Imagine the Park, p. 16
THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 32
NOVEMBER 16-29, 2011
‘Owner Occupancy’ loophole displaces 16th St. tenants BY SCOTT STIFFLER On the afternoon of Sunday, November 6, over three dozen concerned area residents gathered in front of 221 West 16 Street — in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to prevent residents of that building from being evicted. They were joined by Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried, State Senator Thomas K. Duane, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Community Board 4 Chair
Corey Johnson. Their collective efforts — along with those of representatives from Fulton Houses, the West Side Neighborhood Alliance and Housing Conservation Coordinators — were not enough to Gary Brown (president of Furnished Quarters) from forcing five Chelsea families from the building. Appeals to man’s better nature went
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Photo by Walter Naegle
Judge rules in favor of BRC Shelter BY WINNIE McCROY After more than a year in court, the lawsuit between a group of Chelsea residents and business owners, the City of New York and a local homeless service provider has been resolved. In October, the judge denied a request by the Chelsea Flatiron Coalition (CFC) to close the Bowery Residents’ Committee
Change is good: The Penn South Senior Sandwich Brigade has morphed into “Enduring Endeavor” — a nod to the ever-changing Occupy Wall Street situation. See chelseanow.com on Nov. 18 for an update on EE’s latest project.
(BRC) 328-bed shelter on West 25th Street by ruling that the shelter was operating legally. She did not, however, rule on challenges to a local law limiting shelters to 200 beds. “On October 14, 2011, Judge Joan A. Madden issued a ruling on the case and denied CFC’s petition. The court did not strike
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EDITORIAL, LETTERS PAGE 8
KID SHAMROCK PAGE 25
Community discusses Chelsea Market expansion BY WINNIE McCROY and SCOTT STIFFLER On the evening of November 10, about 75 Chelsea residents gathered at the Church of the Holy Apostles for a two-hour community forum on the proposed expansion of Chelsea Market by its owner, Jamestown Properties. The majority of those who spoke opposed plans to build office space and a business hotel atop the historic building. Hosted by Rev. Glenn B. Chalmers and moderated by former New York Supreme Court Justice Karen Smith, the panel consisted of Robert Benfatto, District Manager of Community Board 4 (CB4); Save Chelsea member David Holowka; and Fulton Houses Tenants Association President Miguel Acevedo. The forum began with a straw poll on 10 issues of importance to the community related to the pro-
posed expansion — including air and noise pollution, quality schools located in the neighborhood and safety. Receiving the most showing of hands: no overdevelopment, or when done, done in proportion to the community (19); less air and noise pollution (16); and affordable housing (15). Benfatto then presented his report on the status of the zoning proposal, noting that the actual proposal would only come after city certification (around January 2012). At that point, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process will began — with CB4 having 60 days to review the proposal. The committee will bring recommendations to the next full board meeting, and public hearings will be held. Benfatto encouraged the community to be vocal in all parts of this process. Presentations by Holowka and
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Acevedo followed, with each having 15 minutes to argue their position, against and for, respectively. “Jamestown, the company behind Chelsea Market, says that they are interested in preserving the character of our neighborhood…but our research leads us to believe that may not be accurate,” said Holowka. Citing the company’s acquisition and resale of landmark structures like the GM building and 620 Sixth Avenue, Holowka said that Jamestown was primarily interested in profits. “I’m not against capitalism…but it’s time to put on the brakes,” said Holowka, citing overdevelopment, soaring rental prices, and congestion. Holowka also noted that the Caledonia (located on 16th Street across from Chelsea Market) was only allowed to reach 250 feet to build out
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