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- On Mar 7, 2005, at 12:41 PM, TL wrote: Let me see if I understand your cause. You want to keep Williamsburg from metamorphosing into something that you don't like. You want the area to remain diverse, you want the restaurants, coffee shops, bars and clubs to remain and you want the real estate to remain relatively unchanged as well as, what you consider, affordable. You do not want Williamsburg to become so changed that it is no longer a place that you would want or could afford to live in.
- WARRIOR RESPONDS:
- TL-
I see that you have read the brief article summarizing our cause in an entertaining way.
A little background- I was very inspired at a community board meeting about the rezoning a couple of months ago when I witnessed people from all backgrounds- Hassid, Puerto Rican, Italian, Polish and a few, for lack of a better word, "hipsters" all coming together unified to protect their homes and overlapping communities. The meeting was emotional and very moving. So moving that I attended the next rally concerning the rezoning a couple weeks later down at grand st. park. At this rally I realized that I was surrounded by 99% Peurto Rican people and I began to doubt my place there. A nice Puerto Rican man who grew up in the neighborhood began speaking to me and pointing out all the major players standing around me and what they have done to build this community, the founders of El Puente, the Founders of Los Sures and the fact that the park we were standing on had been build personally by them 20 years prior. We went on to talk about the history of Williamsburg's development and then I asked him, a little wearily and not knowing what to expect, "what do you think of all the artists moving in? He responded immediately "We can share." I told him that I knew a lot of people , artist people, who care about their neighborhood but probably feel as if they ARE the problem so they choose to stay uninvolved. He said that the moving in of the artists has made the nieghborhood a much safer place over the last decade and has brought a bit more $ into the community. He pointed out that what was happening with the waterfront was exponentially more threatening to his community than what has already happend.
As I left the rally I realized that I was not only in this to fight for the community I personally love. I realized that my friends who love it here too could, instead of turning their face away in guilt, could add the necessary numbers alongside these other communities that they would need to win this fight. And so it began, and you saw us in the newspaper.
I am sorry that your community has been shafted in so many ways. I know that many people have already been displaced due to our presence here but I also realize the the future holds a complete wipe out if nothing is done. I am not fighting to change the past, I am fighting to change the future. Please understand and tell all the people you know that even if you dont like us here, we are now in this together and the only way to win against the city's corporate power is to unify.
I appreciate your comments because I expected some honest person from another community to soon approach me in this way and I hope that you will continue this dialog if you find it worthy.
But for now, I will coop your idea of the anti-rezoning trucker hats in order to inspire my peers for the cause.
All Due Respect,
Eve Sibley
PS- please do click on our webite to read the letter we have up addressed to City Council. You may even be interested in sending it.
Also, the Warriors are now in possession of a button maker for the cause and you are welcome to use it if you'd like to design buttons that your community may respond to.HERE'S ANOTHER:
- Hi Warrior,
I'm soon to be a resident of Schaefer Landing. I guess that makes me
the enemy.
I'm not looking to start a fight with you or your group. Honestly, I'd
like just the opposite. As I write this, my fiance is already telling
me to stop, saying I'm going to come off smug, or otherwise seem like
exactly the type of 'asshole' you expect will flood the area. That is
certainly not my intent.
We're not that different from you. I used to live in Chinatown back in
1997, and currently live in the East Village on St. Marks Place. I've
been watching a 'luxury' tower go up at Astor Place with units ranging
from $3.75M to over $20M.
That's not in sync with the East Village I remember.
In what seems like the shortest amount of time we have seen our rent
skyrocket. We no longer can afford to live here. We've rented for so
long we now need to grow roots -- i.e., purchase an apartment. We've
looked all over Manhattan and can't afford anything reasonable.
I didn't choose to develop the southern part of Williamsburg. That is
something that is going to happen no matter what you, I or anyone else
think. We decided to buy a place in Schaefer Landing because it
afforded us the best bang for the buck.
Yes, I know this comes with a consequence, and that consequence is
putting the long-standing residents of Williamsburg through the same
mess we're now going through in the East Village. The Astor Place
montrosity to us is no different than Schaefer Landing is to you. This
is what the City defines as 'progress' and what the rest of us might
call 'gentrification.' The one constant among all of it is its
inevitability. Again, I'm not pointing that out to be smug. I'm
pointing that out because it's a simple fact that none of us can
change.
I'm sure you ask yourself, "what am I gonna do when such and such
happens to my neighborhood?" I ask myself the same thing. This same
thing that moves people like me from the East Village to Williamsburg
is probably the same thing that moves people in Williamsburg to the
outskirts of Brooklyn. Yes, I know that sucks to a great extent for
those who would like to preserve everything the way it is now. And I
appreciate that. I love the East Village. I hate that I have to leave
it because I can't afford it anymore.
But what good is served by railing out against the people like us who
move in to the neighborhood? We are as much cogs in the wheel as
anyone else -- only the hierarchical scale is different.
So my question to you is this -- don't you believe that somehow some
kind of happy medium can be reached? Or is it all going to be a
'scorched earth' response to the inevitable gentrification?
I'd like to think that when I become a resident of the neighborhood
that I can help maintain the kind of diversity and uniqueness that
makes Williamsburg what it is today. Maybe that's wishful thinking.
Maybe Williamsburg will become the 'Disneyworld' Times Square has
become. I don't know.
But I definitely hope to come in with a positive attitude and approach.
And I just hope that maybe I will be met with the same.
ck
Interestingly, there was a group of people that felt the same way not too long ago; the thousands of people who lived in Williamsburg before 'hipsters', artists and the like moved in. Those people liked their neighborhood as it was. They could afford to live there, they could afford to shop there and they enjoyed its diversity. Their Williamsburg was completely changed, so much so, that they can’t afford to live there and have been forced to relocate to other parts of Brooklyn and even other boroughs.
The people that used to live in Williamsburg didn’t have degrees in art or the training to develop websites or design graphics. They didn’t have computers with internet access. If they were lucky they had high school diplomas and a job that demanded manual labor. But I suppose that doesn’t really matter to you because you and all the other ‘hipsters’ found a neighborhood where you could push out the existing population en masse, by paying more for housing.
Now the shoe is on the other foot - you are looking at the prospect of being pushed out by people who will change the neighborhood’s look and feel and make it too expensive for you to live in – and you don’t like it. I wonder if there’s a graphic designing hipster that can translate that kind of irony into an image for a t-shirt or trucker hat?WARRIOR RESPONSES:
Isn't it all so confusing? That's the thing! It's not
like either of us have bad intentions. It's just that
we both end up getting screwed. We don't blame you. I
know many people in the East Village in a simular size
of shoes. But we have to join together to tell the
developers that if they're going to develop, they have
to do it with the upmost concerns with the surrounding
citizens and the community and culture as a whole. We
must force that issue. With honey and with blades.
Because this is an important battle. For air and water
and earth. All these are desperately lacking in our
neighborhood, and our children are paying the price. I
do not believe in enemy. I believe in those who aren't
informed and concientious about all sides. We are
going to win. And I include you in this we. We want to
help everyone come to the (to me) obvious conclusion
that for urban societies to continue to exist, we have
to look towards bolder, healthier, more sustainable
modes of development and living. It's, not to geek
out, a paradigm shift. We have to hold onto the idea
that we are the developers. if we all hold onto that
idea, we can together create immense change. It will
be a battle. But what better battle is there than
creating the world of your dreams?
I hope that helps,
by the way, i know i sound a bit crazy.
so it goes. most people tell me i'm not.
warrior on,
siri warriorAND...
Thank you so much for writing, I really appreciate it. You are addressing the most confusing area of the whole issue. To be totally straight up here- I too own and live in a condo in Williamsburg. It was the first in the neighborhood, and was built on an empty lot. After blowing money on rent for 5 years around Brooklyn, living in artists lofts with many roomates (at one point up to 16 people in one loft who shared 1 bathroom!) I got the special opportunity to put $ down for a purchase. Because of my time spent working in a latino bar and a hip hop club in the neighborhood and befriending many a low income musician, I too was very concerned about being a part of this gentrification process. I almost didn't even make the purchase until my real estate lady confirmed that there was all sorts of designated affordable housing around and it would be protected. So, somewhat naively I took advantage of this opportunity. Now I work my ass off to pay the mortgage but am very appreciative of the security it brings.
There are many people who have already been displaced because of gentrification's secondary displacement in the last decade. But if the waterfront is zoned for developer benefit instead of the community benefit, over 10,000 more people will be at risk. Most of these are the families that grew up here and the artists. Where you are moving, Schaffer Landing, is already being built. That building is not in the rezoning area. Anyone in their right mind (I would assume) that could afford to buy a place in NYC instead of blowing all their paycheck on rent would do it. People go where there is housing. We are not totally against any particular people that would move into the buildings, we are more pushing for a development that respects the people who already live here. And well, I guess I should add, there is a fear that our wonderfully creative and expressive culture will be stomped out by a new type of people that chooses to focus their energy on money oriented things rather than the things that make our little haven thrive like art, music, philosophy, community and individuality. Money obviously talks, and unfortunately when that happens, individuality usually seems to walk. And so do cute little one of a kind small businesses.
At the April 4th hearing I asked city council members to set a new kind of precedent- to help stop the gentrification mid-stream. This neighborhood has changed and with this change the economy has been boosted and crime has gone down but we are now almost past the utopic climatic balance of creativity and diversity. We risk losing both.
That said, the community has asked for a balanced rezoning- 40% affordable housing, more park space, shorter buildings with less units, and protection for the industrial jobs of the neighborhood. I think we want that same happy medium you described. We also want public access to the rocky waterfront we've been visiting for years.
Speaking for myself, I welcome you to this neighborhood. It was kind and conscientious of you to write a letter,- you are obviously not the type of person who would choose the "gated community" values that we in Williamsburg have a hard time digesting.
When you move here, stop by Savalas and have a drink.
Sincerely,
Eve Sibley
COMMENTS BEKA OF THE CREATIVE COALITION HAS ON THE MAY 2ND LAND-USE COMMITTEES'
PASSING OF "BLOOMBERG"s PLAN (on May 11th it just has to be
passes by the city council, and it's a done, scary deal.):
II. MONDAY REPORT-BACK
Press Conference: hell yeah. 30 folks from around the city, red
hook, prospect heights, lower east side, east village, little italy, harlem,
chelsea, upper east side and others in the house. great press turn-out...4
or 5 cameras?, radio, print. And Bloomberg and Gifford walk by while
Norman Siegel's speaking. All of us chanting "community plan"
and Bloomberg visibly shaken. Everyone giving interviews all day
long...we felt like a team, and it was amazing. Others like us out
there, with their 197a's, wondering if anyone will hear...
Vote:
short version-- affordable housing deal is decent, but what does it matter
when they jacked up the density of development to obsense proportions?
it's irresponsible and emblematic of how screwed up our system is.
more than 40,000 new people in the neighborhood, a net loss of parks,
a wall of butt-ugly luxury skyscrapers on our waterfront, no real plans
or funds for the necessary expansion of social services, and the inevitable
displacement of local businesses and residents. even with affordable
housing, commercials and residential rents will skyrocket and the composition
and character of the community will change forever.
longer version, from memory-- (if i'm wrong, or there's more, let
me know)
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE-- got the MTA lot. the esplanade is supposed to be
public...unclear on what this looks like. seems like developers
build it and turn it over to the city. mccarren park gets soccer field
lights, the pool will be an arena for concerts, a study will be commissioned
to consider demapping driggs or lorimer to connect the 2 sides of the
park. a few small pocket parks in various places. Capital
funds are secured for all of the above. End result: a loss of green/open
space per person with the population increase.
INDUSTRIAL RETENTION -- the creation of a 22 block business zone.
means it won't be MX (mixed use, where they can go residential if they
want), but will be M1 (manufacturing zoning). I believe most of
this was already in the works, so this isn't news. Got a 22 million
dollar relocation fund, to be used as down-payments for buildings to keep
industries in the neighborhood. I don't understand the details of
this, but the jobs retention folks seem happy about it. Anti-harrasment
provisions.
HEIGHT AND BULK -- not only did they not get anything, but it's worse
than the original bloomberg plan we've been fighting. the base of
the buildings are now 10 stories instead of 6, with a maximum FAR of 4.7
(40 stories +). They can build 33 stories without affordable housing.
They get the extra height if they take the 421a tax abatement and the
union wage labor and build affordable housing. The overall denisity
of development still will be more than a 25% population increase, or 40,000
new people.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
I'm not clear on all the particulars. 33% of new units must be affordable...there's
a break-down too, so that it relates to the neighborhood's media income
(27,000), rather than the city-wide median (i think around 80,000).
some of this is on public sites, where the units will be 100% affordable.
Others are incentive-based, so it's unclear as to what will actually play
out.
There are differing opinions here. Some folks think that once a
33 story building is built, the cost of going higher isn't much, and the
market rate of the 34-40th floors is so high, that developers will probably
want to take the incentives to build affordable housing and pay union
wages. Others fell that the 421a tax abatement is less appealing
with the affordable housing and union wage strings attached, so they may
prefer to stay at 33 stories of market-rate/luxury units only.
I'm missing a lot. And the devil's in the details. We need
to do more information gathering, and here more from the North Brooklyn
Alliance about the various task force committee's reactions to their deals.
************************
III. NEXT STEPS
1) Contact the NY Times. They ran a story about
how great the rezoning is without talking to ONE community member, or
running ONE quote. This is shockingly irresponsible reporting.
We should flood them with calls, email, and letters to the editor.
-To reach the public editor Daniel Okrent, who represents the readers,
e-mail public@nytimes.com or call (212) 556-7652.
-Email letters to the editor at letters@nytimes.com.
-Try emailing the article's author at dcardwell@nytimes.com. I don't
know if this is her address.
-anyone else have any other contact info or ideas on how to get through?
2) Need to determine what angles we can pursue to make this better for
our community. Legal suits over 197a community plans? Over
another aspect of the rezoning? Grassroots action to push for a
truly public esplande? Push for ammendments? Other pieces
along the way, on affordable housing, business displacement, green building,
etc. We need more info from the North Brooklyn Alliance and others.
These are longer-term strategies.
3) Getting a message out to help build a larger movement
so communities don't get screwed like this. Communities are an endangered
species. We're excited about small concessions when the
reality is that the democratic process is flawed and profits trump people.
This is a new Robert Moses moment. Hyperdevelopment projects
are getting rammed through without meaningful participation on the part
of affected communities. May 11th's vote may be
the time to get a message out, or we may come across as spoilers when
the biggest news story has been affordable housing. We don't want
to be the fringe, but we do want to put a little perspective into the
picture. The city-wide work is exciting...it's an election year,
and so many communities are facing the same situation. We
need to be clear about our message and our goals with any future actions
on this. :
COMMENTS WE'VE RECEIVED:
contact the
warriors founders: EVE
& SIRI
the future is bright, don't give up. brought to you by
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greatly assisted by .ike the great.c.2005 and fabulous designs by warrior chris.