Jimmy Van Bramer’s Response to the YourLIC Anable Basin plan.
This is Councilman Van Bramer’s response to our June 14th Open Letter about YourLIC. We’d like to thank him for responding.
July 7, 2020
Dear Justice for All Coalition, LIC Coalition, Primed Out NYC, and the Western Queens Community Land Trust,
I want to share my thoughts and concerns about the proposed development of Anable Basin and the YourLIC community engagement process.
I agree with you that the proposal for 12 million square feet, twice the height and density of Hunters Point South, is wrong for our community. COVID-19 has changed everything about our world and how we see our future. There is no question that this project as proposed would cause rents to rise in the surrounding community. There are far too many luxury apartments included and the proposed affordability is simply unacceptable.
The post COVID-19 city we will all occupy may call for far less office space and a radically re-envisioned work environment, and there remain so many questions about who would benefit from such a massive project.
I also agree with you about the environmental concerns and specifically the amount of open space, which is inadequate at this density.
Your concerns about community engagement ring especially true given that the final stages of that engagement took place while a pandemic was raging in our city. There is no doubt that this dramatically impacted the number of people who could participate in that engagement. Zoom meetings are no substitute for in person town halls where people can discuss, review, and debate such a monumental project.
I have said before and I will say again that all of the publicly owned land in this site should be used exclusively for the public. Not handed over to developers for profit, and I strongly support a community land trust on this site.
We are also in a moment of uprising in this country where millions are marching against police brutality, inequality in all of its forms, and insisting that Black lives matter. Just as I did with my vote against the budget last week, I want to again meet the moment. If I am not convinced that a project is going to reduce income inequality, I can’t support it. We must view this proposal, and all future proposals, with a view towards racial equity and economic justice.
We cannot keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results. We need to fundamentally change how we view development in New York City. I do believe that something should happen on this land, but this proposal isn’t that something. The current proposal is not right for our community and I oppose it.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Van Bramer
New York City Council Member
Deputy Leader, District 26
