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Q&A
Addressing concerns about displacement of industrial and manufacturing businesses
0:38:16
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Council Member Riley brings up concerns expressed by the borough president regarding the potential displacement of industrial and manufacturing businesses after rezoning. Alex Sommer from the Department of City Planning responds, discussing the environmental review findings and plans for job growth in the area.
- Environmental review identified potential displacement, but actual impact may be lower than initially estimated
- Projections show net growth in jobs and businesses in the rezoned area
- City is working with Small Business Services to develop programs to support existing businesses and attract new ones
Kevin Riley
0:38:16
Thank you.
0:38:18
The borough president expressed concerns in his recommendation about the displacement of industrial and manufacturing businesses in this area after rezoning.
0:38:26
Are there any incentives that the administration is proposing to maintain these types of businesses and jobs?
Alex Sommer
0:38:33
So I'll take the first part of that question.
0:38:35
I'll pass it over to you Jonah to clarify.
0:38:37
So that's right.
0:38:39
I want to acknowledge the environmental review did identify some potential displacement of existing businesses in the area.
0:38:47
I want to note that the review, the purpose of the environmental review is to identify the most conservative but reasonable assumptions for us to analyze this.
0:38:59
Just noting, so for example, it's really a snapshot in time.
0:39:04
We've gone through and at least 20% of the businesses that were identified to be potentially displaced we think have already either already relocated or the ownerships of those businesses have said they have no intention of leaving.
0:39:19
So we think that's a relatively even lower number.
0:39:23
I do want to note that in the FEIS we identified actually a growth of net jobs and a growth of net businesses as well.
0:39:32
About eight and twenty thousand square feet of new job space for commercial community facility and industrial to about 2,800 new jobs.
0:39:41
So that in of itself the zoning would produce three times more jobs than currently exist within the study area today.
0:39:48
But to the point about risk of displacement of existing businesses, and also very importantly how we attract local businesses and MWB owners to come to the new rezoned area that has all this new space being created.
0:40:03
We are working with small business services to identify both existing programs and ones that were outlined in the community priorities report.