TESTIMONY
Eva Hanhardt from the Collective for Community, Culture and the Environment on Zoning Updates and Economic Challenges
5:49:08
·
120 sec
Eva Hanhardt criticizes zoning updates and economic opportunity proposals for not adequately addressing public input and environmental justice.
- The Collective for Community, Culture, and the Environment, an all-woman planning and architectural consultancy, commends the administration's effort for seeking zoning updates to tackle long-standing and post-COVID economic challenges but highlights major defects in the proposals.
- Key concerns include the absence of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which limits public input into the zoning changes.
- Hanhardt points out that the proposed zoning changes overlook environmental justice issues, such as not regulating large last-mile fulfillment centers that increase traffic and air pollution in environmental justice communities.
- Critiques include one-size-fits-all zoning proposals that disregard local contexts and commercial use proposals that may erode neighborhood shopping and service areas.
- The collective urges a no vote on the proposals without significant changes.
Eva Hanhardt
5:49:08
I'm Eva Hanhart testifying on behalf of the collective for community culture and environment.
5:49:13
And all woman planning and architectural consultancy, we have submitted written testimony.
5:49:19
The collective commends the administration for seeking zoning up dates to address long standing and post COVID economic challenges.
5:49:27
We commend City Planning's efforts to keep the public informed.
5:49:31
And their recognition that improvements in business and manufacturing operations now make selected uses compatible with other uses.
5:49:39
While we support many of the economic opportunity proposals, we cannot endorse it.
5:49:44
Despite good intentions, major defects prevail.
5:49:47
Without an EIS or Ulerp, there was no opportunity and economic opportunity for public import into the scope.
5:49:55
The proposed major changes to use groups and manufacturing zoning are much more than updates and should be treated as separate actions.
5:50:04
Unfortunately, environmental justice concerns are not addressed.
5:50:09
For example, there is no zoning proposal to regulate large last mile fulfillment facilities that increase traffic, air pollution, and are clustered in environmental justice communities.
5:50:21
Many of the zoning proposals are one size fits all, disregarding local contexts.
5:50:27
Commercial use proposals dilute the concept of local shopping streets, eroding neighborhood shopping and service areas that serve residents daily needs, allowing the same retail and service uses in C1 and 2 as in the more general business districts by right or by permit such as vehicle repair shops, micro distribution facilities, and allowing in all residence districts retail and service uses on corner lots greenhouses, racket courts, sand gravel or clay pits, laboratories on community facility campuses.
5:51:02
Absent changes.
5:51:03
The collective urges a no vote.
5:51:06
Thank you very much.