BY DEBORAH GLICK | It has been a busy year both in the district and in Albany. We have achieved many victories, and are steps closer to others.
I am excited that our lawsuit against the New York University 2031 development plan will be heard by the Court of Appeals this year. The lawsuit is centered on N.Y.U.’s illegal use of public land as part of the development plans. I hope that we prevail and will set the precedent that public land belongs to the public, not private developers.
We have also made great strides in realizing a middle school at 75 Morton St. The city’s School Construction Authority has been hard at work in order to open the school by fall 2017. The 75 Morton St. Alliance, Community Board 2 and the Community Education Council, along with other parents and advocates, have also been diligently working to ensure that the school is not just built with the spaces the community wants, but also that the school, as run by the Department of Education, is the best it can be, and is an integral part of our neighborhood.
It is night and day working with this administration compared to the Bloomberg era. The Department of Education under Chancellor Farina is choosing to partner, not fight, with parents and the community on the development of new schools. This is a long-awaited, much-appreciated attitude. Furthermore, D.O.E. has made the selection process for middle school more advantageous to parents and students. Previously, new unopened schools were not on the original listing of middle school choices that parents use to select middle schools. Now, D.O.E. will include all real options, including those that will open by the school year, in the listing of options. This will help 75 Morton St. be a real option for parents and students as they make a decision on middle school.
In Albany, I am pleased that my Reproductive Health Bill passed the Assembly with bipartisan support. This bill would update New York State’s laws to make them in line with the federal protections granted under the Supreme Court decision, Roe v Wade. Currently, New York State’s laws do not protect a woman’s right to an abortion if her health is in danger, only her life. This bill corrects that. While the current makeup of the state Senate makes a vote on this bill unlikely, the Legislature’s composition is always subject to change as people retire, leave for other jobs or fall ill. I look forward to the day that New York takes necessary measures to protect the women of this state to allow them continued control over their own health decisions.
Pressures to develop continue all over. One of the recent threats to our neighborhoods is a zoning text amendment currently under evaluation by the Department of City Planning that, among other things, would allow the height limits in all contextually rezoned neighborhoods, including landmarked districts, to increase. There are serious concerns with this proposal, which I have expressed to City Planning, and I strongly encourage everyone to write to City Planning to request a slower, more thoughtful process.
And, as we all know, just weeks ago, there was a gas explosion in the East Village that caused the collapse of three buildings while several others sustained serious damages. My condolences go out to the families and friends of the two young men who were killed by this tragedy. By the time of this printing, it is clear that the explosion is the result of illegal work on gas lines.
I will continue to work with those who have been temporarily displaced both in the short term and long term by this disaster. There is a long way to go before those impacted will have recovered both emotionally and materially. If you would like to contribute to the residents or businesses impacted by the explosion, you can do so through the Mayor’s Fund, earmarked for “East Village Collapse,” at https://www.nyc.gov/html/fund/html/projects/east-village-building-collapse.shtml.
As always, I look forward to working with neighbors on their concerns. If you have any, you can reach my office at 212-674-5153.
Glick is assemblymember, 66th District (West Village, Soho, Noho, Hudson Square, East Village, Tribeca, Civic Center)
