Pratt Center for Community Development

Pratt Center eNews, Summer 2005

Summer 2005
In this Issue:

• Greenpoint-Williamsburg
• Inclusionary Zoning
• Manufacturing Jobs
• Markham Gardens
• Energy $mart Communities
• East Harlem Block Schools

This spring has been an exciting one for several of the Pratt Center’s allies. Community groups in Greenpoint-Williamsburg won significant commitments to affordable housing, open space, and good jobs in the City’s recent rezoning; public housing tenants at the Markham Gardens development on Staten Island are on their way to securing an affordable place in the future of their community; and organizations around the city are on their way to becoming Energy $mart.

Of course, there is far more still to do. The Manhattan Institute recently released a report calling for the blanket rezoning of manufacturing areas that would eliminate thousands of jobs to make room for market-rate housing. And community-based organizations around the city continue in their struggles to build what communities truly need, like the current child care project of East Harlem Block Schools. We hope the stories of both accomplishment and ongoing struggle will help to inspire more communities to take action to shape the future of their neighborhoods.

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Community Groups Help Reshape Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning

Years of work by a slew of community-based groups has recently led to significant new commitments for affordable housing, good jobs and open space in Greenpoint-Williamsburg. On May 11, the City Council approved the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Land Use and Waterfront Plan, an ambitious rezoning of a 175-block area. The Pratt Center worked with community groups over the past decade to develop a community plan for the area. These groups were vocal opponents of the City’s initial plan, which they felt did not sufficiently reflect the community’s goals of affordable housing, open space, and the preservation of manufacturing jobs.

Community groups organized tirelessly for changes to the plan. St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corporation, Los Sures, and Churches United for Fair Housing led the way on affordable housing. Neighbors Against Garbage, the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, and the New York Industrial Retention Network pushed for better provisions for manufacturing. Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning pushed for more open space. Community Board 1 and the North Brooklyn Alliance brought a diverse array of groups together. And elected officials including Council members David Yassky and Diana Reyna, Assembly members Vito Lopez and Joe Lentol, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, and Borough President Marty Markowitz joined the community’s call for change. The Pratt Center was honored to support these groups, and especially to help those pushing for new inclusionary zoning policy to guarantee affordable housing.

As a result of this remarkable advocacy, the plan was significantly altered. One-third of the housing created by this rezoning will be affordable to low-and moderate-income people (about 3,500 units out of 10,900 total). All the affordable units will be permanently affordable and strong anti-harassment provisions are included. The City will establish an Industrial Business Zone in nearby areas, and provide $24 million to develop manufacturing space and assist with relocation. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ won a landmark agreement under which developers agreed to pay prevailing wages to their building service workers. Over time, the plan will create over 50 acres of parks and open space and the community will begin to recover its waterfront.

Of course, the plan is not perfect. It does not sufficiently account for transportation or future infrastructure needs. Some community members are disappointed with the size of the buildings to be developed on the waterfront. But the changes made as a result of community pressure are significant. In the end, we believe that the Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning is a good model for equitable development that balances growth with benefits for a wide range of people in the community.

For more details about the Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning visit: http://www.prattcenter.net/pol-gwrezoning.php

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Steps for Inclusionary Zoning

Last year, the Pratt Center and PolicyLink released a report calling for the City to use inclusionary zoning to create affordable housing as neighborhoods are rezoned. Up to that point, the Bloomberg Administration had resisted calls to connect rezoning and housing affordability. As a result of effective community organizing, citywide advocacy by the Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning, policy advocacy by the Pratt Center, and leadership by both City Council members and the Bloomberg Administration (especially HPD Commissioner Shaun Donovan and Deputy Commissioner Rafael Cestero), much has changed in a year.

The City utilized significant inclusionary zoning strategies in the Hudson Yards, Greenpoint-Williamsburg, and (to a lesser extent) West Chelsea rezonings. As a result, more than 7,500 affordable units will be built in these areas in the decades to come. While the program is a voluntary one (we called for mandates where developers are receiving significant windfalls), we believe it will make a real difference. The next step is for the City to incorporate inclusionary zoning into its plans from the beginning as it rezones more neighborhoods. Next up are Jamaica, Sherman Creek, South Park Slope, and Bedford-Stuyvesant – all neighborhoods where people are in desperate need of affordable housing. And if inclusionary zoning becomes the model, there are more neighborhoods where residents would be willing to see more (well-planned) density and development, if they know affordable housing will be a significant part of what gets built.

Read more about Inclusionsry Zoning at http://www.prattcenter.net/pol-iz.php

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Don't Needlessly Eliminate Manufacturing Jobs

While rezonings offer an opportunity to create affordable housing when done right, it is also essential that New York help secure a future for the high- quality manufacturing jobs that still exist here. Unfortunately, the Manhattan Institute has recently argued for a blanket approach that would rezone vast swaths of neighborhoods in all five boroughs – areas containing 12,000 industrial jobs – with no attention to the realities of these neighborhoods or business, no discussion of where or how these businesses would go, and no provisions for affordability in new housing that is built.

It is no surprise that the Manhattan Institute would want every neighborhood to look like the wealthiest parts of Manhattan. But as the Bloomberg Administration has recently recognized, through its establishment of an industry policy for the city and the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Industrial and Manufacturing Businesses, there are compelling reasons to support industrial zoning where concentrations of industrial businesses exist – and in spite of efforts to dispel the impression, there are such enclaves in each of the five boroughs. Manufacturing jobs remain a particularly important source of employment for people who often lack the educational credentials or networks to find employment in other sectors. Average production wage in New York City is $41,361 while average wages in retailing is $30,516 and $ 24,586 in restaurants.

Pratt Institute professor Laura Wolf-Powers offers a critique of the Manhattan Institute report, a better accounting for true costs and benefits, and a few strategies for how New York City can move forward in a way that recognized the value of both housing and jobs.

To read her response visit:
http://www.prattcenter.net/pol-response.php

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Preserving Affordable Housing on Staten Island

In our last newsletter, we wrote about the struggle of tenants at Markham Gardens, a 360-unit public housing development on the North Shore of Staten Island. NYCHA had decided to demolish their buildings and replace them with only 270 units of privately-owned affordable housing – with no guarantee that current tenants could return, or that they would be involved in the design of their new community.

The Tenant Association sought help from the Pratt Center to challenge the premise that their buildings had little value and needed to be demolished, as well as to better secure a guarantee that they could return, that at least as many affordable units would be rebuilt, and that tenant input and the history of the development would be incorporated into its future. The Pratt Center conducted an engineering review, architectural analysis, historical research, and a review of public housing demolition and redevelopment around the country. We concluded that the buildings could be saved (contrary to some of NYCHA’s claims), and that the development has historic significance and a character residents value. However, we acknowledge that the cost would indeed be high.

When NYCHA made clear its intention to continue with the demolition, tenants chose to focus on securing a stronger place in its future. Working with the Pratt Center, with clergy leaders on Staten Island, and with support from Councilmembers Michael McMahon and Diana Reyna, the Tenant Association has asked NYCHA and HPD for a written agreement that spells out tenants' rights to return, and to ensure that more affordable units will be built, that the “essence” of their community will be reflected in the redevelopment, and that tenants will have meaningful input. The City has agreed that residents will be able to return to secure tenancy in affordable housing. While the deal is not yet on paper, we are optimistic that NYCHA and HPD will agree to tenants’ requests.

Find more information and our report on Markham Gardens at: http://www.prattcenter.net/arch-markhamgardens.php.

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Promoting Energy $mart Communities

As temperatures rise during the summer months, so do those energy bills. But this year, a fledgling restaurant in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn can look forward to saving over $5,000 in energy bills thanks to the help of the Pratt Center and the New York Energy $mart Communities Program. Le Dakar, a restaurant serving international cuisine, incorporated energy-efficient equipment into its design by installing high-performance windows, ENERGY STAR® air conditioners, compact florescent light fixtures, high-efficiency refrigeration equipment and other energy saving devices. Not only will the restaurant be saving money by conserving energy, it will be less taxing on the environment as well.

Le Dakar is just one of a number of community businesses and organizations that have benefited from the Pratt Center’s partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). PICCED’s Dean Zias serves as a Regional Coordinator of NYSERDA’s New York Energy $mart Communities Program, providing information, resources, and guidance to interested parties in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Manhattan south of 96th Street.

The purpose of the Energy $mart Communities Program is to introduce energy awareness, efficiency, and alternative energy sources to New York City communities. As Regional Coordinator, Dean Zias facilitates energy efficiency projects, helping to make the best match between the community's needs and NYSERDA's technical and financial assistance. Le Dakar took advantage of the New York Energy $mart Loan Fund, a program that offers interest rate reductions on loans for energy efficiency projects - just one of the many ways the Energy $mart Communities program can provide financial assistance.

Since partnering with NYSERDA nearly 2 years ago, the Pratt Center has teamed up with over 80 Energy $mart Communities partners, ranging from community-based organizations, legislators, labor and environmental groups, public officials, residents, business owners, teachers, contractors, and building professionals to promote energy efficiency.

To learn more about the Energy $mart Communities Program visit http://www.prattcenter.net/tr-energysmart.php or contact [Sorry, display of this email address requires a Javascript-aware browser, in order to deter spam. Please use the general contact page instead.].

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Meeting Community Needs for Childcare & Housing

When faced with a lack of quality childcare options in East Harlem four decades ago, a group of committed parents established a nursery school for the children of the community. As a result, East Harlem Block Schools (EHBS) was born – a community-based organization with the goal of generating community leadership and self-empowerment through educational and community development programs and services.

Today, EHBS is once again meeting the community’s needs by working to create a mixed-use development that would include a child care center and affordable housing, as well as administrative space for EHBS. The Pratt Center and the Low Income Investment Fund are helping EHBS develop the project, which will integrate sustainable design strategies resulting in green building benefits for the child care center, residents, and the surrounding community.

Community groups around the city are experimenting with new models for mixed-use development to meet neighborhood needs – combining housing with child care, community-partnered schools, neighborhood retail, community centers, cultural centers, and more. As property values remain sky-high, community developers have more work than ever to insure that space is available to meet community needs.

For more information on East Harlem Block Schools visit
http://www.prattcenter.net/arch-eastharlemschools.php

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