🍎 citymeetings.nyc #19
FARE Act, Port Authority Bus Terminal's Replacement, Illegal Evictions, Access to Fresh Produce
Howdy,
Last week the council resumed its session post-election and post-Somos which, as far as I can tell, serves a role as a well-attended NY government offsite that happens in Puerto Rico annually.
This week's highlights are from hearings on:
- Last week's Stated Meeting
- The $10B Port Authority Bus terminal replacement
- Illegal evictions & cooling requirements
- Citywide access to fresh produce
For a complete listing of published meetings, visit https://citymeetings.nyc.
Last week's Stated Meeting
Chi Ossé remarks on the FARE Act, which passed last week.
- The FARE Act passed 42-8, prohibiting brokers from charging fees to tenants when hired by landlords.
- Farah Louis introduces a bill to bring back short-term rentals to help cover escalating mortgage costs. Link
- She shares that single and two-family homes represent 66% of all foreclosures in NYC.
- Speaker Adams established a new 17-member commission to revise NYC's charter. Link
- Council Member Brewer's composting initiative will require at least 5 parks per borough to establish composting facilities by 2028. Link
- A new bill would require annual reporting on safe passage routes for NYC schools, inspired by Chicago's program that saw a 20% decline in violent crime near participating schools. Link
- Pierina Sanchez shares that 4% of NYC's 120K blocks account for nearly all of the city's shootings.
- Althea Stevens introduced legislation requiring police precincts to develop special needs response plans. Link
- Kristy Marmorato's resolution to designate March 29th as Vietnam Veterans Day was inspired by constituent Oscar Ruiz, who shared struggles faced by returning veterans. Link
- Resolution 95 calls on the the Department of Education to develop curriculum on religious diversity and take action against religious-based bullying. Link
- DOT received new authority to regulate newspaper box placement and design on city sidewalks. Link
Hearing on the $10B Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement
The currently-proposed version of the Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement represents one of the largest transit infrastructure projects in Manhattan since the Second Ave. subway.
About the current terminal
- The Port Authority Bus Terminal has stood for over 70 years. Link
- It serves 260K daily riders. Link
- The replacement project will cost $10B. Link
Construction timeline and impact
- Construction will span 8 years in two 4-year phases. Link
- The work will disrupt 4 avenues and 10 streets in Hell's Kitchen. Link
How it's being paid for
- The Port Authority has committed $3B from its current capital plan. Link
- They're seeking a $1B federal loan before the end of 2024. Link
- Another $3B is expected from their next capital plan. Link
- Three new commercial developments will help fund the project through future tax revenue. Link 1 Link 2
- The initial build-in-place proposal would have cost $5.5B, nearly half the current $10B plan. Link
Community concerns
- In 2016, hundreds of Hell's Kitchen residents rallied to stop the Port Authority from taking private property through eminent domain for a larger terminal footprint. The Port Authority ultimately agreed to rebuild within its existing property. Link
- Metro Baptist Church, serving 13K people yearly, will lose 6 hours of daily sunlight from the new facility. Link
- New Alternatives for Homeless LGBT Youth requests safety measures during construction. Link
- A local building owner reports property values are already being affected. Link
What's being promised
- The project will create 3.5 acres of new public green space. Link
- Community facility space has been increased to 10K square feet. Link
- A construction task force will be created based on World Trade Center reconstruction practices. Link
Hearing on tenant protections, illegal evictions, and home cooling requirements
A tenant shares violations and eviction attempts by her landlord.
Illegal evictions have surged past pre-pandemic levels. Increasingly hot summers create dangerous conditions.
- There have been 14K evictions in 2024 to date, surpassing last year's total of 13K. Link
- Housing violations increased over 20% from 722,597 in FY23 to 895,457 in FY24. Link
- A rent-stabilized tenant testified about sewage flooding in her apartment lasting 5 months without proper attention from her landlord. Link
- Sandy Nurse's staff attended illegal lockouts. They witnessed tenants' belongings thrown out at night, with displaced residents sleeping in cars while navigating housing court. Link
- A Bronx tenant's illegal lockout trial took 5.5 months. She received a judgment in her favor, but the landlord had already changed the room's layout. Link
- Analysis of 275 illegal lockout cases shows approximately 4% ended through the "futility doctrine." Link
- 10% percent of New Yorkers are behind on utility bills, with 5% experiencing disconnection due to nonpayment. Link
- NYC has experienced twice as many days over 90 degrees compared to 50 years ago. Link
- 90% of NYC households have cooling access, but rates drop to 75% in low-income, predominantly black communities like Brownsville and East New York. Link
- Running an inefficient window AC unit continuously can cost tenants over $500 monthly. Link
- About 493,000 NYC rental units have air conditioning but don't use it due to cost concerns. Link
- During COVID's first year, the state provided $70 million in subsidies to help low-income seniors run air conditioning, a program that has since ended. Link
Hearing on citywide access to fresh produce and NYC's urban agriculture
An urban farmer testifies.
- NYC's urban agriculture landscape includes over 700 farms and gardens, ranging from community plots to high-tech hydroponic facilities. Link
- A proposed bill would require the city to create plans for converting unused industrial spaces into urban agriculture sites by January 2026. Link
- Gale Brewer advocates for chickens in urban gardens. Link
- "I just wish that we would change the law and have roosters, but I may be the only person who cares about roosters."
- At one campus students grow up to 10K pounds of fresh produce annually in their hydroponic farm, distributing it to campus cafeterias and local community centers. Link
- Department of Education regulations prevent hydroponically grown produce from being used in school lunches. Link
- Upper East Side residents can reach fresh produce within 5 minutes, while many South Bronx residents face significant barriers. Link
- The city's FRESH program, which brings supermarkets to underserved areas, has established 42 stores with 17 more in development, reaching 1.5MM New Yorkers. Link
- One pilot program in Hell's Kitchen will combine urban farming with solar power production on building rooftops. Link
- Land security remains a critical issue: one urban farmer testified about losing their lease and being forced to relocate their aquaponics operation. Link
- Community gardens face ongoing challenges: Green Guerillas testified that these spaces lack permanent protection under current city legislation. Link
Thanks for reading!
Comments, questions, or feedback? Reply to this email or shoot me a note at vikram@citymeetings.nyc
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