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TESTIMONY

Catherine Murawski, Vice President of Liberty Park Homeowners Association, on opposition to City of Yes for Housing Opportunity in Queens

14:33:35

·

3 min

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Catherine Murawski, representing 500 homes and 700 families in the Liberty Park Homeowners Association, expresses opposition to the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative, particularly in Queens. She cites concerns about basement apartments, potential flooding and fire safety issues, and the strain on infrastructure and utilities.

  • Murawski highlights that their two-family houses are small, with basements that are not suitable for conversion to apartments due to safety concerns.
  • She suggests that the commission should consult mechanical engineers regarding potential infrastructure issues, including the risk of blackouts due to increased energy demand.
  • While sympathetic to the need for housing, Murawski argues that the initiative is not appropriate for many areas in Queens and suggests focusing on existing housing stock instead.
  • Represents 500 homes and 700 families in Community Board 5
  • Existing 2-family houses are small with basements that are not suitable for apartments
  • Basement apartments would be dangerous due to flood risk and limited exits
  • Concerns about the electrical grid's capacity to handle increased demand
  • Opposes over-development
  • Sympathizes with people who need housing but believes the initiative is not good for many areas of Queens
  • Suggests focusing on existing housing solutions for those in need
  • Supports the initiative in certain areas of New York City, but not in Queens

[EXPERIMENTAL]

Which elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity were discussed in this testimony?

  • ADU

The following are AI-extracted quotes and reasoning about which elements of the proposal were discussed in this testimony.

This is a quick, close approximation. Occasionally, the connection between a testimony's transcript and specific elements of City Planning's proposal is tenuous.

Read about this AI-generated analysis here.

ADU

"our 2 family houses are very small. We have our basement they're not even really apartments. We were told by community about 45 that their sellers. They It it it would be flood they're not flooded, fireproof. They would be very dangerous because the only way out is by the backdoor."

This quote discusses the basements of small houses, which relates to the ADU element of the proposal. The speaker is expressing concerns about safety and habitability of these spaces, which are key considerations in the ADU debate.


About this analysis:

This analysis is done by AI that reasons whether or not a quote from the testimony discusses a particular element of the proposal.

All the prompts and data are open and available on Github.

You can search for testimonies that mentioned a specific element in the table on the main meeting page.

When an element is explicitly stated in the testimony (e.g. "Universal Affordability Preference" or "UAP"), the analysis is accurate.

But the connection between a quote from the testimony and an element of the proposal is sometimes implicit.

In these cases, the AI might eagerly label a testimony as discussing a proposal when the connection is tenuous, or it might omit it entirely.

↗ Why are there transcription and diarization errors?
Catherine Murawski
14:33:35
I'm here.
Dan Garodnick
14:33:36
Are you there?
14:33:37
Hello.
14:33:37
Welcome.
Catherine Murawski
14:33:39
Thank you.
14:33:40
Thank you.
14:33:40
I've been waiting here since I don't know.
14:33:45
1:30 in the afternoon, and then My family got on the right way.
14:33:49
So thank you guys for staying on.
14:33:53
Okay.
14:33:54
I'm vice president of Libby Park Homeowners Association, and I don't have my speech in front of me.
14:34:01
I I submitted it to you.
14:34:05
But, basically But, basically, you could read it.
14:34:09
I mean, it's it's I I represent 500 homes.
14:34:16
That's the the the colonial homes and 700.
14:34:20
Families and we all I mean, we Community Point Five where I live all across the city of yes,
Gail Benjamin
14:34:32
Our
Catherine Murawski
14:34:35
our 2 family houses are very small.
14:34:38
We have our basement they're not even really apartments.
14:34:43
We were told by community about 45 that their sellers.
14:34:47
They It it it would be flood they're not flooded, fireproof.
14:34:56
They would be very dangerous because the only way out is by the backdoor.
14:35:03
What else can I tell you really quickly?
14:35:06
I'm sorry.
14:35:07
I don't have the streets in front of me.
14:35:10
I I really believe the commission should be getting be consulted by mechanical engineers because The wiring if a if and landlord landlord's very hard for them to not hire your rent because of of of the meter, water meter going up, and all the expenses going up, Con Edison would have to hire their grid of energy Otherwise, we we could have a major blackout in New York City next year.
14:36:03
Over development is a big problem.
14:36:09
So that's why I I I oppose it, but I really sympathize with people who need housing.
14:36:19
So there is a solution and with existing housing that is already there for the people who need it, I would be for it for them.
14:36:30
So there are certain areas in New York City that should get it.
14:36:34
But in Queens, It's not good for us.
14:36:39
It's not good for us in many areas of Queensland.
Dan Garodnick
14:36:45
Okay.
14:36:46
We we got it, and we'll look forward to reading your your your your written testimony.
14:36:51
So thank you for for being
Catherine Murawski
14:36:52
It was the majority of
Dan Garodnick
14:36:54
We gotcha.
14:36:55
Okay.
14:36:56
Great.
14:36:56
Thank you.
14:36:57
Alright.
14:36:58
Let me let me call Stan Liao.

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