Message from the Chair

Message from the Chair

April 2008 

 

Spring is here and East Harlem is in full bloom. Community Board 11 has been busy this year with many initiatives and projects. In order to keep the community updated on what has been happening we have launched a monthly newsletter and this brand new website. Please continue to visit us and let us know how we can be of assistance and how we can improve this website.

 

The 125th Street Corridor Rezoning has now gone through yet another phase of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process. The City Planning Commission has voted to accept the rezoning with some modifications. Since then the Zoning & Franchises Committee voted to approve the rezoning with more substantial modifications and they are have now sent it to the Land Use Committee for approval and then off to City Council for final review.

 

Our board submitted a resolution supporting the proposal with conditions. I believe our proposal is a very strong one which ensures that the community will benefit from this major rezoning (more info on the rezoning will be up soon). It is now our responsibility to make sure that our words are put into action. The Community Board will continue to talk to our elected officials about this rezoning but I also encourage you all to individually submit comments in order to make it clear what our position is.

 

As part of the 125th Corridor Rezoning we also had the opportunity to start discussions with the Harlem Park developers, Vornado Realty. Thanks to the support of our Council Member Dickens we were able to present the board with an agreement that I truly feel will benefit this community for years to come. In this agreement we were able to get a strong workforce development commitment, local hiring job commitments and other financial contributions that enhance the quality of life of this community. Details of the agreement will be found on the website shortly. You can also contact the office to recieve a copy of our press release that details the agreement.  

 

The Community Board and our Staff are at your service and can be contacted at 212-831-8929/30, Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.

I look forward to hearing from you about issues of concern to you and am excited about the opportunity to be able to interact with the community in a more consistent manner.

 

Sincerely

 

Robert J Rodriguez

Chair, Manhattan Community Board 11