Crazy. I didn't even know this tape existed, and it took being called out by Alicia and MTOPP to finally hear it. If I were a real journalist I would've of course. But I'm not. There, I said it. Again.
The folks behind MTOPP have been telling us that Eric Adams has already decided that Empire Blvd will be "upzoned" for tall buildings. Leaving be the fact that "upzoned" is not the right term for going from commercial to residential (mixed use is the politically correct term apparently, though the money's in the housing), it would appear that in order to build "affordable," you must go high (look at 626 and scores of other buildings throughout the City). If low is what you want, you'd have to go market. But we all know where the City stands on that issue. They get none of their 200,000 units of affordable by building market rate.
So MTOPP has a good point. If you don't want tall buildings along Empire, you should resist the zoning process, because (as Jesse Hamilton says in the below recorded conversation with MTOPP - his name is spelled Jesse by the way) it becomes a bait and switch the moment you get down to the Mayor and Council. Even if you decide to build six stories max, there are plenty of points along the process where one can use one's political clout to say "but what about the poor?" and get one's way. As it turns out, "helping the poor" has become somewhat synonymous with Eric's mantra of "build baby build." None of this is a surprise to me, and may not be to you. But let's get that all front and center. Where you stand on this issue should be informed, and Jesse and Alicia lay out pretty well in the tape. Just press play.
A lot of the other statements on MTOPP's website are questionable in their analysis. And I think that calling Eric Adams, and the Community Board, and City Planning et al liars (and me a racist) aren't going to win them any favor with any of 'em. But that's not their point, and if you haven't been around for a good ol' protest movement, strap in becuase it appears they're going for the gusto.
BUT, the facts is the facts, and Jesse, longtime confidant to Eric, states them plainly. Let me state that this is not, as MTOPP claims, a smoking gun. Jesse is not heard saying that Eric already has plans to build high. However, what he is saying, and he would know, is how the process works, and why we should be cynical.
One last point. Jesse makes the case that what's happening here is analagous to what happened in Park Slope vis a vis 4th Avenue. He's right on target, and I've said so publicly many times. He says, and obviously it's what this crowd wanted to hear, that the rich upper Slope sold the lower Slope down the river by asking for downzoning, and let 4th Ave go higher. I would like to see more proof, rather than be another rumor monger, but it's quite likely true. People felt about 4th Avenue the way a lot of us feel about Empire.
What I find troubling, and maybe some of you would find offensive, is the idea, expressed by Hamilton, that Lefferts Manor (a/k/a the Mansions as kids call it who go trick-or-treating there) would do what Park Slope did to 4th Ave. Sell it down the river, because Empire is "primarily people of color." That's a big assumption, and it hasn't been tested. Plus, there's lots of people of color in the Manor already. I would be more careful in the future not to label it "us against them."
I stand with Eric Adams because I think his heart's in the right place, and I think he's someone you can work with. If he's been talking out of both sides of his mouth, and it can be proven, I will be very bummed. But I don't see that here. Someone else want to shoot some gunsmoke and catch some real meat? Hey, the truth is the truth.
If you're white, and all this talk of race and class makes you uneasy, please stick with us. Maybe you grew up in an almost all-white place like I did in Ames, IA, and you feel like this is someone else's battle. I urge you not to take the fierce rhetoric to heart. In the end, it's up to us to decide what we want from our elected officials, and what we're willing to stand up for. And if you disagree with my analysis, and your name isn't NoSlappz or ParksideGuy, then I'd love to hear your thoughts.
The folks behind MTOPP have been telling us that Eric Adams has already decided that Empire Blvd will be "upzoned" for tall buildings. Leaving be the fact that "upzoned" is not the right term for going from commercial to residential (mixed use is the politically correct term apparently, though the money's in the housing), it would appear that in order to build "affordable," you must go high (look at 626 and scores of other buildings throughout the City). If low is what you want, you'd have to go market. But we all know where the City stands on that issue. They get none of their 200,000 units of affordable by building market rate.
So MTOPP has a good point. If you don't want tall buildings along Empire, you should resist the zoning process, because (as Jesse Hamilton says in the below recorded conversation with MTOPP - his name is spelled Jesse by the way) it becomes a bait and switch the moment you get down to the Mayor and Council. Even if you decide to build six stories max, there are plenty of points along the process where one can use one's political clout to say "but what about the poor?" and get one's way. As it turns out, "helping the poor" has become somewhat synonymous with Eric's mantra of "build baby build." None of this is a surprise to me, and may not be to you. But let's get that all front and center. Where you stand on this issue should be informed, and Jesse and Alicia lay out pretty well in the tape. Just press play.
A lot of the other statements on MTOPP's website are questionable in their analysis. And I think that calling Eric Adams, and the Community Board, and City Planning et al liars (and me a racist) aren't going to win them any favor with any of 'em. But that's not their point, and if you haven't been around for a good ol' protest movement, strap in becuase it appears they're going for the gusto.
BUT, the facts is the facts, and Jesse, longtime confidant to Eric, states them plainly. Let me state that this is not, as MTOPP claims, a smoking gun. Jesse is not heard saying that Eric already has plans to build high. However, what he is saying, and he would know, is how the process works, and why we should be cynical.
One last point. Jesse makes the case that what's happening here is analagous to what happened in Park Slope vis a vis 4th Avenue. He's right on target, and I've said so publicly many times. He says, and obviously it's what this crowd wanted to hear, that the rich upper Slope sold the lower Slope down the river by asking for downzoning, and let 4th Ave go higher. I would like to see more proof, rather than be another rumor monger, but it's quite likely true. People felt about 4th Avenue the way a lot of us feel about Empire.
What I find troubling, and maybe some of you would find offensive, is the idea, expressed by Hamilton, that Lefferts Manor (a/k/a the Mansions as kids call it who go trick-or-treating there) would do what Park Slope did to 4th Ave. Sell it down the river, because Empire is "primarily people of color." That's a big assumption, and it hasn't been tested. Plus, there's lots of people of color in the Manor already. I would be more careful in the future not to label it "us against them."
I stand with Eric Adams because I think his heart's in the right place, and I think he's someone you can work with. If he's been talking out of both sides of his mouth, and it can be proven, I will be very bummed. But I don't see that here. Someone else want to shoot some gunsmoke and catch some real meat? Hey, the truth is the truth.
If you're white, and all this talk of race and class makes you uneasy, please stick with us. Maybe you grew up in an almost all-white place like I did in Ames, IA, and you feel like this is someone else's battle. I urge you not to take the fierce rhetoric to heart. In the end, it's up to us to decide what we want from our elected officials, and what we're willing to stand up for. And if you disagree with my analysis, and your name isn't NoSlappz or ParksideGuy, then I'd love to hear your thoughts.