Lost in the triangle

The Fight for Broadway Triangle

After years of planning the city council finally approved a controversial rezoning of the Broadway Triangle- only to see a judge halt the project until further notice, thanks to a pending lawsuit.

These recent developments played out on back-to-back days in late December, forcing anyone who thought 2009 was the make-or-break year for the project to reconsider.

At least for several more months, perhaps until a hearing in March, the rezoning could remain in a strange state of limbo.

While it does, critics and supporters of the plan will be left with ample time to contemplate a project that would significantly transform an abandoned 31-acre site in Williamsburg and impact the development of affordable housing for years to come.

The site is surrounded by the neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant, all of which need more affordable housing.

The city's rezoning would make way for 1,851 apartments, half of set aside for low and moderate-income residents. The alternative plan set forth by a coalition of community groups would build thousands more units, and include a 75 percent affordability component.

Though their plan went down when the council approved the rezoning December 21, the coalition pulled a final punch by filing a lawsuit against the project the very next day, causing a judge to order the city to halt the rezoning and development process. Now a tense and eventful year of negotiations and rallies will spill over into 2010. Third time’s a charm

Bloomberg and term limits

Whether we like him or not (and about half the city doesn’t, it turns out), Mayor Michael Bloomberg is back for four more years.

In many ways his successful bid to extend term limits and extravagant reelection campaign was the biggest story of the year. And it almost didn’t work, remember.

To overturn two 1990’s-era voter referendums establishing term limits, Bloomberg had to convince the City Council to approve a special term limits extension. A large and vocal group of council members opposed the measure. In the end, it passed in late 2008 by a narrow margin of 29-22.

That set the stage for this year’s gritty, outsized mayoral election, itself a referendum of sorts on mayoral control, development policy and other hallmarks of the Bloomberg years. To make sure he could beat Comptroller William Thompson, the mayor started spending. And then spending some more.

By the time he was through mailboxes and street corners from Ridgewood to Red Hook were flooded with glossy campaign advertisements and the mayor set a new national record for spending in a municipal election.

Yet for all his money, Bloomberg only won reelection by five-points, upending election-day polls predicting a lopsided, double-digit victory. The results pointed to voter unease over a range of issues from education to overdevelopment to the city’s struggling economy- the very thing Bloomberg argued he would fix if reelected.

Now that’s looking like a pretty tall order. The city is facing a budget deficit in the billions, an unemployment rate of 10 percent (and higher in lower-income communities), not to mention an under-funded mass transit system, stalled construction projects galore- the list goes on and on.

In short, Bloomberg has his work cut out for him. Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Mayor. This last term could be the hardest of all.

Racing for the 33rd

Council campaign craziness

Outgoing Councilman David Yassky's failed bid for Comptroller opened his 33rd Council District seat to any and all comers, and half of Brooklyn applied for the job.

Well, not quite, but it felt that way at times as a full roster of seven candidates vied for the opportunity to represent the sprawling, diverse district, which stretches from Greenpoint in North Brooklyn, through Downtown Brooklyn and all the way south into Park Slope.

(Pop quiz: can you name all seven? Answer: Councilman-elect Stephen Levin, Jo Anne Simon, Evan Thies, Doug Biviano, Isaac Abraham, Ken Diamondstone and Ken Baer).

The race was entertaining if for no other reason than the fact that all the candidates agreed on nearly every major issue, from slowing overdevelopment to cleaning the Gowanus Canal. Absent serious policy differences, the hard-fought race came down to political experience and effective campaigning.

Ken Baer was everywhere. Jo Anne Simon, the runner-up, was and remains a formidable presence. Outsider Doug Biviano rocked the boat, capturing attention for an unusual campaign that featured an in-person endorsement from Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

But in the end Levin, the former chief of staff to Assemblyman Vito Lopez, built the best ground game and carried the race by a full ten points (though he was elected with just 33 percent of the overall vote).

The enthusiasm surrounding the race pointed to the simple truth that after eight years of Yassky, people were more than eager for a fresh face at City Hall. Now they have one in Levin.

In the 34th Council District, Councilwoman Diana Reyna was re-elected after beating Maritza Davila in a close primary, and then again in the general election.

Cleaning the creek

Feds propose Newtown Creek takeover

You would think the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has its hands full in the New York City area, what with its contentious proposal to Superfund the Gowanus Canal.

Think again, because in September the EPA's workload got one creek heavier when the agency proposed placing Newtown Creek on its National Priorities List for a Superfund cleanup. The proposal unleashed a slew of public comments on the project, which would involve a comprehensive cleaning of the creek's sediment.

(The state Department of Environmental Conservation is working with Exxon Mobil to improve the creek's water quality).

So far, most people seem to be on board, as do several companies along the creek who would likely foot the bill for the Superfund project. If so, they should settled in for a long ride. Assuming the creek is placed on the Superfund list sometime next year, EPA officials estimate it could take as many as 15 years or longer to get the job done.