In the District
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Read Council Member Garodnick's Legislative Update
Read Council Member Garodnick's East Side Development Newsletter
Council Restores $129 Million in Funds for Public Schools
Despite the falling revenues and looming debts that required the City to tighten its belt, the final budget that was passed by the City Council protected a number of services and programs of great importance to New Yorkers. At the top of that list was the restoration of $129 million that was cut from public schools, a move that means no new cuts for any school. Some of the other successes from the budget include:
--Protecting six-day library service;
--Restoring $18 million that the Mayor had cut from the Housing Authority (NYCHA) budget;
--Continuing the Council's Housing Preservation Initiative to protect affordable housing on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis across the city; and
--Providing over $7 million for food programs, including food pantries, meals on wheels, senior center meals and expanding New Yorkers' ability to use food stamps at Greenmarkets.
June 29
Garodnick Urges Landmarks Commission to Preserve Madison Avenue Historic District
Council Member Garodnick urged the Landmarks Preservation Commission to modify the proposal for a five-story rooftop addition at 980 Madison Avenue, in the heart of a protected district. In testimony before the LPC, Council Member Garodnick expressed his concern that the addition as presently designed would overwhelm the existing building, and disrupt the unique character of the area. "I encourage you to modify this proposal in a reasonable fashion to allow for some development to proceed, but to keep it in sync with the district that surrounds it," he said.
View Council Member Garodnick's full testimony on 980 Madison
June 17
Garodnick to Rent Board: Food, Gas Prices Adding to Tenants' Struggles
Rising household costs, combined with the accelerated pace of apartments leaving rent protection, are putting a significant strain on tenants, Council Member Dan Garodnick told the Rent Guidelines Board.
At the Board’s annual public hearing to determine the allowable rent increases for stabilized units, Council Member Garodnick said, “Renters in this City are struggling. I ask that you take into serious consideration the millions of New Yorkers who will be facing higher food, transportation and all-around costs this year.”
Council Member Garodnick added that the economic effect of rapid destabilization is felt not only by individual tenants, but by the City as a whole. "Tenants who lose rent stabilized apartments will move further and further out of the City’s core, adding to costs, inconvenience, and environmental harm — and business activity will surely move with them,” he said.
Read Council Member Garodnick's testimony to the Rent Guidelines Board
June 16
Garodnick Responds to Department of Education's Blueprint on Overcrowding
Council Member Garodnick said the Department of Education must be more aggressive in creating additional classroom space in School District 2, and reiterated the need for enrollment projections on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.
Responding to the DOE’s newly released “blueprint” to relieve overcrowding in District 2, Council Member Garodnick also said that art rooms, libraries, auditoriums and other “cluster spaces” must be preserved for their intended uses and not considered under-utilized classroom space. He added that while rezoning may need to be explored, the DOE should neither shift students from one overcrowded school to another, nor bus students from their home school to another with more space.
Regarding the need for neighborhood-level enrollment projections, Council Member Garodnick pointed to a survey of new construction in the PS 116 catchment zone, which shows 3,374 units of housing newly built, under construction, or approved by the City. By the City’s own zoning formula, this translates to 337 new students — nearly half of PS 116’s existing capacity. “It is critical that the DOE look at housing starts and other data in neighborhoods with overcrowded schools,” he said. “Taking steps to mitigate overcrowding based on today’s numbers will not be adequate if tomorrow’s growth is even greater.”
Read Council Member Garodnick's analysis of the DOE blueprint
June 4
Garodnick Calls for Greater Action to Eliminate Illegal Hotels
Citing a newly released report that identifies up to 10,000 residential apartments citywide that are being used as hotel rooms, Council Member Garodnick called for greater action to protect tenants and the city’s housing stock.
“Landlords are pushing out rent-stabilized tenants because they can make more money by illegally renting out their rooms to tourists," he said. "Tenants are being victimized, we are losing affordable housing, and this needs to stop.”
While the tenant harassment law that Council Member Garodnick authored will allow residents to fight back against abuse, the City needs to explore other legal tools to fight illegal hotels, including zoning restrictions and fines that won’t just be treated as another cost of doing business.
June 1
Garodnick Proposes Change to Boost Number of Crossing Guards
Council Member Garodnick proposed a common-sense ways to increase the pool of candidates for crossing guard positions, and thus improve the safety of East Side students as they head to and from school. The number of crossing guards has been steadily decreasing, due in part to the difficulty in hiring an adequate number of guards. This situation is possibly hindered by the requirement that all crossing guards work both in the morning when students arrive, and in the afternoon, when students are dismissed. Council Member Garodnick proposed “split shifts,” whereby a crossing guard could work either a morning or afternoon shift, but not be obligated to work both. "If the position were more flexible, I expect that we would be able to attract more applicants," he said.
Read a letter from Council Member Garodnick about the crossing guard shortage
May 22
Garodnick Probes City's Vulnerability to Catastrophic Floods
With the recent experience of New Orleans in mind, Council Member Garodnick summoned climate change experts to share their findings about the City’s vulnerability to a major storm, and the possible infrastructure investments the City could make to protect itself.
“The sea level is rising, and we are a city of water,” said Council Member Garodnick. “Some may consider this New York’s ‘inconvenient truth.’ We know that we will have to adapt to climate change, so what we must do now is understand how vulnerable we may be, and explore preventative measures to ensure our long-term prosperity.”
Speaking before the City Council’s Infrastructure Task Force, which Garodnick co-chairs, scientists and engineers offered their best estimates to the risks faced by New York, and the actions taken by other coastal cities. Garodnick said the wide range of options is all the more reason that the City begin a discussion on planning for the effects of climate change. “Preparations for natural disasters usually take place after the disaster,” he said. “Perhaps the last person to be prepared for a flood was Noah — and he was tipped off. We need to make sure that we take the appropriate steps to safeguard the City.”
May 6
