates) strike a bicyclist who was riding on Sixth Ave., btw. W. 12th & W. 13th Sts. The driver, who also struck one of the witnesses, fled the scene — but was pulled over at W. 14th St. and Ninth Ave. The arresting officers noted that the 27-yearold defendant “had alcohol omitting from his breath,” was unsteady on his feet and told them that he left the scene because he was scared. He also told police that, prior to the incident, he “had a couple of shots.” The bicyclist, a 28-year-old man from Queens, sustained serious injuries and was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.

—Scott Stiffler

THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Commander: Captain David S. Miller. Main number: 212-741-8211.

Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212741-8245. The Community Council meeting, open to the public, takes place at 7pm on the last Wed. of the month. The Council is currently on summer hiatus, and resumes on Sept. 25.

THE 13th PRECINCT Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Ted Bernsted. Call 212-477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411.

Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380.

Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meeting takes place at 6:30pm on the third Tues. of the month. The Council is on hiatus, and resumes Sept. 17.

CASH FOR GUNS $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.

CRIME STOPPERS If you have info regarding a crime committed or a wanted person, call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, text “TIP577” (plus your message) to “CRIMES” (274637) or submit a tip online at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

August 28 - September 11, 2013

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chelsea: arts & ENTERTAINMENT See it in September Broadway, brunch, a bunhead and Barbra GABRIELLE STRAVELLI: JAZZ BRUNCH Sun., Sept. 8, 15, 22 & 29 11am-4pm At Le Pescadeux 90 Thompson St. (btw. Prince & Spring Sts.) No cover, no minimum Reservations strongly suggested Call 212-966-0021 Visit gabriellestravelli.com

Over the next few weeks, the A&E section will welcome back some familiar contributors (Martin Denton on theater, Stephanie Buhmann on art) and debut a few new well-traveled experts in their fields (Ophira Eisenberg on storytelling). This week, we’re proud to introduce a column by Jim Caruso — who made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in 2009’s Tony Awardwinning “Liza’s At The Palace!” and was called “a top drawer first-rate singer” by Jazz Times (for his studio CD, “The Swing Set”).

As host of the long-running “Cast Party” open mic night, he’s welcomed thousands of famous and upcoming musical performers to the Birdland Jazz Club stage. Talented and versatile in his own right, Caruso devotes a good deal of time and effort to singing the praises of others — which is why he makes such a great addition to our roster of contributors. Here’s what Jim recommends you see in September.

—Scott Stiffler, Arts Editor

Photo by Bill Westmoreland

BY JIM CARUSO See “Goddess of Hip” Annie Ross Tuesdays, at the Metropolitan Room.

One of the most impressive jazz singers in town: Gabrielle Stravelli sings, while you enjoy brunch (at Le Pescadeux).

STEVEN BRINBERG IS SIMPLY BARBRA, IN “MOSTLY MARVIN” Mon., Sept. 9 at 7pm (doors open at 5pm) At Birdland Jazz Club 315 W. 44th St. (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) $30 cover, two-item minimum Reservations: 212-581-3080 or birdlandjazz.com Visit simplybarbra.com

(jim-caruso.com)

ANNIE ROSS Tuesdays at 9:30pm At the Metropolitan Room 34 W. 22nd St. (btw. 5th & 6th Aves.) $25-$115, plus two-beverage minimum Reservations: 212-206-0440 or metropolitanroom.com Visit annieross.net If there’s a Goddess of Hip, it’s Annie Ross. She was cool before it was cool — and after 50-plus years on the jazz scene, her comfort in the world of bebop and swing is palpable. Her life has been fullto-the-brim, what with Broadway, movies, nightclubs, famous highs and dangerous lows. Now a glamorous 83, she puts her experience and rhythmic stamp on some of the greatest songs ever written. From “Lush Life” to “I Wonder What Became of Me,” each song becomes a polished pool she dives into like a shark.

For my money, Gabrielle Stravelli is one of the most impressive jazz singers in town.

With perfect pitch and clarity, she tears through the Great American Songbook with an understanding far beyond her years. A background in the theater doesn’t hurt, either. While other jazz birds swing, scat and snap, eyes scrunched in a self-absorbed frenzy, Stravelli knows whereof she sings — charming her audience with intelligence and musicality. At her weekly brunch gig at Le Pescadeux, she is joined by Pat O’Leary on bass and some of NYC’s finest musicians (including Gene Bertoncini, Ed Cherry, Paul Meyers and Michael Kanan).

Barbra Streisand is a bit of an anomaly.

Arguably one of the best singers in the history of pop music, her icy perfectionism has a habit of rubbing some folks the wrong way. One topic the lovers and haters should agree upon is Steven Brinberg. His “Simply Barbra” character is the funny girl haters long for and the singer fans adore.

It’ll be “Hello, gorgeous” for one night only, as the faux-diva storms the Birdland stage with a sweet tribute to Brinberg’s pal Marvin Hamlisch — with whom he appeared on many occasions. Expect the expected (“The Way We Were”) as well as seldomheard gems like the alternate “The Way We Weren’t” and a song Hamlisch wrote for the revised version of “Ballroom.”

Portrait of a complex woman: Steven Brinberg is “Simply Barbra” (Sept. 9 at Birdland Jazz Club).

Continued on page 12

1 2 August 28 - September 11, 2013

Caruso, on September essentials A TIME TO KILL A new Broadway play based on John Grisham’s courtroom drama, written by Tony Award-winner Rupert Holmes Previews begin Sept. 28 Opens Oct. 20 At the John Golden Theatre 252 W. 45th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.)

Visit atimetokillonbroadway.com

Continued from page 11

SUTTON FOSTER, WITH MICHAEL RAFTER Sept. 10-28 Tues.-Fri. at 8:45pm Sat. at 8:45pm & 10:45pm At Café Carlyle 35 E. 76th St. (at Madison Ave.) Call 212-744-1600 or visit rosewoodhotels.com Visit suttonfoster.com I fell in love with Sutton Foster, along with everyone else, during her 2002 Tony Award-winning performance in “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” She went on to give charismatic turns in “Little Women,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Shrek the Musical” before winning another Tony for her dazzling Reno Sweeney in “Anything Goes.” Foster then stormed the West Coast, amassing a loyal fan base of balletomanes with her starring role in the ABC Family drama “Bunheads.” So, if you wish to see this radiant, fresh-faced triple threat in one of her infrequent Carlyle engagements, you’d better order your tickets now. Expect packed houses, total musicality, loads of charm and a sly sense of humor.

Previewing in September, John Grisham’s novel “A Time to Kill” becomes the first in his iconic collection of legal dramas to be adapted for the Broadway stage. Set in Ford County, Mississippi, “A Time to Kill” tells the story of a young, idealistic lawyer (played by Sebastian Arcelus) who defends a black man for taking the law into his own hands when an unspeakable crime is committed against his young daughter. You might recognize Arcelus from his role as Lucas Goodwin on the Netflix drama “House of Cards.” After playing Fiyero in “Wicked” (opposite actress/wife Stephanie J. Block) and Buddy in “Elf: The Musical,” this new role will solidify his status as one of the most versatile actors on the Broadway scene.

B:9.75”

Sebastian Arcelus stars in the Broadway adaptation of John Grisham’s “A Time to Kill.”

Jim Caruso’s “Cast Party” happens every Monday night at Birdland Jazz Club (315 W. 44th St., btw. 8th & 9th Aves.). Doors open at 9pm, show at 9:30pm. $20 cover, $10 food/ drink minimum. For info, call 212-581-3080 or visit jim-caruso.com and birdlandjazz.com.

B:5.375”

Turn this week’s issue into next week’s.

Recycle everything.

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August 28 - September 11, 2013

13

The Adventures of an Underemployed Urban Elf Free cable at Bellevue & $5 Mini Golf at Pier 25

BY REV. JEN (revjen.com) As many of us know, unemployment is only awesome if you are a rich person who has chosen it as a “lifestyle.” Mostly, it sucks.

You find yourself at “open calls” for CVS cashier positions that pay $7.60 an hour, wondering where it all went wrong — or more precisely, why you chose to obtain an art school education. Unemployment is even worse when you are unable to collect unemployment or win the “Genius Grant” you’ve expected for over a decade. Going out to eat, going to the movies or even doing laundry all become rare, exotic experiences.

This situation oft times creates a form of existential despair that can only be overcome by finding unusual, cheap entertainment, which (believe it or not) is still available Downtown.

Hence, this edition of “The Adventures of an Underemployed Urban Elf” is loaded with activities one can enjoy using only a few bills you might happen to find under your filthy couch cushions. So turn that frown upside down and get ready to par-tay!

First Stop: Visit the Waiting Room at Bellevue!

If your TV is broken (as mine is), don’t despair, there is great news: Bellevue, which was closed for several months due to Sandy, has reopened — and the TV in the waiting room has cable! After accompanying a sick friend there this week, I managed to watch three episodes of “Dateline” on Oprah’s OWN alongside a loquacious, burly security guard. And if you happen to be a patient there, they sometimes give you tranquilizers to shut you up. When you get the bill, simply write, “Return to Sender” on the envelope and pop it in a handy mailbox. An added fashion bonus: If you are admitted as a patient they give you a charming, personalized bracelet.

SECOND Stop: Mini Golf at Pier 25

Mini Golf is completely underrated. It’s actually way more fun than “real” golf because you don’t need a caddy or a lot of money to do it and there’s not a lot of walking involved. Also, you can talk on a Mini Golf course (nothing annoys me more than activities that require silence). So you can imagine my joy upon learning that Tribeca’s Pier 25 (at North Moore & West Streets) offers Mini Golf for only five dollars. I put the word out that this needed to happen immediately and my friends — Cheyenne Picardo (director of the film “Remedy”), Jurgen Munster (lead singer of The Slut Junkies) and George Courtney (brilliant photographer whose photos can be seen herein) — all eagerly agreed to join me. Our first attempt was rained out, but the following day was perhaps the most beautiful in the history of the world — 75 degrees and sunny with no humidity. Good thing, because I wanted

Photo by George Courtney

An awesome afternoon at Pier 25: Jurgen Munster, Rev. Jen and Cheyenne Picardo.

to wear a ridiculous golfing outfit. Sadly, I could not afford pants with little whales on them, so I had to settle on a psychedelic poly pantsuit given to me by the Lunachicks over a decade ago. We gathered early at my place, drank wine and watched “Caddyshack” clips for inspiration, all of us longing for a madras blazer similar to Rodney Dangerfield’s. After much procrastination, we embarked on our journey west.

At the Pier’s snack bar, we each paid five dollars and procured colorful balls and clubs. An extra dollar procured bananas and chips, which along with our flask of whiskey, would provide nourishment.

Before we began, Jurgen donned a Skeletor mask — his interpretation of what a wacky golf outfit should be. Cheyenne’s attire consisted of smart slacks and a summer hat akin to something Frank Sinatra might wear, while George chose to dress like a normal person.

From the first hole on, I remembered something: I am terrible at mini golf. But given I once played hockey, I simply “dribble” the ball into the hole (which I am told is “cheating”). The rest of the crew wasn’t quite as bad as I was, though we were much slower than the children behind us who whined about our slow candyass nature.

However, George did get a hole in one and I was the only one who saw it. Trying to explain this rare phenomenon made me feel like Big Bird attempting to explain a Snuffleupagus sighting, as no one believed me. Meanwhile, Jurgen and Cheyenne managed to put it in a few times and Jurgen celebrated each “score” by thrusting his club

in the air and making strange animal noises — which, combined with his skeleton mask, disturbed the entire “golf course.”

Sadly, at one point, Cheyenne’s purple ball got lost in the “mini-lake” and we had to thrust our hands deep into the water to retrieve it (thus further infuriating the children behind us). Soon after, we missed our opportunity to mischievously sip from our flask whilst in the “cave” section because we were so caught up in the game. Finally, at the 15th hole, Jurgen’s blue ball got lost in the bushes and we couldn’t find it. Eventually we let the golfers behind us skip ahead and aborted our blue ball search and rescue mission. For the next three holes, Jurgen borrowed my pink ball. Because we weren’t keeping score, by the 18th hole, we were all winners (though I really do suck at mini golf.) When we returned to the snack bar and explained that we’d lost a blue ball in the bushes, the proprietor simply said, “That’s fine. We’ll find it.” Apparently, he’s used to mini golf madness.

For what it’s worth, Mini Golf at Pier 25 is awesome. Sure it’s not a “theme” Mini Golf course with animatronic pirates. Yet at five bucks, it’s less than half the price of a movie. You might lose a ball or two, maybe even a blue ball in the bushes — but it’s a great way to play on a sunny afternoon.

1 4 August 28 - September 11, 2013

Ready to Run, in the Summer Sun

Photos by Sue Johnson

BY TEAM HEAT (Devon Cormack & Heather Hardy) When you combine beautiful bridges, parks and exciting city streets with the hot summer sun, the five boroughs can truly be a runner’s dream. As a professional boxer, running is part of my workout routine. Every day, I run from Gleason’s Gym across the Brooklyn Bridge, through Chinatown and back into Brooklyn by way of the Manhattan Bridge — and I never get tired of the sights, the sounds and the smells. Okay, maybe not the smells...but everything else makes me wonder why any New Yorker would choose to climb onto a treadmill!

A good run in the summer sun can be beneficial to your physical, chemical and emotional health. It will tighten and tone the legs, burn calories, increase stamina and endurance and keep your heart pumping firm and strong. You can relax, listen to some music and be at peace with your mind and the road. But there are many precautions to be taken — before and after — to ensure we get the most out of our run, without injuring our bodies.

Before bolting out for that quick three miles on your lunch hour, make sure you follow these simple steps.

HYDRATE

Drinking water is so important before, during and after any physical workout.

If you can’t carry water with you, make sure you hydrate before. Do not leave for your run thirsty. Water lubricates your joints, tendons and ligaments and helps carry blood and oxygen to all your major organs.

To stretch the hamstring, stand straight up, with your right leg bent slightly.

Extend your left leg straight out, heel down and toes to the sky. Bend forward and reach toward the toes on your left foot, making sure not to bend the knee on the extended leg.

To stretch the quads, stand straight up and balance on one foot. Bend your knee and pull your foot up towards your butt and grab it behind your back. Point your knee directly towards the ground and keep your back straight.

To stretch the calves, stand with your toes on a curb. Slowly sinking your heels down towards the floor. Alternating relaxing one leg, by slowly bending the knee on one leg, as you stretch the calf on the other.

To stretch the groin muscle, stand with your feet hip width apart. Bend your knees and push your butt back as if you’re sitting in a chair a few inches behind you. Place your elbows on the insides of your knees and push out, to maximize the stretch.

Devon Cormack and Heather “The Heat” Hardy work as personal trainers, while prepping for fights — at Gleason’s Gym (77 Front St., Brooklyn). Hardy, a single mom, is currently a professional boxer with a 6-0 (and 1 TKO) record. Before turning pro, she won championships in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. As a Golden Gloves contestant, she won silver in 2011 and gold in

2012 (125-pound division). Chelsea resident Devon Cormack is a three-time World Kickboxing Champion who coordinates fight scenes for film & TV. If you have a fitness or nutrition question for Heather or Devon, send an email to askteamheat@chelseanow. com. Visit heathertheheathardy.net and follow her at facebook.com/TheHeatHeatherHardy.

Also visit gleasonsgym.net.

Photos by Devon Cormack

WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHES

Don’t wear anything ill-fitting. There’s nothing worse than shorts that ride up, pants that are too tight or an itchy T-shirt tag that will kill the overall mood of your run.

GOOD RUNNING SHOES

This is one of those investments that will pay off time and time again. Not all sneakers are meant for running — so when choosing that all-important pair of shoes, make sure you have plenty of wiggle room in your toes and make sure they’re not too tight on your heel. Otherwise, you could wind up with blisters before you clock your first mile. A good pair of running shoes should give you 400-500 miles — and your feet, knees and back will all thank you along the way.

STRETCHING

Though there are conflicting reports about whether or not stretching is beneficial to a run, take it from a girl who does roughly eight miles a day and stretch! Just five minutes of pre-run stretching should do it. Not so much that you fatigue or overdo the muscles, but enough for your legs to be loose and ready to hit the pavement.

You want to make sure to loosen up your hamstring, groin muscles, calves, shins and quads. See the photos and captions for a few simple stretches that can be done without apparatus, for a few minutes before you begin running.

Enjoy your run!

August 28 - September 11, 2013

15

Tenant Leader: DOB Inaction is ‘Lawless’

BY SAM SPOKONY Longtime Chelsea residents are once again at odds with the city over quality of life complaints, claiming that their voices simply aren’t being heard when they seek action or answers from enforcement officials.

Two ongoing issues have surfaced at the behest of tenants backed by the West 15th Street 100 and 200 Block Association.

While both problems stem from alleged legal infractions by neighbors on their street, the residents’ biggest beef continues to be with the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) — which the block association has gone so far as to call “lawless” in its accused indifference to the concerns of embattled Chelsea tenants.

“In a lawful society, where are we supposed to get information, if city agencies aren’t providing it to the residents or the community board?” wonders Stanley Bulbach, president of the block association and a West 15th Street resident since 1969.

Residents are concerned about the opening of a new luxury apartment building at 101 West 15th Street (between Sixth & Seventh Avenues), which features a courtyard that will be used to host outdoor movie screenings and live music performances — potentially threatening the nighttime peace and quiet of the not-so-luxurious neighbors whose apartment windows open onto the courtyard space.

And on the 200 block, between Seventh

A rendering of the outdoor movie theater planned for the courtyard of 101 W. 15th St., as shown on the building’s promotional website.

and Eighth Avenues, residents say they’ve been calling 311 in vain for more than three years to complain about late night parties on the roof of 233 West 15th Street, which they fear may someday collapse due to the extreme overcrowding that has taken place.

But in one case, the DOB says it’s too early to act, and in the other, it appears that

miscommunication may have been the root of the trouble all along.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, (IN) ACTION

The busy corner of West 15th Street and Sixth Ave. once housed hundreds of staff employees for the former St. Vincent’s Hospital. After the demise of St. Vincent’s,

the hospital-owned building at 101 West 15th Street was eventually sold at auction in June 2010, and was bought — with a winning bid of $67 million — by a subsidiary group of Stonehenge Partners.

Stonehenge, one of the elite Manhattan

Continued on page 17

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DOB Says Outdoor Theater is Legal Continued from page 15 developers, currently owns 22 residential properties throughout the borough’s priciest districts, including two others in Chelsea and its latest acquisition on West 15th Street.

The developer renovated 101 West 15th Street — which just recently opened to tenants — into a 160-unit, all-luxury residential space, where studios start at $3,400 per month, and one-bedroom apartments start at $4,435 per month. Stonehenge also constructed nearly 13,000 square feet of streetlevel retail space at the same address, which will remain separate from the residential portion of the building.

Using a flashy promotional website for the new apartment building (101w15.com), as well as a pitch to prospective tenants on its own site, Stonehenge says that 101 West 15th Street “combines an unparalleled location, a completely renovated interior and cutting edge amenities to offer a truly unique living opportunity for the discerning rental apartment seeker.”

But one of those amenities, which the developer calls an “outdoor movie theater,” is making neighbors nervous about future noise problems — and some are calling on the DOB to stop Stonehenge from creating the movie theater (or at least investigate the matter), claiming that any use of the outdoor theater would violate city zoning laws.

According to renderings and information on the 101 West 15th Street website, the movie theater’s screen will be housed in part of the building’s courtyard area.

The screen and seating for the theater — which will take the form of a wide staircase linking the basement gym to the courtyard, thus providing amphitheaterstyle seating — will both technically sit between the basement and just above ground level, although there will be no enclosure to block light or noise resulting from the movies being shown.

Robert Boddington, president of the co-op at 115 and 115 ½ West 15th Street, a member of the 100 and 200 Block Association, and a block resident since 1972, pointed out that a potentially huge problem with the open-air theater space is the fact that the 101 courtyard is part of an outdoor space that also includes the back windows of the buildings at 113, 115 and 117 West 15th Street, as well as 114 W. 16th Street. (The 101 West 15th Street building already covers the space for what would have been numbers 103, 105, 107, 109 and 111).

“Anyone can watch movies in their apartments, but this is basically like cutting a hole in the basement [of 101] and letting out all that sound, and making everyone in those neighboring buildings listen to it,” Boddington said.

Boddington also explained why he believes that the sound in the courtyard

will carry so easily, and so annoyingly, to neighboring windows. He held a noise meter outside his own window (approximately 75 feet away, he said) to measure the loudness of two amplified music performances that have already been held in the outdoor space behind 101.

The first concert, in July, took place between 2pm and 5pm and registered a reading of 91 decibels on the noise meter, Boddington said. The second concert, in August, which took place between 7pm and 9pm, registered a reading of 81 decibels.

According to data published on the website for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the average person should not be continuously exposed to 91 decibels worth of noise for more than two hours, at the risk of suffering hearing damage.

It is partly for this reason that Boddington, in his quest to convince the DOB and other city agencies like the Department of City Planning (DCP) to weigh in on Stonehenge’s outdoor movie theater, has the full support of the West 15th Street 100 and 200 Block Association and other block residents, according to Stanley Bulbach.

Another side of Boddington’s argument, as previously mentioned, is the claim that the very nature of the staircase that forms the seating for that below-ground, amphitheater-style theater violates city zoning laws. The zoning text, he points out, states that a stairway of this type is technically

not allowed to be constructed within and beneath a courtyard space.

But although he has tried for the past two months — with the help of a representative of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s office — to get a response from DCP regarding this issue, Boddington said that the agency simply hasn’t provided any real answers.

The DOB (which would be the agency to block this use if it were found in violation of city codes) has also indicated that it isn’t going to get involved in the issue.

According to a spokesperson for the agency, DOB has previously judged that an outdoor movie theater of this type is not prohibited — apparently rendering any other technical arguments to be moot points, if the agency chooses not to investigate further — and that the theater is considered an acceptable accessory to a residential building, as long as it is operated for the sole private use of the building’s residents.

Any noise complaints regarding the use of the movie theater would have to be referred to the local police precinct or the city’s Department of Environmental Protection — but, as the DOB spokesperson also pointed out, it will be impossible to know how loud or disruptive the theater will actually be until it is actually put into use.

On another note, the outdoor theater at 101 West 15th Street will be used as a tool

Continued on page 19

1 8 August 28 - September 11, 2013

For Sept. 10 Poll Site & Ballot Info: vote.nyc.ny.us or 866-VOTE-NYC

District 3 Debates Draw Out Similarities Amid Feuding Continued from page 5 punch holes in what he termed her “distortion” of his character. Johnson was forced to address the issue head-on several times — especially when, as part of the rules of the debate, Kurland chose to ask him a question about his work for the developers.

“I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done, because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Johnson said, claiming that he has done community outreach and marketing work for the developers, rather than engaging in the kind of coldhearted tenant displacement of which Kurland has often implicitly accused him. “You continue to say I’m a real estate executive, tied to real estate interests, and that’s simply not true. I make $52,000 a year, I live in a 300-square-foot studio apartment and I grew up in public housing [in Massachusetts].”

Johnson eventually launched a jab of his own at Kurland, by taking an opportunity to ask her about the gun she was once licensed to use when she owned a language school on Park Avenue, and served as the school safety officer. After she sold the school and gave up the gun, questions were later put forth by the opposition over whether or not Kurland disposed of the gun in a legal and acceptable way.

At the previous debate on August 22,

Photo by Cheryl Williamson

Flanked by Villager editor Lincoln Anderson (L) and Gay City News editor Paul Schindler, Yetta Kurland and Corey Johnson — the two Democratic candidates for the City Council's District 3 seat — faced off at an Aug. 26 debate sponsored by NYC Community Media.

Kurland seemed uncomfortable talking about the disposal of the gun, and stumbled a bit in her answer before saying simply that it was disposed of “in accordance with NYPD policy and procedures.”

But she lashed out at Johnson when he broached the issue again on August 26, calling his question about the gun a “despicable” example of “gotcha politics.” Adding that she fully supports strict gun control legislation (as does Johnson), Kurland once again stated that her gun had been turned in to the NYPD in an entirely legal manner.

SCHOOL OVERCROWDING

Johnson stressed that one of his top priorities, if elected, would be to focus on building more schools within the district to combat the rampant overcrowding that has taken hold in many west side classrooms. He expressed hope regarding the forthcoming middle school at 75 Morton Street, as well as the Foundling School, a new elementary school on 16th Street, but pledged to support other existing local schools to make sure they have adequate resources.

Johnson pointed specifically to work he did with CB4 to help provide a new school facility to PS51, on West 45th Street, which will nearly double the capacity of that school.

“But there is still an overcrowding crisis, and we have to keep fighting for new schools,” he said.

Kurland said that education is very important to her because she is an “educator,” and acknowledged the overcrowding issue, but didn’t provide any concrete plans to tackle it. She mentioned the concept of inclusionary zoning, which she said could be used to require developers to build schools and affordable housing in new development — but instead of pursuing that along an education standpoint, she launched into another attack on Johnson’s affordable housing record.

PIER 40 WOES

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Both Johnson and Kurland showed a commitment to maintaining the Hudson River Park, and especially the ailing Pier 40, as the Hudson River Park Trust (which governs the park) continues its apparent descent into financial trouble. But Kurland was much more optimistic about being able to salvage Pier 40 — a beloved public space for many locals, especially for its ballfields — without opening up the pier for revenue generating development, or selling air rights along the park.

“Before we make that quick move, I’d like to see if we can come up with other sources of revenue,” Kurland said, adding that she would try to work with the state to trying get matching funds to support the Trust. In addition, she proposed an audit of the Trust, in order to make sure its funds are being spent effectively at all times.

Johnson took what could either be

described as a more pessimistic or a more realistic view of the situation, depending on one’s perspective.

“The Hudson River Park Trust is going to put out an RFP [request for proposal] at some point, and we have to make sure that any development on Pier 40 is done in a community-minded way,” he said, adding, “There are going to be air rights sold — it’s going to happen, but we just need to be careful about how it happens. It can happen just east of the park at Pier 76, or it can happen just east of the park at Pier 40, and we have to make sure that when those air rights are sold, that it goes through the public approval process, the ULURP [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure], in a way that actually works.”

SIMILAR THOUGHTS

Both candidates expressed great interest in implementing participatory budgeting within the district. That practice, which is currently used by a handful of City Council Members, allows local residents and other stakeholders to have a say in how some of the budget funds for their district are spent.

Johnson called it “incredibly exciting,” while Kurland said that it helps elected officials remember that “it’s not their money, it’s your money, and they should use it wisely.”

Both candidates also said they support the new Citi Bike program overall, although they have concerns about safety issues related to lack of enforcement when it comes to the many cyclists who don’t obey the rules of the road. They both added that some of the bike share docking stations have been poorly placed within this district — blocking buildings, and in some cases making it difficult for emergency vehicles to access entrances — and that the city should be gathering more community input on the placement of those stations.

At the August 22 FIERCE debate, both Johnson and Kurland railed against the NYPD Stop and Frisk program (which was recently ruled unconstitutional) and both fully supported the City Council’s recent override of Mayor Bloomberg’s veto on new legislation that will reform NYPD oversight to prevent future incidences of racial profiling But there was some disagreement between the two candidates regarding police approaches to overall public safety, particularly in the West Village (considering that the debate was held on Christopher Street). Johnson said he would not support an increase of police officers on patrol as a response to street violence, and would instead favor an approach based on increased communication with the local precinct, in order to prevent new problems — particularly resulting from potentially bad interactions between officers and young people of color.

Kurland, on the other hand said that she fully supports the community policing initiatives that were associated with former Mayor David Dinkins, and that more cops can be effectively put on patrol to combat neighborhood violence, as long as those officers are trained to be properly receptive and responsive to the needs of the community.

August 28 - September 11, 2013

19

Dissatisfaction with DOB Inaction on Rooftop Overcrowding Continued from page 17 for partnership between Stonehenge and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, according to 101w15.com. This seems fitting, given that the Film Society receives “major” financial support from Stonehenge, according to its own website (filmlinc.com).

Stonehenge did not respond to requests for comment.

THREE DOZEN’S A CROWd ON THIS ROOF

Stanley Bulbach lives just down the block from 233 West 15th Street, and he, along with multiple other residents on the 200 block, say they been frustrated for about five years by huge late-night (and some daytime) parties on the 233 rooftop. But besides typical quality of life complaints about loud parties, he believes the most disturbing part of this issue has been dangerous overcrowding on the roof.

“We greatly fear that there will be a structural collapse there,” said Bulbach, speaking for the aforementioned block association he represents, and adding that he and other residents have seen up to two or three dozen people crammed onto the two-tier rooftop.

Not a large building by any means, 233 West 15th Street stands at four stories, and only the two top-floor apartments have roof access.

Other residents complained about aspects of the parties, which — back in 2010 and 2011 — were reportedly held by tenants who were professional party promoters, and included catered food and loud DJs. “It’s gotten so noisy, and whenever they have parties, the people up there all get really drunk and stupid,” said Sharon Mear, a resident of 237 West 15th Street, who has lived on the block for over 30 years.

A resident of 227, who asked not to be named, said that she found that tenants at 233 were at one point actually charging money for guests at the rooftop parties.

While claiming that the troubling activity still takes place from time to time, the neighbors do concede that the parties have slowed down as of late, and that the 233 rooftop has been pretty quiet over the past three or four months. This probably has to do with a change in tenants in the top apartments of that building in late 2011.

“These accusations all seem very bizarre and ridiculous,” said a current tenant of one of the top-floor apartments at 233, who asked not to be named, but who said they moved into the apartment in October 2011.

“We haven’t had any complaints in all the time we’ve lived here. There are no latenight parties and we’re very respectful of the neighbors.”

The aforementioned complaining residents generally scoffed at this assessment by the current 233 tenant, as well as responses by the building’s property manager, Jonathan Nagin (an employee of Superior Management, which owns the 233 building), who recently told this reporter that

Nearly 30 people are seen crammed onto the rooftop of 233 W. 15th St. during a daytime party in Oct. 10, along with an open flame for cooking.

he believes his tenants over the years have never abused their rooftop privileges, and that they are in fact “explicitly forbidden” from throwing parties.

But, having said all that, the biggest problem here — at least to Bulbach and the block association — is still the continuing lack of response from the DOB on this issue.

Back in 2010, the parties at 233 were reportedly so frequent that the neighboring residents were calling 311 nonstop in an attempt to get the DOB to investigate and stop overcrowding on the roof.

And since there was never any response from the agency, the block association even got Community Board 4 (CB4) to write a letter to the agency in December 2010, demanding action. That letter, in nearly three years, has never received a response from the DOB. And then, after a reported rash of parties on the 233 rooftop this past April, Bulbach and the block association tried to revive the issue by sending a letter to Speaker Quinn’s office, hoping that one of the Speaker’s representatives could finally get a response from the DOB. Bulbach said that at meeting of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations that took place two months ago, a member of Quinn’s office reported that there was again no response from the city agency.

The block association has not taken kindly to this, and residents continue to believe that their concerns are simply being marginalized and ignored, especially given the fact that they have actually documented instances of overcrowding on the 233 rooftop.

“The issue of whether the DOB is acting lawlessly is something that people are really talking about around here,” Bulbach said.

“Has the mayor’s office gone imperial? Are people just making up the laws now?”

When asked about why the DOB has never responded to a 311 call regarding

overcrowding at 233 West 15th Street — and why it has never even logged one of those complaints, according to a public database on the agency’s website — a DOB spokesperson chalked it up to a sense of 2.25” wide x 4” high miscommunication that results from the

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type of complaints that were registered by neighbors.

In a 311 call, any mention of loud, latenight partying — regardless of accompanying complaints of overcrowding — means that the call is directed to the local police precinct, according to the DOB. Since this was apparently the case (according to the DOB) in all the 311 calls made by West 15th Street residents about this issue, none of their complaints ever even reached the agency.

With this in mind, it seems clear that, in future occurrences, residents who wish to inform the city about potentially dangerous overcrowding will have to choose their words more carefully — although this obviously leaves any positive conclusion to the issue behind a rather nebulous veil.

And, having said that, any police intervention — or lack thereof — at the 233 rooftop has apparently not had any positive effect on the situation, in the eyes of block residents.

A community affairs officer at the NYPD’s 10th Precinct did not respond to request for comment.

In addition, the DOB response to this newspaper’s inquiry — a response which did not include any actual statements on the record — did not address the fact that the 2010 letter written by CB4, and the 2013 attempt by the block association Quinn’s office to get a 2.25” and wide x 4” high response, were virtually ignored.

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ULURP Reform Continued from page 4 the process leading up to this occasion.

And then the ULURP process is actually fairly tightly defined in its time range, but inevitably the final deals are cut at like 11:59pm, and I think they’re actually not really good deals in a lot of cases, meaning I think they are in the heat of battle, and the community doesn't get enough.

What I have proposed is to speed up and define the pre-certification timeline. I believe in mandatory inclusionary zoning, and that’s part of my affordable housing plan, so I want the affordable housing component guaranteed, legally guaranteed. Given what’s happening with real estate values, no, they won’t walk away, they’ll start competing. If one big real estate firm passes on a important property, someone else is going to swoop in on the property and say okay, I’ll give you the affordable housing, because I want to get my hands on that property, and the profit that goes with it.

----------------------------------------

COREY JOHNSON

Community Board 4 Chair and District 3 City Council candidate The ULURP process is, in many ways — I don’t know if “broken” is the right word, but it’s need of major reform. And I think that one of the [city] council’s major charter-mandated responsibilities and powers is having final action over any land use matter. In other cities, like San Francisco and Seattle, they have mandatory setasides. I think we need look at charter revision, and changing the way land use is done in New York City.

There are a few major structural thing that I think need to change right now. The community boards and the borough president have only advisory roles. I think that the community board and the borough president should be given binding opinions — that what they say needs to actually stand through the rest of the process…There would need to be a charter revision…I think there’s a major issue with the precertification phase at the Department of City Planning. So that by the time the application comes to the community board, the developer already feels like they have worked things out and have figured out what city planning ultimately wants.

The other part of it is, that there is a housing crisis going on in New York

City right now, a major housing crisis.

Developers only build more affordable housing if they’re incentivized, they don’t do it out of the goodness of their hearts — they do it because they think it’s going to be beneficial to them.

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Civil Rights Attorney and District 3 City Council candidate I think it [the Chelsea Market ULURP process] typifies some of the problems that we’re seeing. I am not tied to real estate interests. I come from a very public-interested background, and I can be an outspoken advocate on behalf of the community.

I think what we’re seeing with Chelsea Market is a problem that we often see in terms of ULURPs — and in terms of the fight for affordable housing. The question really becomes whether or not the units actually develop.

It’s not that real estate unto itself is a bad thing — it’s that the problem right now, what the community gets out of the exchange is not a fair trade.

Chelsea Market was a good example of that. We often are promised affordable housing…but how much of it really will be affordable? And I think that’s why we need somebody who is going to be unafraid, even if there’s backlash, even if we ruffle a few feathers — respectfully, but effectively — stand up to those forces and really see it through.

The community board having something more than advisory powers? I’m open to that as an idea.

I’m a tenant rights attorney. I’ve represented dozens of people who are in rent controlled or rent stabilized apartments, who are single resident occupants whose predatory landlords were trying to evict them. So I think one of the things that we do is we preserve the affordable housing stock that exists now. And again, I think that there has to be a balance between private real estate interests and public government roles…I don’t believe real estate developers when they tell us that it’s too expensive to build affordable housing.

And it’s not that we don’t want real estate developers to get really rich, they can get really rich. But I think there is a way to do that that doesn’t displace our community.

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CLU Contemplates New Housing at Fulton Continued from page 3 Compton was followed by Joe Restuccia — who, after giving a history of how affordable housing had been created in Chelsea, added, “The entire matter of how the parking gets redistributed has been solved. It was a tempest in a teapot because it was never real to begin with.” He stated that the locating of parking in the playground areas was not in the ULURP certification papers. “Every single person who has a parking permit today will have a parking permit, and some left over for the waiting list,” he said.

The discussed parking is for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The affordable housing residents will be fending for themselves, in terms of parking. Increasing the number of apartments in the building from the proposed 104 to the current 158 — which the developer has said was needed to make the project financially viable — necessitated the elimination of the underground parking that was included in early plans for the project.

Kashanian explained that a parking space inventory at Fulton Houses showed that there are currently 114 parking spaces with 96 people holding permits, and the proposed parking would result in 101 parking spaces for tenants, with seven on-street parking spaces for employees. He referred to the previous community meeting as a “miscommunication” and stated that no play area would be touched. “All we want to do is improve, not affect, areas,” said Kashanian. Artimus is proposing to create a new play area and children’s basketball court on the playground a little northwest of West 16th Street, and improve an existing adult basketball court on Ninth Avenue between West 18th and West 19th Streets.

Association, rose to say, “What Mr. Compton said about the rumor of parks being displaced was no rumor. I sat with the developer, HPD, and NYCHA and I have proof on the papers they gave me that two parks were going to be displaced, so to say that was a rumor is a lie.” Acevedo specifically addressed Walters, who was the HPD representative at the meeting he was referring to, and asked her to respond.

Walters answered: “When we met with you we were trying to figure out the parking configuration, and if you remember we were looking at the play areas. We said we don’t want to build on play areas and that more discussion had to happen.

Is this what the Tenants Association wanted? Parking vs. play area?...So it was all in flux, so that’s why the ULURP certification does not reflect anything about building on play areas, because that was the decision that was made.”

At the July 10 meeting, the developer and HPD told the community that they would provide paper handouts of information about the project to the Fulton Tenants Association,

ments are mostly studios and one-bedrooms, with two-bedroom apartments as the least available. Questions were raised about including more two-and-three bedroom apartments for families. It was also suggested that community space in the building might include a medical clinic, since senior citizens have difficulty getting crosstown to the crowded Beth Israel Hospital, where waits are long. Acevedo reminded the developer of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department’s (HUD’s) Section 3, that developments receiving HUD financing should train and hire low-or-very-low income residents to work on the project. In total, 20 percent of the apartments would be available to NYCHA residents. There was a request to increase that percentage. State Senator Brad Hoylman, who was in the audience along with State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, raised the question of a green roof and sustainability.

Joe Restuccia kept track of points to be covered in CB4’s letter to the CPC. It would cover, among other concerns, the Section 3 employment, marketing guide-

He referred to the previous community meeting as a ‘miscommunication’ and stated that no play area would be touched. ‘All we want to do is improve, not affect, areas,’ said Kashanian. Artimus is proposing to create a new play area and children’s basketball court on the playground a little northwest of West 16th Street, and improve an existing adult basketball court on Ninth Avenue between West 18th and West 19th Streets.

REVIEW OF ZONING CHANGES AND WAIVERS

Thehbia Walters, director of Manhattan Planning at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), reviewed the zoning changes described above. She also referred to a request for a mayoral zoning override from a required planting of 34 new trees around the entire Fulton property, to a planting of five trees in front of the new development. This, and a second request for an override related to parking, was postponed until CB4’s full board meeting on September 3. Walters also discussed HPD’s planned marketing of the apartments. Preference groups included people with disabilities, current CB4 residents, Fulton employees and NYCHA residents. She urged anyone interested to apply online at NYC Housing Connect on the HPD website (nyc. gov/hpd).

After Compton asked for any questions from the community, Miguel Acevedo, president of the Fulton Tenants

where it could be obtained. Chelsea Now obtained the information — which included “Fulton Houses Site Plan: Parking Analysis” drawings indicating where parking lots would displace playgrounds. The drawings, Chelsea Now was told, were provided by HPD and NYCHA. A review of the project’s Land Use Review Application revealed that while it did not state parking would displace playgrounds, it did not specify where parking would be located.

However, at this August meeting all parties agreed to put the playground vs. parking issue behind them and address other details of the Fulton affordable housing development.

CONCERNS AND VOTES

A number of concerns were expressed by the community for CB4 to consider in its recommendations to the CPC. The apart-

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lines, the breakdown of percentage of apartments available to those of different income levels, the Area Median Income of New York City, the final facade design (which has yet to be submitted), landscaping, parking and more.

After a brief discussion, members of the CB4 Land Use Committee unanimously voted to recommend both the zoning map amendment to change the R8 district to R8A to allow for taller buildings, and the requested waivers of zoning authorizations.

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