Elected Officials Find Dept. Of Homeless Services' Response to Questions Regarding Proposed Shelter In Carroll Gardens "Inadequate And Unresponsive"

Last week, Councilmember Brad Lander, Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron, and Assemblywoman Joan Millman wrote a joint letter to Seth Diamond, Commissioner of NYC Department of Homeless Services, in regards to the proposed homeless shelter at 165 West 9th Street. In the letter, our elected officials cited the lack of public process, the tight space for 170 men in the 10-unit building as well as the absence of a plan to provide social services for them.

Yesterday afternoon, Markowitz, Lander, Squadron and Millman received a response from Commissioner Diamond.
In the letter, Diamond states that:
-use of the building for 170 single adults is compliant with Part 491 and all applicable code and occupancy requirements.
-recent complaints to NYC's Department of Buildings were found unwarranted after inspections.
-Housing Solutions USA/Aguila Inc,, the non-profit organization that will be managing the shelter will have a service rich team consisting of 47 staff members that "will coordinate services to identify clients' barriers to permanency, establish a service plan and assist residents in obtaining permanent housing as quickly as possible."
-the building will be secured 24/7 and security cameras will be installed.
-extensive background information about Aguila and the provider's officers will be conducted.

According to Councilman Lander, who posted Diamond's response on his website:

My colleagues and I find this letter to be inadequate and unresponsive to our questions and the community’s appropriate and reasonable concerns. DHS failed to provide building plans, describe the construction work that is underway, or address the Certificate of Occupancy issues; failed to provide the service plan proposed by Housing Solutions USA; failed to provide sufficient information about the security program proposed by Housing Solutions USA; failed to address the use of the City’s emergency contracting rules to rush through this proposal without community input or good public process; and failed to address the potential conflicts-of-interests identified (concerns which have been amplified in the past week, as the result of additional information that has come to light, first in New York Times here, and then covered in detail by Capital New York here and here).

Representatives of   NYC Department of Homeless Services and Housing Solutions USA/Aguila Inc will be available at the community informational meeting tonight, October 24h, 6:30 PM in PS 58's auditorium.

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Markowitz, Squadron, Millman And Lander Express Concerns About Proposed Carroll Gardens Shelter

Our elected representatives seem to share the same concerns about the proposed Homeless shelter at 165 West 9th Street here in Carroll Gardens.

In a letter to NYC Department Of Homeless Services Commissioner Diamond, Councilmember Brad Lander, Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron, and Assemblywoman Joan Millman cite the lack of public process,  the tight space for 170 men in the 10-unit building as well as the absence of a plan to provide social services for them.

They also question the fact that the owner of the building Charles Wertman, is also a board member of Housing Solutions USA, the non-profit proposing the shelter.

Please find the entire letter below.

October 16, 2012

Mr. Seth Diamond 

CommissionerNYC Department of Homeless Services
33 Beaver Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Dear Commissioner Diamond:
We are writing in response to the community notification received by Brooklyn Community Board 6 on Friday October 5, 2012, in which Housing Solutions USA – in partnership with the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) – announced their intention to open a 170-bed homeless shelter at 165 West 9th Street, between Court Street and Hamilton Avenue, in Carroll Gardens. We have numerous concerns about the proposal.

With homelessness at all-time high, every neighborhood – including Carroll Gardens – has a role to play in making sure that all New Yorkers have a safe place to sleep at night. Safe and decent housing is essential for all of us, and we recognize that we all have to do our fair share. We recognize that it is our collective responsibility – as both a city and a community – to support the mission of the NYC Department of Homeless Services and to provide shelter for homeless New Yorkers. If DHS will work with us and our community in a collaborative fashion to develop an appropriate proposal, we are committed to supporting a shelter in Carroll Gardens.

However, that must not mean using the City’s emergency contracting provisions to rush an ill-conceived project through, with only a half-page, 30-day notice to the community, squeezing 170 people into a 10-unit building, with no plans provided for social services or security, and disregard for City rules and processes, including an apparent conflict of interest. In particular:

*We do not understand how it is possible – or advisable – to squeeze 170 people into a 10-unit building on a block of three-family homes. We have asked this question several times, and received no answer.

*The building currently has a Certificate of Occupancy as a 10-unit, Class A apartment building. No plans to amend this have been posted on the NYC Department of Buildings website. Are you aware of plans to change the C of O? No plans have been provided to us, despite several requests.

*It appears to us that construction work has been taking place in the building without a permit. No permits have been filed with DOB, or posted on their site. This appears to be a violation of law, and reflects disregard for safety and the community. If permits are in fact required, but have not been filed, work should of course be stopped immediately.

*We have seen no plans for the provision of social services or security, which are of course an essential element of any homeless shelter. It is outrageous that the 30-day notice requirement could be satisfied by a half-page letter that includes no details – not the population intended for the building, not the plans, no provision for social services, no discussion of security. This does not reflect respect for the community or its elected officials, or a genuine desire for dialogue that would enable the proposed shelter to succeed in meeting the needs of its residents or its neighbors.

*The building appears to be owned by Charles Wertman, a board member of Housing Solutions USA. Given that the City of New York will pay substantial sums for the rent of the building, this suggests a large potential conflict-of-interest. Do DHS and HSUSA have conflicts-of-interest policies that are in accordance with relevant laws? Are these rules affected in some way by the emergency contract process?

Since you are providing the community with only a 30-day notice that is completely lacking in detail, we ask that you provide written responses to our concerns by the close of business on Friday, October 19.
We are aware that Housing Solutions USA has agreed to make a presentation at the Brooklyn Community Board 6 Human Services Committee meeting on Thursday October 24. DHS must also send a representative to attend this meeting.

Sincerely, 

Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President

Daniel Squadron,  NYState Senator

Joan Millman, NY State Assemblywoman

Brad Lander, NY City Councilmember

****A quick correction to the date for the presentation mentioned in the letter.  The meeting is actually next week on Wednesday, October 24.

What do you think of the letter?

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Teachers, Parents And Kids Win A Round! DoE Abandons Its Plan To House Charter School At PS32

No one messes with PS 32 and with the ASD Nest Program for autistic children, not even the NYC Department of Education, which had announced a few days ago that they intended to temporarily house a charter school in PS 32's movable classrooms. PS 32 parents and teachers feared that co-sharing the space would negatively affect the program.

It seems that the outcry from the PTA and our local politicians, who got behind the issue immediately, has worked. It was just announced that the DoE has backed down. All the media coverage probably helped as well.

Here is a press release from Borough Prez Marty Markowitz:

BP MARKOWITZ ANNOUNCES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DECISION THAT WILL SAVE “ASD NEST PROGRAM” AT PS 32 IN CARROLL GARDENS

“The Department of Education got our message loud and clear,” said BP Markowitz

Today, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced that the New York City Department of Education is no longer pursuing the temporary siting of Brooklyn Prospect Charter School at PS 32, a move that would have threatened the continued success of the ASD Nest program at the school.

“I am relieved to announce that the Department of Education has agreed to find an alternative to placing a charter school at PS 32—allowing their ASD Nest program to continue,” BP Markowitz said. “Parents, students and my office made it clear to the Department of Education that placing a charter school at this location would severely damage existing educational programs. The Department of Education got our message loud and clear and I am pleased that they responded to our efforts by cancelling the proposed charter school.”

If there were to be a charter school at PS 32, the ASD program would lose unique components which make them the only public school option in NYC for high functioning children with autism. The services the children receive are contingent on their regularity and frequency, and they need to be administered in a proper setting.

Speech, occupational therapy, sensory activities and social development integration need to have adequate class space to support children’s development. Removing rooms dedicated to servicing these compulsory mandates would be antithetical to the mission of the ASD program that the DOE so wisely created.

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Gowanus Canal Superfund Designation A Stigma? Not To Real Estate Folks And Politicians

You did not really think that real estate developers and our politicians have given up on developing along the shores of the Gowanus Canal, have you?Their vision of a Brooklyn Venice lined with 12-story luxury condo buildings might have been deferred for a few years while the Environmental Protection Agency cleans the heavily polluted waterway, but the temptation of millions of dollars of profit is just too great.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 12, the Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute of Baruch College will host a public forum on a 'future vision of the Gowanus.' But a quick look at the list of panelists reveals that some of the staunchest opponents of the Superfund designation, who would have had no problem developing the shores of the Gowanus BEFORE a major clean up, are included on the panel: Public Advocate Bill De Blasio, Borough President Marty Markowitz and Bill Appel, Executive Director, Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp.(Salvatore "Buddy Scotto was included in the original line-up, but must have dropped out.)

The only question is, where is David Von Spreckelsen of the Toll Brothers?

I, myself, wouldn't miss this for the world and have just signed up for the event. I urge members of this community to do the same.

See the details below:

BARUCH COLLEGE PRESENTS PUBLIC FORUM

ON FUTURE OF GOWANUS CANAL

“Reconsidering Gowanus” will be held on May 12 at Brooklyn Borough Hall; Panelists Include NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Report on Gowanus Canal Neighborhood Will be Released

On Wednesday, May 12, Baruch College’s Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute presents a public forum, “Reconsidering Gowanus,” on the many issues facing the Gowanus Canal area in light of its recent designation by the EPA as a Superfund site. While the environmental degradation of the Gowanus area has drawn much attention of late, the area’s enormous economic and development potential has been overlooked. At this event, Baruch College brings together an array of prominent community, real estate and business leaders for a discussion about Gowanus Canal—the problems, the solutions and the great promise that Gowanus holds. A report from the Newman Institute on the Gowanus Canal area, “Reconsidering Gowanus: Opportunities for the Sustainable Transformation of an Industrial Neighborhood,” which looks at demographic trends in the area and makes recommendations for development, will be released at the event.

For more information, please visit: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/realestate/.

WHAT:

“Reconsidering Gowanus: Opportunities for the Sustainable Transformation of an Industrial Neighborhood”

FREE TO THE PUBLIC

WHEN:

Wednesday, May 12, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

WHERE:

Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn (Take the 2, 3, 4 or 5 to the Borough Hall Station in Brooklyn. Borough Hall is on Joralemon between Court and Adams streets.) Note: Enter Borough Hall from the back of the building.

WHO:

Bill Appel, Executive Director, Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp.

Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director, Fifth Avenue Committee

Honorable Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate, New York City

Carl Hum, President & CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

Purnima Kapur, Director, Brooklyn Office, NYC Dept. of City Planning

Honorable Brad Lander, City Council Member, NYC District 39

Honorable Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President

Thomas McMahon, President, TLM Associates, LLC

Maria Pagano, President, Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Assoc. (invited)

Stuart Pertz, Architect and Planning Professional

Rosemary Scanlon, Clinical Associate Professor, NYU Schack Institute

Harry Schwartz, Planning and Development Consultant

Hilary Semel, Real Estate, Evnironmental and Construction Law, Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt, LLP

Daniel Wiley, Community Coordinator, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, 12th Congressional District

CONTACT: Jennifer Pauly; 646-660-6129; Jennifer.pauly@baruch.cuny.edu

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Carroll Gardens/ Columbia Street Contextual Rezoning Moves On To Brooklyn Borough Hall

The Carroll Gardens/ Columbia Waterfront Contextual Rezoning is moving through the Uniform Land Use Review Process (U.L.U.R.P.) at a nice clip. It was just on June 25th that the members of Community Board 6 and the public got to review and comment on the proposed rezoning.

The next step is a public hearing at the Brooklyn's Borough President's office on:

July 14 At 4:30 Pm

Court Room, Second Floor

Brooklyn Borough Hall

209 Joralemon Street

Brooklyn, New York 11201

Mark Your Calendar!

This is great news! This long-awaited rezoning will give this community the protection it needs from out-of-scale development and will hopefully preserve the unique character of our historic neighborhood.
The NYC Department of City Planning gave this overview on the re-zoning:

At the request of Community Board 6, community and neighborhood groups, and local elected officials, the Department of City Planning proposes zoning map amendments for an approximately 86 block area of the Carroll Gardens and Columbia Street neighborhoods within Community District 6 in Brooklyn.

The rezoning area includes the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens and Columbia Street. The Carroll Gardens portion of the rezoning area is generally bounded by Degraw Street, Warren Street and Douglass Street to the north; Hoyt Street, Bond Street and Smith Street to the east; 3rd Street, 4th Street, 5th Street, Centre Street and Hamilton Avenue to the south; and Hicks Street to the west. The Columbia Street portion of the rezoning area consists of approximately 14 blocks bounded by Warren Street to the north, a line between Columbia Street and Van Brunt Street to the west, Hicks Street to the east and Woodhull Street to the south. The areas proposed to be rezoned are zoned entirely R6.

The rezoning proposal has been developed after extensive discussion with the Community Board, elected officials, and neighborhood residents. The rezoning responds to community concerns about recent out-of-scale development permitted under the current zoning by mapping contextual districts with height limits throughout the study area which would preserve the existing built character while allowing for new development and modest expansions where appropriate at a height and scale that is in keeping with the existing context. The rezoning would support and promote the local, vibrant retail corridors while protecting the residential character of nearby side streets.

The proposed rezoning builds upon the Department’s Carroll Gardens Narrow Streets Text Amendment which was undertaken at the community’s request and approved in 2008. That text amendment aimed to limit the size and configuration of new buildings and enlargements on certain streets with deep front courtyards which had been defined as wide streets under existing zoning and therefore permitted a higher density that was out of scale with the existing built context. The proposed rezoning of the Carroll Gardens and Columbia Street neighborhoods fulfills the Department’s commitment to return to the community with a more comprehensive set of zoning recommendations for the larger area.

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