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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Joaquin Aleno from Elliot Chelsea Housing on Hudson Yards Rezoning
2:49:24
·
109 sec
Joaquin Aleno, a resident of Elliot Chelsea Housing, strongly opposes the rezoning plan for Hudson Yards proposed by Related Companies. He expresses concerns about the plan's negative impacts on the community and criticizes the use of public resources to subsidize corporate interests.
- Aleno highlights issues such as wind, shadows, light pollution, and the controversial placement of a school near a potential casino.
- He argues that New York faces an affordability crisis rather than a housing crisis, challenging Related's claim that the 2009 plan is no longer viable.
- Aleno calls for Related to abandon the project if they can't meet community needs, suggesting that another developer should take over who can fulfill the original commitments.
Joaquin Aleno
2:49:24
Hello.
2:49:25
My name is Joaquin Aleno.
2:49:27
I'm from Elliot Chelsea Housing and I'm in against the rezoning for Hudson Yards.
2:49:32
There's so many things and so many problems with the plan that has been proposed by Related and there are so many known and unknown consequences that we will face through the construction and finishing throughout all this.
2:49:44
I'm not here to be redundant.
2:49:46
We've heard and we know the problems, the wind, the shadows, the light, the school being built right next to the casino.
2:49:54
What I will say as a member of this community is I will not have my community be used to subsidize corporate loss and greed.
2:50:02
They're using our community to make a profit and the businesses that are in support here as well while the community sees the carpet, these businesses and labor movements don't even see the rug underneath nose.
2:50:14
New York City and in turn District 3 is a very delicate ecosystem and to rezone with little community insight, there will be no telling what this rezoning will bring.
2:50:26
But what I can tell you is that the proposal has been opposed to almost every phase of this process.
2:50:32
So to go against this approval and allow this rezoning is to ignore all levels of community insight.
2:50:39
Related can kick, scream, and represent whatever information they have to seem as favorable as they want, but this community sees right through them and we're not here to back down.
2:50:50
And one thing I will say before my time wraps up is New York does not have a housing crisis, we have an affordability crisis.
2:50:56
We can't pay to keep staying here.
2:50:58
Related says the plan in 2,009 is out of the window and they can't fix it.
2:51:03
Well, guess what?
2:51:03
Drop that contract and find somebody else who will.
2:51:06
Take that loss on the chin and move on.
2:51:09
Get somebody who will get it done.
2:51:11
Oh, yeah.
2:51:12
Thank you all for your time.