TESTIMONY
Leo Schaff, Yorkville Resident, on the Rushed Approval Process of the East 94th Street Rezoning Proposal
1:06:21
·
4 min
Leo Schaff, a longtime Yorkville resident, criticizes the rushed approval process of the East 94th Street rezoning proposal, emphasizing insufficient affordable housing and lack of thorough review.
- Schaff argues the rezoning deal fails to offer adequate truly affordable housing, only reaching a 30% threshold.
- He describes the Community Board 8's approval process as hasty and claims community members were pressured into a rushed vote without comprehensive understanding.
- The initial resolution against the proposal failed, whereas a subsequent 'yes with conditions' resolution quickly passed, leaving residents and board members in disbelief.
- Schaff highlights the borough president's expedited review, completed in just 5 days, as further evidence of the rushed process.
- Calls attention to the limited opportunity for community input and the need for council members to review meeting recordings for a full grasp of the issue.
Kevin C. Riley
1:06:21
Sorry.
1:06:22
We're gonna start with online testimonies, and then we're gonna go there in person.
1:06:25
Okay?
1:06:25
I'm gonna turn it over to the counsel.
William Vidal
1:06:36
Let me repeat that.
1:06:37
Apparently, my microphone was not on.
1:06:38
Thank you for letting me know.
1:06:41
So as I was saying, we have a number of individuals who have who are signed up online and in person, we're gonna go and some are signed up in opposition and in support of a project.
1:06:53
We're gonna start with people who have signed up online in opposition, and then we will go back and forth between people who are online in in person.
1:07:03
So starting with the first online panel, which consists of Leo Schaff, Joe Hochberg, Elizabeth Rose.
Kevin C. Riley
1:07:14
Members of the public will be given 2 minutes to speak.
1:07:18
Please do not begin until the sergeant arms has started the clock.
1:07:22
We are gonna start first with Leo Schiff.
UNKNOWN
1:07:30
You may begin.
Leo Schaff
1:07:35
Okay.
1:07:36
Mayon?
Kevin C. Riley
1:07:37
Yep.
1:07:37
You're on Leo.
1:07:38
Go ahead.
Leo Schaff
1:07:38
Very good.
1:07:39
Good afternoon.
1:07:40
My name is Leo Schaff.
1:07:41
I've lived in Yorkville for 45 years longer than Normandy Court.
1:07:46
This rezoning is simply a bad deal for the city and the neighborhood does not do enough for truly affordable housing.
1:07:52
30% is good, but not enough.
1:07:54
Gives up too much in return.
1:07:56
Community Board 8 agrees that this is a bad deal despite the yes vote on November 8th.
1:08:01
In fact, as an attendee to that meeting, I was astonished to see how rushed this vote was even if the board members asked deferring the vote to allow for additional review.
1:08:11
That meeting lasted 2:2 hours 45 minutes after a lengthy and misleading presentation, if I may say about a developer and a spokesperson, almost exactly what I just heard earlier.
1:08:22
Community members were given or 2 minutes to speak.
1:08:24
It was noted several times that a resolution needed to be passed that evening as the building was gonna close soon.
1:08:31
And option to defer to a subsequent full board meeting was unavailable due to upcoming holidays.
1:08:35
In other words, members felt pressured to act on and vote for an application that was not fully understood.
1:08:42
Concerns over the proceedings being rushed were voiced by several board members at the time.
1:08:47
Valerie Mason said, why do we have to approve this tonight?
1:08:50
I feel like we're really rushing.
1:08:51
To which the chair responded, we do have to kinda wrap this up, and this is our part of the process.
1:08:56
After this, we'll have some kind of peripheral involvement.
1:08:59
Perhaps, basically, it's out of our hands, so this is our chance to ask for what we want, said Russell Squire, the Borgia.
1:09:05
To reiterate, The res resolution was originally no unless, which failed 14 24 to 1.
1:09:12
A subsequent resolution of yes with conditions with the with the same exact conditions past 324 to 3.
1:09:19
While weak community members looked on in disbelief, no longer allowed to even contribute to the conversation.
1:09:25
Because other conditions could surely have been at it.
1:09:27
If all the chair could say was that after this, we would have some kind of peripheral involvement, but basically it's out of our hands, then whose stance is it in?
1:09:35
These proceedings implied with conditions as part of the yes with conditions vote would be acknowledged And
UNKNOWN
1:09:43
I'm just tired.
Leo Schaff
1:09:44
Like, downstream.
1:09:45
Excuse me?
William Vidal
1:09:47
Tom, is this why you
Kevin C. Riley
1:09:48
could wrap it up, Leo?
Leo Schaff
1:09:49
Yeah.
1:09:50
I'm I'm gonna wrap it up.
1:09:51
Okay.
1:09:51
So we were astounded to learn that the Broward president that waved his 30 day review time and did it in 5 days.
1:09:58
We are we've had a chance to meet with counselwoman Bannon, great to see you.
1:10:02
She made her commitment one way to go.
1:10:04
They're imply but implying that this was proved because the board said yes.
1:10:10
She did listen to her conditions and many more concerns for but did she listen if she didn't listen to any more conditions, and concerns of our community members.
1:10:18
It was a recorded meeting.
1:10:20
If you haven't already, I urge you all, chair Riley.
1:10:23
I'm from Longfellow Avenue originally.
1:10:25
Members of Bruce, Sala, Moia, Schulman, Hanks, car to clear the room to view the Zoom.
1:10:30
I believe that had CVA members truly known.
Christopher Leon Johnson
1:10:33
Leo, you could Yes.
Kevin C. Riley
1:10:34
Leo, you have 10 more seconds.
Leo Schaff
1:10:35
Mostly cast aside, the outcome would have been no.
1:10:39
So speaking to our group, Alex would have been known as well.
1:10:42
Thank you so much for No problem.
1:10:44
Feeling specific.
1:10:45
Yep.