Suwen Cheong
2:00:23
accumulated consequences of as of right development.
2:00:27
90% of all the development in the city and our district has been as of right.
2:00:31
And by the way, that's been about April units since 02/2010, which puts us about in the middle of all community districts.
2:00:39
What should be left to local communities working with city planners from all levels of government or independent planners is zoning and how to use individual sites.
2:00:48
What most communities and community boards fear about comprehensive planning is putting a tremendous amount of work into a balanced and fair plan only to see it transmogrified into their worst nightmare by the time it leaves the city planning commission, I'll just say Williamsburg Waterfront.
2:01:04
Since preliminary environmental reviews take place pre certification by DCP, let's prohibit DCP or the Planning Commission from making out of scope changes to community plans that are passed by community boards.
2:01:17
As a community board land use chair, I do not agree that our review period should be shortened or combined with the borough president's review period.
2:01:24
Sixty days is barely enough time for us to get out the word for public hearings and hold committee and full board votes given holidays and quorum issues.
2:01:33
Instead, I suggest that the borough president's separate review period be used for the borough board to review and vote on individual ULURP applications if they choose.
2:01:42
This would center a borough wide perspective in a democratic rather than an autocratic manner.
2:01:48
The ULURP review period is being unfairly blamed for delays in development.
2:01:52
It's limited and short six months.
2:01:55
By contrast, the precertification and pre filing periods which take place at the Department of City Planning is effectively unlimited.
2:02:02
I suggest a charter change to limit the pre certification and pre filing periods to six months to one year.
2:02:09
Finally, while I support stronger and more specific fair share requirements for each community district, I oppose any builder's remedy to shorten or eliminate ULURP, even for a district which has not met its fair share requirements for public land, for affordable housing, or small sites.
2:02:24
That just replaces community planning and city planning with developer driven planning.
2:02:28
Instead, I would suggest that districts which fail to come up with an appropriate comprehensive plan addressing housing and fair share issues should have a plan done for them by the city, which can get then go through the normal ULURP process.
2:02:41
While many have complained about council member deference, as this is not law, I don't believe it's appropriate to pass charter changes to prohibit member deference.
2:02:49
It's our responsibility as voters to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.
2:02:54
And likewise, a post EULARP appeals process is completely unnecessary.
2:02:58
The variance process already does that.
2:03:02
When they want more, when developers want more than what a variance offers, that's when they go to rezoning.
