News, Developments: Wednesday, July 19, 2023

IN MEMORIAM: BEVERLY MOSS SPATT, PROTECTOR OF BUILDINGS AND NEIGHBORHOODS

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS – Beverly Moss Spatt, who as chairwoman of the Historic Preservation Commission fought to protect the city’s architectural treasures and neighborhoods, died last Friday at age 99. according to a NY Times obituary by Robert D. McFadden. Ms. Spatt grew up in Brooklyn Heights as the daughter of State Supreme Court and later Associate Justice and Board of Education President Maximilian Moss, himself a Brooklyn native. Ms. Spatt delved into civics early on and earned her tough-as-nails reputation as a backdoor developer bid fighter during her time on the City Planning Commission. Among the District treasures he saved were the Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights, the Gage & Tollner seafood restaurant, and the Plaza and the tree-lined Ocean Parkway, which Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux had designed.

Of course, Grand Central Station represented the pinnacle of his victories against developers, where he took his fight to preserve the city’s heritage amid a financial crisis all the way to the Court of Appeals. New York State. The 1977 ruling (which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 1978) saved not only the Beaux Arts building, but also the foundations of monument laws.

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BARCLAYS WORKERS REACH NEW LABOR AGREEMENT, AVOIDING A STRIKE VOTE

BARCLAYS CENTER/PROSPECT HEIGHTS — A potential strike by food and beverage workers at Barclays Center has been averted and a tentative agreement reached with their employer, Levy. The 650 waiters, servers and cooks of the premises, who are part of UNITE HERE! Local 100: Planned a vote on whether to authorize a strike before they and Levy reach the deal, which includes raises of $5 to $11.20 an hour, and will make health insurance more accessible workers if the agreement is ratified.

At the end of the contract, if ratified, the lowest-paid worker will earn $25 an hour.

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THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ACTIONS AIM TO ENCOURAGE HOUSING GROWTH

GOWANUS AND STATEwide — The Brooklyn neighborhood of Gowanus could benefit from a package of executive actions that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Tuesday, July 18, to combat a housing shortage crisis and promote the growth in this area. According to a statement distributed Tuesday afternoon, the actions include the following: a program to advance residential projects stalled by the expiration of 421-A that include affordable housing in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn; an executive order establishing preference in certain discretionary funding programs for localities throughout the state that comply with a new “Pro-Housing Community” certification process; a new requirement that all state entities identify the potential of their state-owned land to support housing; among other points.

The governor has also launched a new interactive portal to collect and share housing and zoning data and information at the community level on an ongoing basis. Housing data panel will provide critical information to help the State and municipalities identify challenges and track progress in housing growth, and will be expanded over time to include additional information.

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NYC INSTALLER HELPLINE NOW HAS LIVE OPERATORS

IN THE CITY — The Mayor’s Public Participation Unit (PEU) has launched a Live operator tenant helpline for New York City tenants facing possible eviction, landlord harassment or unacceptable living conditions. Until now, tenants who called 311 for help were referred to a voicemail and received a call back within 48 to 72 hours from PEU tenant assistance specialists.

The helpline has also expanded to serve callers more comprehensively by connecting them with additional city programs such as SNAP, Cash Assistance, Homebase and One-Shot Deals, and helping them apply state programs such as rent relief and unemployment insurance.

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INTERVENTOR: MENTALLY PEOPLE MAKE UP 20% OF THE PRECÓS POPULATION

IN THE CITY — More people were sent to prison and more people remain incarcerated than were released during June 2023, according to City Controller Brad Lander’s monthly update on the Department of Corrections dashboard . June 2023 also saw an increase in the number of people detained with serious mental illnesses who were not receiving treatment. This month’s dashboard data highlights persistent problems surrounding DOC operations, including situations that cause detainees to miss vital medical and psychiatric appointments. People with serious mental illness make up 20% of the total detained population at Rikers alone.

However, the Dashboard gave good news regarding the downward trend in violent incidents in prisons during June: the number of assaults decreased by 7, there were 67 fewer fights and 18 fewer slashings and stabbings less, while showing the opposite of From May to June.

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MTA PROJECTS BALANCED BUDGET, IF EVERYTHING GOES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PLAN

IN THE CITY — For the first time in more than 20 years, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has projected a balanced budget for five consecutive years, until 2027 — although some spending reductions needed to achieve that goal have not yet been specified. MTA had previously projected a $600 million deficit. On Monday, the agency credited the change in its outlook to a increase in the payroll mobility rate and other dedicated taxes, more municipal funding for ancillary transportation, a proposed 5.5% toll increase and a 4% fare increase at the end of August. The five-year plan also calls for an additional 4% rate increase in 2025 and 2027, and an increase in ridership.

The state budget requires the MTA to do so reduce expenses by $400 million annually, and the agency hopes to reduce expenses by $500 annually by 2025. To date, NYC Transit, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad have identified $250 million in cost efficiencies.

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DINAPOLI APPLAUSES MTA’S FINANCIAL PLAN, URGES DEBT REDUCTION

IN THE CITY — New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Monday called the MTA’s five-year balanced budget projection “a remarkable success given the dire state of the MTA’s fiscal affairs earlier this year.” He credited “substantial new funding” from the state for stabilizing the MTA’s revenue picture, even amid weak real estate transaction taxes DiNapoli added, however, that it is now up to the MTA to “execute the necessary initiatives to achieve the ongoing budget balance that his plan provides.”

DiNapoli also urged the MTA to better manage debt and not burden future riders and ratepayers. By 2023, approximately 17.9% of revenue will go toward debt service.

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GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCES 3D PRINTED GUNS BAN LEGISLATION

STATEwide – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced the 3D-Printed Gun Safety Act at a press conference Monday, proposed federal legislation that would ban the online distribution of blueprints for printing in 3D firearms. and help prevent the proliferation of “ghost guns.” Ghost guns are homemade firearms that do not have a serial number, making them impossible to trace. Because many 3D printed guns are made of plastic, they can bypass metal detectors in courthouses, airports, and other secure areas.

“Those who shouldn’t have a gun shouldn’t be able to print one with the click of a mouse either,” Gillibrand said.

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THE CONSTRUCTION UNIONS EXPRESS THE CONSTITUTION TO THE GOVERNOR FOR THE PERCEPTION OF SENSATION IN THE HOUSING PACKAGE

STATEwide – Three powerful unions wasted no time Tuesday afternoon criticizing Governor Hochul’s latest executive actions on housing, saying she’s siding with big real estate developers over construction workers . The joint statement from the District Council of Carpenters of the City of New York, the District Council of Carpenters and Cement and Concrete Workers of the City of New York and District Council 16 expressed disappointment “at the decision of the Governor to side with multi-million dollar real estate developers over the hundreds of thousands of unionized construction workers The Legislature gutted 421-A and rejected its carbon copy replacement for one reason: it’s not working. Any real solution must include labor standards. We will review all available options to ensure good-paying jobs are created in projects that receive millions in tax breaks.”

According to articles published last month, including in the Real Deal, the New York State Legislature rejected 421-A because it did not receive assurances from the governor that he would sign the extensions.

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GOLDMAN URGES INVESTIGATION INTO DOMESTIC TERRORISTS WITHIN THE DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY

WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Dan Goldman (NY-10), Representative Robert Garcia (CA-42) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) on Monday directed 63 members of Congress to send a letter to US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, asking what actions the department has taken to address the threat of domestic violent extremism within DHS itself. “The knowledge that potentially has been the Department of Homeland Security infiltrated by violent domestic extremism is a matter of utmost urgency,” Goldman said in a statement. A December 2022 investigation found that more than 300 people from the far-right militia group, the Oath Keepers, described themselves as current or former employees from DHS.

“Members of the Oath Keepers have planned and attempted to violently overthrow the government, and these individuals have no place in our federal agencies, especially our Department of Homeland Security,” Goldman said.