Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Julius Tajiddin from Preserve Harlem's Legacy on preservation, planning, and deference
1:16:44
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3 min
Julius Tajiddin proposes several charter or administrative changes aimed at improving oversight.
He suggests adding questions to Department of Buildings and City Planning forms to ensure compliance with state and national historic preservation registers, mandating assessment of liquefaction potential in environmental reviews, and requiring community boards be notified (and post online) all permits issued in their district.
Regarding council member deference, he expresses skepticism about the ability to address this informal practice through statutory changes.
- Proposes adding historic register checks to city permit forms with penalties for non-compliance.
- Advocates for including liquefaction potential assessment in standard environmental reviews.
- Suggests mandatory notification of community boards for all permit types.
- Questions whether council member deference can be effectively regulated by the charter.
Julius Tajiddin
1:16:44
Good evening, commissioners.
1:16:46
My name is Julius Tajadin, and I represent a movement known as Preserve Harlem's Legacy.
1:16:54
The first issue I wanna talk about is historic preservation.
1:16:58
A lot of our historic resources get destroyed because developers don't follow the National Historic Preservation Act or the New York State Historic Preservation Act.
1:17:08
In short, even though a building may not be landmarked, it may still be on the registers national and state of historic places.
1:17:16
But if we had on a DOB form or Department of City Planning form a yes or no question, is your property listed on such registers?
1:17:27
And they answer yes, they can be made to abide by that law before anything else in regard to the city, you know, what they have to do, before anything else is done.
1:17:39
If they answer no and we find out that it is, their permits and or funding are or is revoked or withdrawn.
1:17:48
Right now, they get away with murder, and this should also include a dismissal of any application for city property or rezoning.
1:17:55
I will submit exactly where and how this should go in the relevant law.
1:18:03
Concerning the Department of City Planning, they should have an automatic inquiry or boilerplate assessment to be included with the traditional noise, dust, shadows, etcetera, and environmental assessment on liquefaction potential.
1:18:22
Here's why.
1:18:23
We already have earthquake building codes, but what seems to be missing is the liquefaction potential issue.
1:18:30
We have quite a few liquefaction potential areas here in New York City next to our rivers.
1:18:38
Developers have to either say there's not a concern for this issue or this or it is.
1:18:44
We're not waiting for people to get killed.
1:18:48
Akin to the historic preservation issue is that developers or someone have to notify community boards whenever permits of any kind are issued.
1:18:58
And the community boards must post these notices on their websites.
1:19:02
In other words, the more people know, the more we can prevent fraud problems, etcetera.
1:19:09
And I wanna, with the remainder of my time, address the deference issue.
1:19:15
Member deference hasn't always been the rule, I e, the Bloomberg years.
1:19:21
But how do you deal with that statutorily?
1:19:25
So a city council member, if he has a good relationship with his other council members, you know, they might just go along with him.
1:19:34
You know, that's kinda like what's working now.
1:19:36
They they have this.
1:19:38
It's a in house rule, if you will.
1:19:39
It's not something but, I mean, statutorily, I don't see how we can address that issue.
1:19:48
But I will submit so much.
1:19:50
My other concerns in writing.