Here are the comments that the Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio's office had on our post about the big issues with Culver El. We thank them for expressing support for more affordable housing with any rezoning; for offering help in talking to owners about creative temporary use of vacant lots by neighborhood residents; and advocating for making Culver El estates affordable in perpetuity:
1. Rezoning:
We are happy Councilmember Lander expressed interest in looking at the feasibility of altering the zoning map to exclude some areas that do not include affordable housing in the plan, including the Begament department store. Although the proposed zoning would not give the owner a significant amount of more buildable residential space, we should be doing everything we can to create more affordable housing where we can.
2. The neighborhood needs public green space:
Our office will support Councilman Brad Lander’s suggestion that the developer (SBCO) include some open green space on the roof or in the bottom of the building and that the city make a substantial effort to identify sites within the broader 8-block rezoning appropriate for public open space. I also wanted to note that while in the City Council, I along with Marty Markowitz, fought for and secured a lot of green space in the surrounding area, including the renovations to the Dome Playground, PS 230 renovation/explanation, the revitalization of the parade groups and the renovations to Greenwood Playground.
3. For the lots that are not expected to be developed in the next 10 years – how about they are turned into a temporary neighborhood space that can be used for kids to play or a community garden – we have enough abandoned lots storing derelict vehicles already:
I totally understand your point that it would be good for the community if these lots were used for temporary neighborhood spaces, however, these are private property and we would need permission from the developer to utilize the property. Our office is happy to work with Councilmember Lander on any outreach attempt to private land owners on this issue.
4. On making Culver El permanently affordable:
The Public Advocate’s Office always advocating for a permanent affordable housing model. One significant problem we face in development citywide is that most city programs do not mandate permanent affordable housing. We will work with Councilmember Lander and the developer on the issue of permanently affordable housing.
5. Culver El public land should not be given away for parking:
This change in zoning has a specific parking requirement based on the number of units being built, which includes the 68 affordable housing units. As a consequence the developer is required to use some portion of this land for parking in order to follow the zoning regulation. The specific requirement for Culver El is referenced on the City Planning website linked here: http://nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/culver/culver3.shtml
6. Could Culver El Estates be better designed:
Given the current economic climate, the cost of building affordable housing developments and the lack of financial resources from the City, spending money on a new architect or design at this stage is difficult. From the beginning, this project, in particular, faced several constraints imposed by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of City Planning, in addition to the fact that the land parcels are abnormally shaped and compact. However, we are willing to ask the developer to consider design suggestions from yourself and other members of the community. If you have specific design suggestions you want us to pass on please email tgray@pubadvocate.nyc.gov.
We will clarify the position on parking, as we are under the impression that the three lots for parking 48 cars that will be given to existing unnamed community facilities are not required by the planning, and that in fact, given the design as is, the Culver El Estates could have received an exemption from the requirement to provide parking for the affordable housing units.