In the news:
I am compiling a report card on Community Board 2 for the 2003-2004 year. As you probably know, the Community Boards are supposed to speak for the community. I use the phrase "supposed to" because this year Community Board 2, and specifically the Land Use Committee, often decided to take a slightly different route. In meeting after meeting, they ignored the communities concerns. For example: in the public meeting for the proposed Downtown Rezoning, they heard from hundreds of residents who asked that the plan be stopped, or at the very least scaled back. The Traffic & Transportation Committee (I am a member) voted the plan down. But the Land Use Committee decided the plan was workable and voted for the plan with many restrictions. When it came to the full board, they clearly had reservations about the Land Use Committee's recommendation and voted it down. However, this meant, technically, that the Community Board was not passing on ANY recommendation to the Borough President. He voted for it, with some reservations, and from there it was a done deal. The bottom line is simple, the plan, as it now stands, is bad for Brooklyn!

But the Land Use Committee was just getting started. At the end of the year, in July, they heard from over 400 residents of DUMBO who were concerned about the height of the new Jehovah's Witnesses buildings. The residents asked that the heigh of the tallest biulding, 24 stories, be scaled back to fit in with the neighborhood. The Land Use Committee ignored their pleas and voted for the plan. Only three community board members voted against it. At the full board meeting in July of 2004, the full board voted for the plan. Again, ignoring the concerns of the community.

My report will, be out in the late summer and will spell out, what I see as the problems in CB2.

Stay tuned,

Kenn Lowy