Innovative Initiative Will Help Hundreds of Small Businesses Ease the Burden of Inspection Red Tape

New York, January 20, 2010 – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today applauded the Bloomberg administration’s announcement, made in the Mayor’s State of the City address, to undertake coordinated City inspections for new businesses. The goal of this initiative, which was first presented in Speaker Quinn’s 2009 State of the City address, will be to cut down on extensive delays new business owners face when trying to open a new establishment.

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New York, January 20, 2010 – In a major victory for New York City’s rent stabilized tenants, New York State Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman struck down a 2008 supplemental adjustment imposed by the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB), which has been characterized as a “poor tax” against low-income tenants who have lived in an apartment for more than six years and pay less than $1,000 a month in rent.

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Will Work with Lenders, Property Owners and Housing Advocates to Protect Tenants in Buildings at Risk of Foreclosure

CITY HALL – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Council Members Erik Martin Dilan, Inez Dickens and Annabel Palma, and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Rafael Cestero today held the first meeting of the Task Force on Financially Distressed Rental Housing.

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“Since the initial sale of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village nearly four years ago, the City Council has been working to ensure that the rights of tenants are being protected. Today’s news that Tishman Speyer will miss a loan payment has raised concerns among many residents about the future of their homes. We remain committed to protecting affordability, and we will continue to closely monitor the legal proceedings to prevent any negative effect on residents.”

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“Percy Sutton was a pioneer of the civil rights movement. He was a trailblazer who envisioned and delivered great things for this city and its residents. His many achievements included serving as a Tuskegee Airman, he was the longest serving Borough President of Manhattan, and he worked to revitalize the famous landmark Apollo Theater. Throughout his life he overcame adversity and made a positive impact in the lives of countless others.

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Rezoning will create new affordable housing for thousands of New Yorkers

City Hall, December 21, 2009 – At today’s Stated Council meeting, the members of the City Council will vote on important land use legislation to rezone the Western Rail Yards in Western Manhattan and rezone 31 acres of Williamsburg’s Broadway Triangle in Brooklyn. Additionally, the Council will vote on legislation to:

Strengthen the City’s gun laws by increasing penalties for selling a toy gun by 500 percent
Improve local community input on New York City parks by requiring that park conservancies have at least one board member who lives in the Council district the park is located
Improve communication and notification procedures surrounding major transportation projects by requiring the Department of Transportation or other city agencies to notify affected Council Members and Community Boards
Help small businesses by easing licensing requirements for businesses with arcade games
Co-name 70 thoroughfares and public places throughout the City
The Council will also vote to override three mayoral vetoes.

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“The report by Governor Paterson’s Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice highlights the failures of New York’s Juvenile Justice System. The youth prisons administered by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services house some of our neediest children, many of whom suffer from serious mental health problems, drug or alcohol problems or developmental disabilities. The report makes clear that these facilities are ineffective, do not provide youth with the services that they need, and in some cases youth even suffer at the hands of those charged with protecting them.

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“The proposal announced by the Department of Education (DOE) to temporarily move Clinton Artists and Writers Middle School to PS 33 is far from anyone’s first choice.

“On October 21st, Speaker Quinn’s office convened a Relocation Task Force with DOE, elected officials, the Community Education Council, the principal and the Clinton School’s own relocation task force. Our goal was to try to identify a new permanent site that would be ready for occupancy by 2010 or 2011, in order to avoid the disruption caused by a temporary move.

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New Space Brings More Affordable Housing to Clinton/Hells Kitchen

City Hall – The City Council today overwhelming passed a Land Use bill to rezone the Western Rail Yards (WRY). The rezoning plan will allow for the preservation of existing and the creation of new affordable housing for the neighborhood, the vast majority of which is permanent. The plan also allows for the development of 16,000 square feet of cultural space for the community and the creation of a new green space.

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Today’s Council vote to refer the Western Rail Yard rezoning plan to the City Planning Commission is a major victory for our community. This rezoning reflects years of conversations, outreach and input from community members. Soon, thousands of New Yorkers will have the opportunity for new affordable housing—the vast majority of which is permanent, new cultural spaces, and new green space.

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