John Edwards in NYC Today

From a friend:

John Edwards will be in New York taping The Late Show with David Letterman.

He will be entering the building at 4 pm and leaving at around 5:30 pm.

It would be great to have supporters there with signs when he arrives and when he leaves. It would be good for the press to know what support he has in NYC and it would also let the Senator know that we are here for him. You can go at 4 or 5:30, or stay for both, if you are a hardy soul.

This is informal so just show up if you can and make some noise! I’m going to pop out of work and be there by 4 pm. The Letterman Show tapes at around 52nd and Broadway and I’m thinking the Senator will enter/exit at one of the side doors.

Also, let your friends know that he will be on that night!

Congestion pricing Forums - Next Week

Streetsblog has the locations. Most importantly, you MUST fill out and return this registration document to speak at the event.

I'll be there. And if that's not a draw, well, I don't know what is.

Congestion Pricing Forum Coverage

The big news out of yesterday's forum is: more organized backing for congestion pricing, which is great news. First, the NYT reports that the Transit Workers Union finally came out to support an initiative that will funnel hundreds of millions a year to our transit infrastructure. And that wasn't the only good news:

Second, a new coalition of pro-congestion pricing groups, calling itself Communities United for Transportation Equity, presented research suggesting that black and Hispanic riders and low-income riders have the longest commutes of any residents of the New York region.

Of the 750,000 New Yorkers who travel more than an hour each way, two-thirds make less than $35,000 a year and only 6 percent make more than $75,000 a year, the group noted, citing an analysis by the Pratt Center for Community Development of census data.

This has been a long time coming; an explicit answer to the utterly false, disingenuous brand of populism spouted by congestion pricing opponents.

Speaking of false and disingenuous, Streetsblog responds to Councilman David Weprin's latest meretricious attacks here. Let's hope that the end of his council term marks the end of his political career as well.

Finally,Streetsblog has a post on the "Virtuous Cycle" alluded to by Lee sander in yesterday's Op-Ed in the Metro:

By decongesting the streets not just in Manhattan but throughout the city, as commuters from all the boroughs leave their cars at home congestion pricing would make travel times for bus riders faster. That leads to a virtuous cycle. As traffic is reduced, buses become faster. Faster buses attract more riders out of their cars, which reduces traffic further.

I(LA) Smell A Rat!

Well this was an unexpected treat. I had a couple of meetings in the neighborhood this morning and my business brought me by the old ILA building at 340 Court that is being developed by the Clarett Group. You can read about the Union-Sackett Block Association's appeals to the developers here.

Well, apparently the contractor hired to remove asbestos from the site is using non-union labor, because Laborer's Local 78 was out front handing out fliers and manning the rat.

My previous posts on this site are here.

UPDATE: Picked up by Curbed. Bob Guskind points out the irony of non-union labor dismantling an old union building. My god, could you imagine the reaction from Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasia?

More Public Hearings On Congestion Pricing

Good news. I just got off the phone with Andrea Miles-Cole, and there WILL be additional public hearings on the short list of congestion pricing alternatives in each of the outer boroughs.

Brooklyn's will be:

January 23rd 24th, 6:00pm
Medgar Evers College
(Room TBA) 1650 Bedford Av. (bet. Montgomery & Crown Sts.)

Good news.

UPDATED
Streetsblog has all the locales. As does the DOT website.

de Blasio Calls For Downzoning of Carroll Gardens

It has become fashionable in certain circles to bash Bill deBlasio for perceived shortcomings. I really don't think the guy gets a fair shake; from what I've seen he is tireless in his efforts and is highly accessible to constituents.

In any event, deBlasio will be introducing a resolution specifically calling for a downzoning and the functional (but legal) equivalent of CORD's long-sought moratorium on development over 50'. The Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association has worked hard to make a downzoning happen; unfortunately, City Planning won't prioritize our needs without outside pressure from the Council and the press.

Save the date - Jan 29th - for a rally to support this resolution . . . details will be posted here when I get them. I can't stress this enough . . . take the time to come out for the rally. I'm skipping out of work for it. This is the sort of thing that does get results. The DRAFT:

Res. No.

Resolution calling upon the Department of City Planning to commence immediately a downzoning study of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and upon the Department of Buildings to not issue permits that would allow any new construction or alteration to an existing building to exceed a height limit of 50 feet until the Carroll Gardens neighborhood downzoning is complete.

By Council Member de Blasio

Whereas, Carroll Gardens is a charming neighborhood defined by its tree-lined streets, beautiful 3-4 story brownstones, and atypical setbacks that create deep front yards; and

Whereas, The architecture and layout of Carroll Gardens creates a village-like character, which is not commonly found in New York City; and

Whereas, Currently, Carroll Gardens is zoned R6, which does not provide a restriction on height; and

Whereas, With the recent state of hyper-development in Brooklyn, there is widespread concern that large scale new constructions pose a threat to the fabric of this historical Brooklyn neighborhood; and

Whereas, According to a 2006 survey by Brooklyn Community Board 6, 91% of neighborhood residents surveyed responded that they were either very concerned or concerned about the height or size of new buildings in the neighborhood. Further, 83% of those surveyed indicated that they favored stricter limits on the height, size and/or overall bulk of new buildings; and

Whereas, A neighborhood downzoning by the Department of City Planning would be the most effective long term solution to the problem of over-development in Carroll Gardens; and

Whereas, A 50 foot height limit will protect the neighborhood from over-development while also providing time for the Department of City Planning to perform the necessary study and analysis that would precede the downzoning of Carroll Gardens; and

Whereas, A height restriction of 50 feet, to be implemented immediately, will cap the height on new building construction or alternation to existing buildings to prevent the construction of buildings higher than 50 feet over the next several years; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Department of City Planning to commence immediately a downzoning study of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and upon the Department of Buildings to not issue permits that would allow any new construction or alteration to an existing building to exceed a height limit of 50 feet until the Carroll Gardens neighborhood downzoning is complete.

Favor for a Reader

A neighbor informs me she needs to vacate her apartment at . . . First and Court . . . to downsize to smaller digs.

Here's the info:

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avail FEB.1
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