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TESTIMONY
Joe Hockberg on the Proposed Development Site's Negative Impacts in Yorkville
1:11:00
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146 sec
Joe Hockberg, a Yorkville resident, testifies against the proposed development site, emphasizing its adverse effects on the community.
- Hockberg argues that the rezoning and development plan fails to align with council or community priorities, posing significant hardships on residents.
- He raises concerns about the building's height, citing community members' quotes, to highlight the widespread anxiety over its potential to cast extensive shadows and its inconsistency with neighborhood character.
- Testimony includes criticism of the Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS), pointing out potential biases due to developer funding.
- Hockberg personally narrates the direct impact on his home and neighboring residences, forecasting a future of "permanent darkness" and a diminished quality of life due to the excessive height of the proposed skyscraper.
Joe Hockberg
1:11:00
I've lived in the Yorkville area on and off for about 15 years, and I actually just recently purchased my first home right on the backyard of the new proposed development site.
1:11:11
In general, I just wanna reiterate that this rezoning is a bad deal for the city of the neighborhood.
1:11:17
It just doesn't do enough as far as any of the council or community's priorities and imposes too much hardship on the residents in the area.
1:11:26
There were many concerns raised in the community board 8 meeting about the height of the building.
1:11:30
Specifically, I'm just a, you know, a couple of quotes.
1:11:34
I'm John McClemon's, commented that I'm very concerned about the height of this building at 484 feet.
1:11:40
We really accepting an answer as we have a lot of them.
1:11:43
Why not one more as far as skyscrapers go?
1:11:47
There are other concerns such as Elizabeth Rose saying, this is a mid block building, and every building cited, which they continue to cite today, is an avenue building or a wide street building.
1:11:57
I'm having a hard time overcoming what I can only describe as intellectual dishonesty on how we upseam this area.
1:12:05
Another Yorkville resident said, the shadow is gonna ruin what are right now, our family zones, where we enjoy the beauty and nature of the Upper East side.
1:12:12
And, yeah, this will impact several buildings at 100 and 100 of residents.
1:12:17
And there were also some concerns raised about the contents of the EAS.
1:12:20
And I quote, EAS is paid for in every case, not just by this one, not just this one by the developers.
1:12:27
So bear in mind when you're taking that information.
1:12:29
Which is a Michelle Jane Burnbaum.
1:12:31
And just to generalize a resident who lives directly on the backyard, you know, my my unit is right up against where they will be building.
1:12:38
I will be in kind of permanent darkness.
1:12:40
And the the entire length of the street on the south side 95th Street, all of the residents have kinda very small backyards, which is pretty unique to the area.
1:12:48
Some buildings are private.
1:12:49
Some buildings let the entire building use it, but just there are kinda, you know, maybe tens or hundreds of residents who are gonna be fairly negatively impacted by the height and just kinda live in darkness year round.
1:12:59
Every other high rise in the upper east side is either on a crew block or an avenue.
1:13:05
Or a 4 lane street so that fewer residents are impacted or has a park which benefits people.
1:13:11
So they just kinda pushed it on each one of those dimensions by building halfway on a, you know, in the midlock, and they're also trying to push it by building the tallest building in the upper east side.
1:13:21
Just kind of on all those dimensions.
1:13:23
I think they're pushing it very hard and not giving very much the city.
1:13:25
Thanks.