City used fair method to evaluate tenant displacement, judge rules

Her ruling will allow work in the East Harlem rezoning and at the Bedford-Union Armory to proceed

Left to right: Bedford-Union Armory at 1579 Bedford Ave and a view of East Harlem (Credit: JV Santore via Flickr and Esra Realty)
Left to right: Bedford-Union Armory at 1579 Bedford Ave and a view of East Harlem (Credit: JV Santore via Flickr and Esra Realty)

A judge ruled against a lawsuit on Thursday that aimed to block a pair of real estate projects based on the methodology the city used for determining tenant displacement.

The ruling from Judge Carmen Victoria St. George will allow work at the Bedford-Union Armory in Crown Heights and work in the East Harlem rezoning area to move forward, according to Politico.

The Legal Aid Society filed the suit last November, which argued that the city’s method of calculating tenant displacement was flawed because it does not take rent-regulated apartments into account.

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The judge disagreed, saying that the city’s method sufficiently accounts for displacement threats. She ruled that government agencies did enough to “consider all relevant areas of environmental concern and examine them rationally.”

Officials from the city were pleased with the ruling, but Legal Aid staff attorney Kat Meyers said in a statement to Politico that they were already considering an appeal.

“We are deeply disappointed with the court’s decision today ruling against the best interests of the East Harlem and Crown Heights communities,” she said. “We still maintain that the methodology the city employs to measure tenant displacement is fundamentally flawed, and that it ignores obvious realities and the consequences of land use decisions on rents and livelihoods.” [Politico] – Eddie Small