INWOOD — Locals residents and nonprofits who planned on attending a meeting about a controversial rezoning plan were told by officials that it is only open to a group of undisclosed "key stakeholders," despite an invitation circulating widely online.
The May 11 meeting, part of the Inwood NYC Neighborhood Study that launched last year, is meant to bring together “community board members, heads of local nonprofit organizations, social service providers and small business owners and people who have invested and put their effort in the community,” said Russell Murphy, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez's interim chief of staff.
However, a link to web page for guests to RSVP didn't stipulate that members of the general public would be excluded — rubbing many in the area the wrong way.
"We're not trying to have every person in the community, because we don’t have a wide-range discussion," Murphy said. "We’re looking to have it very focused."
Murphy said the link, which was shared by several Inwood residents, was intended for the selected stakeholders only — people "who are very attuned" and have "a very intimate knowledge of what the community needs," he explained.
He added that he couldn't provide a list of the invited guests until they were informed that it was going to made public.
Locals like Jennifer Fox said she filled out the invite form on Monday, only to receive an email from Rodriguez's camp the next day telling her she couldn't attend.
"Frankly, I'd love to know who the members of this committee are," said Fox, who has previously attended several of workshops and meetings regarding the rezoning and was looking forward to the May 11 event.
"The rezoning is a critical issue for Inwood, and opportunities for meaningful citizen involvement should be readily available."
Organizers of the Inwood NYC Neighborhood Study have already held several events to discuss issues about housing, rezoning and community services, all of which have been met with concerns and questions from community groups.
Graham Ciraulo, a representative for the coalition Northern Manhattan Is Not 4 Sale, said he felt like those leading the push are "purposely trying to keep us away from the conversation."
“They know our group, and we asked Rodriguez if he could include us,” Ciraulo said, adding that group members asked the councilman at a recent public forum to include the coalition in future rezoning discussions.
Northern Manhattan Is Not 4 Sale is made up of several nonprofits, including the Met Council, Inwood Advocates Coalition for Tenants Rights, Northern Manhattan Neighbors for Peace and Justice, and Uptown Community Democrats.
Ciraulo confirmed that none of the nonprofits under the coalition’s umbrella received an email invite or information about the meeting. Additionally, he said the meeting description isn't clear on the project's website and that it appears to be open to all residents.
"We would be happy to work on developing a proposal acceptable to the whole community," Ciraulo added. "We’re not there to just block any proposal. We just want to be part of the conversation."
Russell said the information discussed in the stakeholders' private meeting will be released publicly in the coming months.
