These elected officials are united in their rejection of City of Yes.
What do a group of Queens Democrats and a City Council member who is a vocal Trump supporter have in common? They do not want a series of zoning changes to be approved.
Republican Council member Vickie Paladino, along with Democratic Assembly members Edward Braunstein, Sam Berger, Nily Rozic, Alicia Hyndman and David Weprin; Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky and Council member Linda Lee teamed up for a rally on Monday to say “No to City of Yes.”
In an interview, Braunstein called the changes in City of Yes “anything but modest,” pointing to the legalization of accessory dwelling units and transit-oriented development, which would permit three- to five-story buildings on certain lots within half a mile of public transit.
Braunstein and Paladino agreed that the press conference demonstrates that opposition to the text amendment is bipartisan.
“We all live here, and these are our constituents. It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or Republican,” Paladino said. “We all agree that this City of Yes proposal is going to decimate our area.” (When asked how to better address the city’s housing shortage, Paladino disputed the existence of a housing shortage in her district and blamed the response to the migrant crisis.)
The mayor’s office on Monday released a video in support of the text amendment that singles out Queens.
“Black homeowners were once restricted by Jim Crow rules that stopped them from buying homes in particular neighborhoods,” Mayor Eric Adams says in the video. “This terrible practice was particularly common in Queens.”
The mayor goes on to say that the zoning resolution of 1961 reinforced segregation by restricting housing development in wealthy, predominantly white neighborhoods, the effects of which persist to this day.
With less than two months until the presidential election (which is polarizing to say the least), the fact that any Republicans and Democrats are teaming up against City of Yes says something about the strength of opposition to the text amendment, at least in eastern Queens. This also comes at a time when the mayor is already politically vulnerable.
That said, most of the elected officials at Monday’s rally were state lawmakers who do not have a vote on this. It will be up to the City Council, which will take up the issue after City Planning votes on Sept. 25.
What we’re thinking about: Should there be more rules around how soon after retiring from a city agency that people can become a consultant or expeditor who deals with that agency? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: Financier Joseph Wharton acquired nearly 100,000 acres of land in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey between 1876 and 1890, with an eye on sapping water from the aquifer there for Philadelphia’s use, according to “The Pine Barrens” by John McPhee. The New Jersey legislature barred that from happening. That land today makes up Wharton State Forest.
Elsewhere in New York…
— NYPD officers shot at a fare evader who pulled out a knife at the Sutter Avenue L train station, but three others were injured in the shooting, Gothamist reports. One 49-year-old bystander is in critical condition after he was shot in the head. A police officer who took a bullet to the left armpit and a 26-year-old bystander who was grazed by a bullet are in stable condition. The officers’ target, 37-year-old Derell Mickles, was shot multiple times in the chest and is in critical condition.
— ICYMI, the city’s top attorney resigned this weekend, Politico New York reports. Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg did not explain her decision to step down. The mayor was asked Monday if she quit because he rejected her advice, but he did not give a direct answer.
— The city’s transit system needs about $115 billion in repairs and upgrades, Bloomberg reports. A report by the Citizens Budget Commission recommends that the MTA focus on maintaining the system rather than dedicating resources to expansion projects.
Closing Time
Residential: The priciest residential sale Monday was $25 million for a 5,783-square-foot new condominium unit at 500 West 18th Street in Chelsea. Deborah Kern and Steve Gold of the Corcoran Group had the listing.
Commercial: The largest commercial sale of the day was $47.3 million for a 49,000-square-foot nursing home and adjacent 23,820-square-foot parking lot at 22-41 New Haven Avenue in Far Rockaway.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $29.9 million for a 6,900-square-foot new condominium unit at 62 Wooster Street in Soho. The DeNiro Team at Douglas Elliman has the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building application filed was for 10,853-square-foot, six-story residential project at 291 Wallabout Street in East Williamsburg. Yoel Rozenberg filed the permit. — Matthew Elo