January 20, 2025

🍎 citymeetings.nyc #25

Immigrant Protections, H+H Doctors, Arrow Linen Rezoning

Hi!

This is the first citymeetings.nyc issue of 2025. The NYC Council's been back in session for 2 weeks.

Welcome to all of you who've subscribed since the year began, largely via this Hell Gate coverage! Here's how this newsletter works:

1. I give readers an update on citymeetings.nyc itself.
2. I highlight moments and claims from a few recent meetings.

The newsletter goes out most Mondays after there have been any council meetings.

You can read more about the site's aims on the About page.

I'll have news to share soon but not this week, so let's get to it.

This week's highlights are from hearings on:

• NYC's protections for immigrant communities
• Working conditions for H+H doctors
• The Arrow Linen rezoning in Windsor Terrace

For a complete listing of published meetings, visit https://citymeetings.nyc.

Vikram

---

Hearing on NYC's protections for immigrant communities

Garfield Green gives testimony about his experience with immigrant detention.

The council's final hearing before Trump's inauguration today addressed NYC's immigrant protections and sanctuary laws.

• NYC's immigrant population faces heightened concerns as the city prepares for potential increased immigration enforcement under the incoming Trump administration. Link
• Two-thirds of Asian New Yorkers are immigrants, with nearly 170K migrants arriving since 2022, including 22K from China and 80K from India. Link
• MOIA Commissioner Manuel Castro shares his personal journey of crossing the border as a child and growing up as a Dreamer in NYC. Link
• MOIA is launching 25 new legal support centers throughout NYC, with funding of $750K per center over three years. Link
• State investment in immigrant legal services increased from $6.4MM in 2020 to $74MM in 2024. Link
• The city plans to close over 80% of the non-DHS shelter system by June 2025, impacting housing stability for immigrant residents. Link
• Approximately 55K migrants currently remain in city care out of over 250K who have interfaced with city agencies in the past three years. Link
• A school district representative questioned a newly arrived family about birthright citizenship when they sought special education services for their child. Link
• A Venezuelan immigrant was detained by ICE after shelter staff shared her confidential information when she sought mental health services for her children. Link
• A vendor called crying on New Year's Day after receiving a criminal summons from NYPD for vending without a license, expressing fear about being picked up by ICE when going to court. Link
• Wendy Veintimilla testifies about fleeing Ecuador due to torture and threats and highlights the challenges she's faced as an undocumented immigrant trying to contribute to society. Link

Hearing on improving H+H doctor working conditions

H+H CEO Mitch Katz gives testimony.

• NYC Health + Hospitals operates on a $13.3 billion budget, with about $1 billion coming from city funding. Link
• The cost of living in New York City is 130% higher than the national average, affecting physician recruitment and retention. Link
• The average compensation for an H+H physician is $269,000, with approximately 80% receiving additional faculty practice income ranging from $20,000 to $80,000. Link
• Doctors Council SEIU reports that over 50% of H+H doctors live paycheck to paycheck despite their salaries. Link
• H+H has reduced new patient appointment times from 40 to 20 minutes to address waiting lists of approximately 20,000 patients. Link
• H+H is exploring ambient charting technology that would automatically generate notes from doctor-patient conversations to reduce administrative burden. Link
• A survey indicates that about one-third of primary care doctors plan to leave H+H due to new policies, with another third considering leaving. Link
• Dr. Sandhu testified about a colleague who left Elmhurst because he was working overtime almost every day while trying to care for his newborn at home. Link
• A midwife testified about preventable deaths at Woodhull Hospital linked to understaffing and physician burnout. Link
• Dr. Rona Ray testified she was laid off from Mount Sinai while 37 weeks pregnant and faced harassment about maternity leave benefits after giving birth. Link
• An ER physician described a diabetic patient who couldn't get a primary care appointment until March 2025 and ended up in the emergency room with diabetic ketoacidosis. Link

Hearing on the Arrow Linen rezoning

Timothy Gilles from Park Slope Civic Council gives testimony.

This hearing spanned 4 projects, but I'm highlighting the contentious Arrow Linen rezoning proposal in Windsor Terrace.

The project proposes two 13-story buildings with 244 apartments, 61 (25%) permanently affordable under MIH Option 1. Link

All the usual arguments were in play and I've thematically organized (with the aid of AI) a few of them out of the ~70 testimonies for you to poke around.

Objections re: height, scale & neighborhood character

• Laura Hulbert, a 35-year resident, believes 15-story towers do not fit seamlessly into Windsor Terrace's low-rise, mostly 3-story streetscape. Link
• Timothy Gilles (Park Slope Civic Council) argued that 13-story buildings are out of scale for the narrower Prospect Avenue, compared to nearby 4th Avenue. Link
• Simeon Bankoff, a preservation consultant, stated the towers contradict the area’s 20-year-old rezoning plan to preserve the low-rise character. Link

Support re: height, scale & neighborhood character

• Alex Weinberg, a renter across from the site, stated the building could be any height and that aesthetic height concerns are invalid since the site is not landmarked. Link
• Ralph Gatto, a professional engineer, praised the proposed design as "aesthetically appealing" and fitting with the surrounding 3-story buildings. Link
• Rachel Fee, while acknowledging the charm of existing buildings, supported the taller design, arguing it's appropriate for the site and comparing it to other tall buildings near Prospect Park that have blended into the landscape. Link

Objections re: affordability & displacement

• Kate McCabe argued the project maximizes developer profits through increased height while providing minimal affordable units, putting neighboring tenants at risk for displacement. Link
• Roger Melzer argued that the luxury towers will escalate rents and displace existing tenants, projecting the total rent levels for luxury units would exceed $12 million dollars. Link
• Hafina Allen, a social worker, expressed concern that displacement from nearby properties included in the rezoning would negate the benefit of new affordable units, leading to a net loss of affordable housing. Link

Support re: affordability & displacement

• Tony Malone shared stories of high housing costs driving his local parents' group and others out of the neighborhood, while citing a borough president's report that Windsor Terrace can sustainably accommodate new growth without displacement. Link
• Susan Lunn stated the project offers a crucial opportunity to create new affordable units, especially considering the area's low vacancy rates. Link
• Sean McLaughlin argued against reducing the project’s scale, as it would negatively impact both market-rate and affordable housing availability. Link

Objection re: lack of community engagement & transparency

• Bridget O’Dea criticized Arrow Linen for prioritizing lobbying over community engagement, noting the significant lobbying expenditure contrasted with a lack of community outreach. Link.
• Luz Torres stated Arrow Linen excluded surrounding homeowners from the rezoning discussions, opting for private meetings with elected officials instead. Link.
• Jeremy Kaplan criticized the developer's dismissive attitude toward the community board's near-unanimous opposition and requests for more involvement. Link.

Support re: addressing the citywide housing crisis

• Samir Lavingia advocated for the project, citing NYC's acute housing shortage and the need for affluent neighborhoods like Windsor Terrace to contribute affordable units. Link
• Luke Lavanway argued that blocking housing in well-resourced neighborhoods like Windsor Terrace exacerbates the citywide housing crisis. Link
• Max Davidson emphasized the need for both market-rate and affordable housing to address the crisis, arguing against reducing the project's scale and citing opportunities to increase economic and racial integration opportunities in Windsor Terrace. Link.

---

Thanks for reading!

Comments, questions, or feedback? Reply to this email or shoot me a note at vikram@citymeetings.nyc