t
their most recent meeting, the City Council approved a zoning change
that helps pave the way for the first major new hotel in Harlem since
1966, and then went on to pass legislation aimed at improving safety in
New York City public schools.
The first school safety bill requires the Department of Education to
provide the public with a listing of each serious, minor, and criminal
incident that takes place in any of the City’s public schools. This
information is to be made available online, at individual schools, and
in each school’s annual report.
Explaining
what led him to introduce this bill, Peter Vallone, Jr., Chair of the
Public Safety Committee, stated that he was looking on the Internet for
a middle school for his daughter. "I could find out what they were
having for lunch, but I couldn’t find school crime statistics," he said.
"Now, parents will be able to make more informed choices."
The second bill requires the City to give the council quarterly
reports on the number of school safety agents assigned to each school.
This, like the first bill, passed with little controversy. The final
bill, however, which required that schools, in consultation with the
Police Department, install security cameras, was seen by some as more
problematic.
Council
Member and mayoral candidate Charles Barron stated that he intended to
vote against this bill because, while he is aware that there are safety
issues in schools, "We need swimming pools, smaller class sizes, and
other kinds of programs. If we've got money for cameras," he commented,
"we should have money for computers."
Council
Member James Sanders expressed his hesitation also about the creeping
loss of privacy in our society as represented by these cameras.
"However," he said, "there is the issue of public safety here, so, with
much trepidation, I'm going to vote Yes on this legislation."
The City Council also gave its approval for a new building to be
constructed on 125th Street and Park Avenue in Harlem.
As
Melinda Katz, Chair of the Land Use Committee, explained, this building
- to be known as Harlem Park - will feature two floors of retail space,
five floors of commercial space, eleven floors of residential space, and
twelve floors for the Marriott Hotel. The initial plan called for the
tower to be 550 feet tall, but after negotiations with the local
Community Board it was reduced to 452 feet. "We think it's a very good
compromise for this area," Katz stated. "It's going to bring 900 jobs to
the community. We believe it's the right move for the City."
But
Deputy Majority Leader Bill Perkins, in whose district the project is
located, strongly opposes it. He argued that it will dwarf the six- and
ten-story buildings that make up most of Harlem; that the residential
apartments will sell for $600 per square foot, which is way out of reach
for most Harlemites; and that oil tanks from an abandoned gas station
have been discovered on the property, but no plans for dealing with the
toxic oil leak and PCBs have been made.
Perkins asked his colleagues to imagine how they would feel if this
were in their own district and they were told by other councilmembers
that they understand this project is not good for the community, but
that it’s "good for the City." "What would your response be?" he asked.
"I'm voting No because there is no such thing as bad for community and
good for the City. If it is bad for my district, for El Barrio, or for
the Upper West Side then it is bad for the City."
Several councilmembers agreed with Perkins. Al Vann declared that
it's been his operating principle to support the interests of a
councilmember in their own district unless there is overwhelming
evidence against it. Harlem Council Member Robert Jackson said that
obviously Perkins has some concerns that have not been addressed, so he,
too, was voting against the legislation. Charles Barron pointed out that
if they didn’t back Perkins on this, they would be setting a dangerous
precedent of letting others outside their districts decide what's good
for their communities.
Even so, the plan passed by a vote of 39 to 7 with one abstention.
Those voting against it were Council Members Bill Perkins, Charles
Barron, Eric Dilan, Robert Jackson, Letitia James, Hiram Monserrate and
Al Vann. James Sanders abstained.
t
their most recent meeting, the City Council approved a zoning change
that helps pave the way for the first major new hotel in Harlem since
1966, and then went on to pass legislation aimed at improving safety in
New York City public schools.
Explaining
what led him to introduce this bill, Peter Vallone, Jr., Chair of the
Public Safety Committee, stated that he was looking on the Internet for
a middle school for his daughter. "I could find out what they were
having for lunch, but I couldn’t find school crime statistics," he said.
"Now, parents will be able to make more informed choices."
Council
Member and mayoral candidate Charles Barron stated that he intended to
vote against this bill because, while he is aware that there are safety
issues in schools, "We need swimming pools, smaller class sizes, and
other kinds of programs. If we've got money for cameras," he commented,
"we should have money for computers."
Council
Member James Sanders expressed his hesitation also about the creeping
loss of privacy in our society as represented by these cameras.
"However," he said, "there is the issue of public safety here, so, with
much trepidation, I'm going to vote Yes on this legislation."
As
Melinda Katz, Chair of the Land Use Committee, explained, this building
- to be known as Harlem Park - will feature two floors of retail space,
five floors of commercial space, eleven floors of residential space, and
twelve floors for the Marriott Hotel. The initial plan called for the
tower to be 550 feet tall, but after negotiations with the local
Community Board it was reduced to 452 feet. "We think it's a very good
compromise for this area," Katz stated. "It's going to bring 900 jobs to
the community. We believe it's the right move for the City."
But
Deputy Majority Leader Bill Perkins, in whose district the project is
located, strongly opposes it. He argued that it will dwarf the six- and
ten-story buildings that make up most of Harlem; that the residential
apartments will sell for $600 per square foot, which is way out of reach
for most Harlemites; and that oil tanks from an abandoned gas station
have been discovered on the property, but no plans for dealing with the
toxic oil leak and PCBs have been made.
