The Division of Housing & Community Renewal has objected to a landlord’s request for a 100-car underground garage at the west end of Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights.
As it turns out, the proposal was in direct conflict with the intended use of the area, which is for recreation. This is because the proposed ‘green roof’ on top of the garage would not adequately replace the courtyard, causing the destruction of a series of trees and increasing vehicular use, thus affecting noise and sight reduction, and environmental standards within the community.
This is a great victory, for both the Riverside Tenant Association and all NYC tenants. It demonstrates that owners don’t always get their way. While the Pinnacle Group is appealing this decision, the Riverside Tenant Association is confident that its appeal will be rejected, as decisions in favor of tenants are rarely overturned.
However, the Riverside Tenant Association is $11,000 in debt to its legal counsel. If you would like to help them with this burden please send donations to:
Riverside Tenants Association
Brooklyn GPO, Box 6841
Brooklyn, NY 11202-6841
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Where We Stand with Legislative Reform
Weeks after the legislative session in Albany was scheduled to end, the fight to reform our rent laws this year continues. Senate Democrats are back in the majority, but the conference remains fractured in the wake of the Republican coup of June 8 and the stalemate that followed for more than a month afterward. Though the tenant vote was key to putting Democrats in the majority in the state senate last November - for the first time in over 40 years - it has been clear that the conference leadership has been
hesitant about pushing crucial pro-tenant legislation, including the bills to repeal vacancy decontrol and protect tenants in former Mitchell Lama and project-based Section 8 buildings.
At the moment, it seems likely that the senate will return later in the summer to address so-called controversial legislation, including rent reform.
It is well understood that tenants are a core Democratic constituency, but without constant pressure from us, our issues will be sidelined. Some Democrats are trying to play both sides of this issue - collecting landlord lobbyist money while posturing as pro-tenant progressives - and for those politicians, the easiest way to keep up this game is to allow events to play out so that these bills never come to a vote. Ultimately, these senators need the tenant vote in order to stay in office, so we are reminding them that pushing through our package of bills is the most important test of their credibility on tenant issues.
Years of work went into getting pro-tenant politicians elected. Over the past year, the Real Rent Reform and New York Is Our Home coalitions have mounted an impressive campaign to reform our rent laws - organizing protests and rallies, canvassing, phone calling, and meeting with politicians. When the coup on June 8 threatened to derail efforts to pass rent reform legislation this year, member groups of these coalitions from across New York City and the suburban counties sent 40, 50, and 60 tenants per day to Albany every day of the session to protest outside the senate chambers. Our presence helped keep our bills on the top of the Democrats' agenda, and reminded the party leadership that our priority issues could not be put off to another year.
Our last large mobilization was this past week, on Wednesday, July 15. Over 60 tenants held a lively protest outside the senate chambers, and got senators to publicly sign a pledge committing themselves to pushing our priority bills through this session. The absence of Senator Daniel Squadron, who was away on his honeymoon, gave the Republicans extra leverage for the day, and the session was delayed until late in the night. Without Squadron's vote, passage of our bills would have been difficult, and by being in Albany at this critical juncture, we kept ourselves in the spotlight. Our bills did not come up for a vote, but we got commitments from senators to bring them to a vote before the final session. Many thanks to the steadfast tenants who came on this trip and the many others who went to Albany previously!
It is now clear that it was not only the June 8 coup that threatened to derail the tenant agenda, but also the opportunity created by the ensuing chaos for hesitant Democrats to avoid voting on our legislation and thereby truly earning their pro-tenant credentials. Our efforts so far, built on the foundation of tremendous tenant activism, have kept us on the cusp of a victory. When a session is called over the summer to bring our bills to a vote, please plan on making the trip to Albany with Met Council!
At the moment, it seems likely that the senate will return later in the summer to address so-called controversial legislation, including rent reform.
It is well understood that tenants are a core Democratic constituency, but without constant pressure from us, our issues will be sidelined. Some Democrats are trying to play both sides of this issue - collecting landlord lobbyist money while posturing as pro-tenant progressives - and for those politicians, the easiest way to keep up this game is to allow events to play out so that these bills never come to a vote. Ultimately, these senators need the tenant vote in order to stay in office, so we are reminding them that pushing through our package of bills is the most important test of their credibility on tenant issues.
Years of work went into getting pro-tenant politicians elected. Over the past year, the Real Rent Reform and New York Is Our Home coalitions have mounted an impressive campaign to reform our rent laws - organizing protests and rallies, canvassing, phone calling, and meeting with politicians. When the coup on June 8 threatened to derail efforts to pass rent reform legislation this year, member groups of these coalitions from across New York City and the suburban counties sent 40, 50, and 60 tenants per day to Albany every day of the session to protest outside the senate chambers. Our presence helped keep our bills on the top of the Democrats' agenda, and reminded the party leadership that our priority issues could not be put off to another year.
Our last large mobilization was this past week, on Wednesday, July 15. Over 60 tenants held a lively protest outside the senate chambers, and got senators to publicly sign a pledge committing themselves to pushing our priority bills through this session. The absence of Senator Daniel Squadron, who was away on his honeymoon, gave the Republicans extra leverage for the day, and the session was delayed until late in the night. Without Squadron's vote, passage of our bills would have been difficult, and by being in Albany at this critical juncture, we kept ourselves in the spotlight. Our bills did not come up for a vote, but we got commitments from senators to bring them to a vote before the final session. Many thanks to the steadfast tenants who came on this trip and the many others who went to Albany previously!
It is now clear that it was not only the June 8 coup that threatened to derail the tenant agenda, but also the opportunity created by the ensuing chaos for hesitant Democrats to avoid voting on our legislation and thereby truly earning their pro-tenant credentials. Our efforts so far, built on the foundation of tremendous tenant activism, have kept us on the cusp of a victory. When a session is called over the summer to bring our bills to a vote, please plan on making the trip to Albany with Met Council!
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