BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Locals should have a say before the de Blasio administration's affordable housing development plan destroys as many as five community gardens in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, Councilman Robert Cornegy warned in his first State of the District Address.
Speaking at Uncommon Charter High School on Saturday, Cornegy voiced support for the need for affordable housing in the 36th City Council District — but he asked for city transparency as development plans move forward that could jeopardize the hard-fought greenspaces.
“Just as much as we need affordable rentals and home ownership, our community gardens are absolutely precious,” Cornegy said. “Before HPD [the city's Housing Preservation and Development] allows developers to build on garden sites, there should be a transparent decision making process that includes meaningful community consultation.
“The housing produced must be truly affordable for long term residents of this district. Land use decisions such as this will shape our communities for generations to come.”
Cornegy recently rallied on the steps of City Hall, speaking out against the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s “secrecy” in refusing to provide an explanation on the necessity of using city-owned green spaces for new construction.
He said he would work to “balance between competing priorities” in the community regarding residents’ need for both gardens and homes.
Cornegy also vowed to concentrate on tenant protection in the neighborhood, citing housing-related issues such as NYCHA repairs, illegal construction, and evictions that make up 50 percent of constituent complaints in his office.
He announced a goal to provide free legal housing services and pledged to develop new tax credits to assist landlords with maintaining affordable rents for both residential and commercial tenants.
“We’re losing some of our valuable businesses and residents due to harassment forcing people to leave our community,” he said.
To address tenant harassment and housing issues, Cornegy took a different approach to his State of the District and provided a “community collaboration” event Saturday to give attendees immediate access to resources.
Following the speech, organizations including Neighborhood Housing Services and the Legal Aid Society hosted workshops at the high school to supply information on eviction prevention, housing violations, and ways to find affordable residences in the area.
Additional panels and resources from local and city groups addressed neighborhood cultural preservation, college readiness, public safety, and small business assistance.
