Mayor Bill de Blasio came, he signed, he promised.
Hundreds of local residents attended a three-hour Town Hall with de Blasio last night, which City Council Member Antonio Reynoso (D-Williamsburg, Bushwick) hosted at the Williamsburg Community Center, 195 Graham Avenue.
De Blasio arrived to a standing ovation which he later followed up with signing into law three bills, 938-A, 939-A, 940-A, which strengthen legal protections for tenant rights. These bills, which Reynoso sponsored, would require the Department of Buildings (DOB) to compile and maintain a watch list of contractors who have been found to have performed work without a required permit in the preceding two years, would increase the penalties for work without a permit and would increase the penalties for violating a stop work order, respectively.
“Ladies and gentlemen, these bills are now laws,” said de Blasio.
De Blasio followed up the moment with announcing the creation of 500, 100% affordable housing units at the currently vacant Greenpoint Hospital in North Brooklyn. Greenpoint Hospital has been vacant since 1983, after serving Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick for almost 70 years.
“We have to do more for the people that are already here. We have to let people know that they can afford to stay in their own neighborhoods. We will be moving forward with 500 affordable units at Greenpoint Hospital, there is no reason for a vacant lot in a community that is desperate for affordable housing. [Greenpoint Hospital] has been in limbo for 30 years but it’s not going to be in limbo anymore,” said de Blasio.
Housing concerns, particularly rezoning projects and affordable housing dominated the audience participation part of the meeting.
Local residents are currently in the midst of a controversial battle for the rezoning of the Pfizer site in the Broadway Triangle. Long-time residents claim that the project, which will include 287 units of permanent affordable housing, are slated to be multi-bedroom units that would favor the Hasidic population over Black and Latino groups in the area.
Developer the Rabsky Group is looking to develop the 4.2-acre site, which was once owned by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, into multiple buildings to include 1,146 mixed-income residential units, 65,000 square feet of neighborhood retail, a half-acre of public open space, and 405 parking spaces. The site is situated between Harrison and Union Avenues, from Walton Street to Gerry Street.
Local Bushwick resident, Eduardo Rodriguez, was the first to confront the mayor with the controversy, demanding de Blasio explain the breakdown in affordable units.
“We are concerned about the exclusion of families from the Pfizer site, what guarantees can you give us that there are going to be 2-and-3 bedroom apartments for families making $20,000 a year,” said Rodriguez.
The mayor went on to give a canned response that included the breakdown of apartments and a detailed account of the affordability rates.
“That development will have 287 affordable apartments, 172 of them will be at 50% AMI,which means that those units will be for a household of 3 and an income between $36,000 and $48,000. 115 units will be at 40% of AMI, which means a household of 3 that makes up to $36,000. The vast majority of units will be 1,2, and 3 bedroom apartments and we are going to make sure that the process for distributing those units is done by an objective lottery that the city will monitor and control,” said de Blasio.
Earlier in the evening, Churches United For Fair Housing (CUFFH) marched alongside housing advocates and community members before the Town Hall in a bid to bring attention to the affordable housing crisis devastating North Brooklyn.
“We have concerns over the Mayor’s affordable housing plan, which for Bushwick and Williamsburg tenants is not affordable enough. There are real concerns that represent the plight of people and we are hoping that the Mayor is able to give us direct answers tonight,” said Jesus Gonzalez, Co-Executive Director of CUFFH.
Throughout the evening, residents continued to press the mayor on the crisis, claiming that they are being pushed out and priced out of their neighborhoods in favor of higher rents and luxury condos.
Life-long East Williamsburg resident and family man, Robert Camacho, 56, pleaded for the Mayor to find a resolution to affordable housing. Camacho told the audience that he still lives with his adult son due to high rent rates.
“I can’t kick my son out of the house because I’m afraid he won’t be able to afford somewhere to live. When Bushwick was burning no one wanted to live here. I want to be a grandfather and see my child in his own house but it’s not possible anymore. They are kicking us out and raising the rent,” said Camacho.
Though the promised Greenpoint Hospital housing project will bring some needed relief to the district, some residents claim that it is also the rate of rezonings that is compounding the situation.
Reynoso responded that his is committed to the fight against displacement and to empower his constituents to stand for their homes.
“I just want to let people know that I am committed to maximizing affordable housing and fast tracking projects like the Greenpoint Hospital. We need to make sure that we fight for every city site that we can,” said Reynoso.
