Hi All-
For those of you who can attend your presence is badly needed and we also need you to sign up to speak at the meeting. This is very important so please make sure to come early by6:15 pm so that you can sign up to speak. We need a variety of speakers from all demographics impacted by this issue to speak and all should tell personal stories. Just start off by saying my name is Jane Doe, I have lived in the community for X years and this is why I oppose this application and development project proposed by Related.
We will also have a list of talking points we should all make sure are covered by our group at the meeting so please come to Geoff or myself for direction if you need it at the meeting. Here are a few but not all of those topics:
1) The proposal is significant enough that it demands City Planning and CB8 request a full "Uniform Land Use Review Procedure" (ULURP)
2) Community Board 8 has the least amount of open space in Manhattan and desperately needs this land as open space
3) This text change proposal by Related will take away the existing rights of a small number of buildings in the urban renewal area to consent or not to Related's proposal
Also please see attached and below a letter that goes into further detail on the current situation and next steps.
Regards,
Oscar Fernandez (Campaign To SaveRuppert PlaygroundOrganizer)
"Save Our Park, Save Our Community!"
Stop The Related Companies From Destroying Our Neighborhood!!
Dear Neighbor,
The Related Companies has decided to ignore the will and needs of the community and try to go ahead and build a 37 floor luxury rental building on the site of Ruppert Playground, a park on E. 93rd Street between 2nd and 3rdAvenues that has been an important part of our community since the late 1970's.
Related is also attempting to avoid going through the full Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the public review process required for projects that are not as-of-right. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/luproc/ulpro.shtml
There Are Two Ways This Can Be Stopped:
Under ULURP, Related’s plan would have to bereviewed, voted on andapproved by a number of elected officials and city agencies. A series of public hearings MUST be held - including the Community Board, Borough President, City Planning, and finally the City Council. RELATED IS ATTEMPTING TO AVOIDthis process.
We Need Your Help:
In order to show the City - and Related - that this project is unwanted and irresponsible, and to require Related to go through ULURP, the public MUST do its part! We need the public to attend all meetings and hearings and contact the elected officials. The FIRST PUBLIC MEETINGis on Wednesday, June 12th at 6:30 p.m. Community Board 8. Location: New York Blood Center - 310 East 67th Street. Representatives from the Related Companies will be in attendance. (As soon as we have information for the next meetings we will inform you).
Elected Officials Can Stop It
The elected officials have the power to stop it by voting against this irresponsible project and insisting the project go through ULURP. Community Board 8 has the least amount of park space of any community board in the entire city! Taking away a heavily used park is an irresponsible land use policy.
The elected officials that have the power to stop it have ALL physically stood with the community at the Ruppert Playground site to show their support in protecting our park. We need your help to make sure that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Council Members Dan Garodnick and Jessica Lappin, Borough President Scott Stringer, and the entire City Council VOTE AGAINST it. In fact on, November 10 2011, Speaker Quinn and CM’s Dan Garodnick and Jessica Lappin signed a letter demanding ULURP.
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Besides going to public meetings, We need the public to contact the elected officials - Call and email and/or write. Remember this is an election year! The message it simple: they must demand that ULURP be followed and vote against the loss of the community park.
The public should also be aware that the Related Companies has signed the White Plains NY-based Windward School http://www.thewindwardschool.org/home/home.asp as an anchor tenant. The school would occupy approximately 60,000 sq. ft. in the unwanted building, which Related is attempting to use as cover in order to get approval. The Related Companies will undoubtedly have people testifying in support of the school at public hearings and lobbying the elected officials for approval.
A school can be built anywhere - This vital community park cannot!!
Lawsuit
The second potential way to stop the project is to file a lawsuit. If the elected officials refuse to protect the park, a lawsuit must be brought against the City to challenge the approvals allowing this project to go forward.
Current Park Condition: As many of you have noticed, Related is no longer maintaining the property. They have allowed it to become abandoned, overgrown, rundown and unsanitary. Clogged drains and rats have been reported. We strongly encourage the community to Contact 311 to lodge complaints against Related to fix the conditions.
Signed,
Oscar Fernandez - (Campaign To Save Ruppert Playground Organizer)
Geoffrey Croft - NYC Park Advocates
Please attend the following Community Board 8 meeting to continue our fight:
Wednesday, 6/12/13 – 6:30 p.m.
New York Blood Center - Auditorium
310 East 67th Street(First-Second)
For more info please contact:
NYC Park Advocates: (212) 987-0565
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