What is a community district?
One of the most notable aspects of the Charter Revision (approved by the voters of the City of New York in the November 1975 election) was the expansion of the use of the community districts—at present there are 59 within the five boroughs.
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What does a community board do?
The New York City Charter Revision of 1975 established a community board within each of the districts. The voting members of each community board are appointed for two-year overlapping terms by the Borough President of their borough, half of them on nominations by the Councilmembers serving the area.
Each community board is composed of up to 50 persons who live, work or have other significant interest in the district, plus the Councilmembers serving any part of the area. The members may be reappointed or removed for just cause by the Borough President or by a majority vote of the Board. The area's Councilmembers are non-voting members of the Board.
Like other boards, Community Board #16 reviews matters pertaining to land use in its district, evaluates the quality and quantity of service delivery in the community, makes recommendations for capital and expense budget priorities, and develops plans for the community's improvement.
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What specifically does the Board do?
Specific responsibilities for the community board include:
> Public hearings and reports to the City Planning Commission as the first step in the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) for reaching decisions on local zoning, City map changes, capital project site selection, franchises, acquisitions and disposition of City property and other matters.
> Public hearings and reports to the City Planning Commission on comprehensive plans involving the district.
> Public hearings and reports to the Board of Standards and Appeals on zoning variances and certain special permits.
> Consultation with City agencies in the development of their departmental estimates of the expense and capital budgets and capital programs.
> Consultation with the Borough Board in the development of borough projects.
> Public Hearings and recommendations to the City Council and Mayor on the departmental estimates.
> Monitoring the performance of City service agencies in the district.
> Reviewing and advising on the scopes, designs and progress of capital projects.
> Providing an information and complaint services center.
> Assisting City departments and agencies in making contacts with and transmitting information to the residents of the district.
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What are the needs of Community District #16
STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY DISTRICT NEEDS FOR FY' 2011
OVERVIEW
Community District #16 is located in East Brooklyn and encompasses the neighborhoods of Ocean Hill and Brownsville. It is comprised of 1,230.6 acres of land and is bounded on the north by Broadway, on the east by Van Sinderen Avenue, on the south by the Long Island Railroad, and on the west by East 98th Street, East New York Avenue, Ralph Avenue, Atlantic Avenue and Saratoga Avenue.
According to the 2000 census, Ocean Hill-Brownsville is home to 85,343 people of which 78.2% are Black, 18% are of Hispanic origin, and 3.8% are of another descent. Our population continues to increase with the ongoing construction of housing units.
Our residential properties are comprised of one-to three-family homes, 4-story multiple dwelling walkups, Section 8 housing, Mitchell-Lamas, cooperatives, condominiums, New York City Housing Authority buildings, single and family shelters, and SRO housing.
On the commercial strips of Broadway, Fulton Street, Saratoga Avenue, Pitkin Avenue, Rockaway Avenue, Belmont Avenue, Livonia Avenue, and Mother Gaston Boulevard, you will find personal service shops, small retail clothing, appliance and furniture stores, fast food eateries, supermarkets and bodegas.
Our needs for Fiscal Year 2011 are similar to those of previous years. We continue to need more permanent and affordable housing, safe community facilities, improved infrastructure and transportation, sanitation services, more commercial and industrial revitalization, quality health care, and support services.
HOUSING
Permanent and affordable housing continues to be a high priority for our community to meet the needs of senior citizens, families, and single adults with minimum wage jobs. We also need affordable housing for young adults whose income is below or above certain income thresholds – too much for subsidized housing but not enough for market rate housing.
Because of the downturn in the economy, the price of real estate has fallen, however, housing is still unaffordable for many of our residents. Even with government subsidies, the cost of a new home is unattainable for many of our hardworking families whose incomes have not appreciably increased with the cost of living. Rental housing costs are also skyrocketing, thus making it difficult for families and single adults to maintain permanent housing.
We appeal to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to continue with plans to build affordable and permanent housing on the remaining City-owned vacant lots in Community District #16, and provide subsidies to truly make the units affordable to our residents.
Construction is almost completed on the townhouses which are part of the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) HOPE VI project. We need NYCHA to move forth on plans to renovate and upgrade the three remaining towers of Prospect Plaza without further delay and return much needed housing to former tenants who were displaced and are anxiously waiting to return to their homes.
Where there are small irregularly shaped City-owned parcels that are not suitable for housing construction, we urge HPD to dispose of these parcels to adjacent property owners. This will also place the property back on the tax roll.
We are pleased to see new homes being built on privately-owned vacant lots throughout the community. We encourage developers to make them affordable to residents of the community.
COMMUNITY FACILITIES
We need continued funding for our three Beacon schools which provide a “safe haven” for our children, youth, and adults and offer a range of educational, cultural and recreational programs, social services, and vocational activities.
We need regular maintenance of our New York City Department of Parks and Recreation facilities to prevent their deterioration. The roof of the Brownsville Recreation Center is leaking in several areas, causing structural damage to the building and equipment. We need the roof repaired. In addition, the central air conditioning system at the Brownsville Recreation Center needs to be repaired.
We also need lights on the ballfield of the Brownsville Recreation Center playground to accommodate night games. In addition, because the ballfield abuts a very busy eight lane highway, the fence needs to be extended upward along Linden Boulevard to prevent balls from going into the street and endangering passing motorists.
Our playgrounds and parks provide the only recreation for many of our residents. We need regular maintenance to prevent their deterioration from normal wear and tear of daily use. Several of our facilities are in dire need of rehabilitation:
- The Betsy Head Park ballfield needs to be reconstructed with synthetic turf. The running track also needs to be resurfaced.
- Howard Playground basketball courts are uneven in several areas and need resurfacing.
- Ocean Hill Playground needs new backboards for the basketball courts.
- The weather worn monument at Zion Triangle needs refurbishing.
- Floyd Patterson Field needs to be reconstructed to include a comfort station and installation of synthetic turf for multi-purpose uses such as baseball, football, and soccer.
- Callahan-Kelly Park’s ballfields, benches and water fountains need
refurbishing.
- Houston Playground needs refurbishing.
Playground Assistants are needed during the summer months to provide structured activities in our parks.
We urge the Department of Education to continue with plans to rehabilitate our school buildings and provide a safe environment for our children and teachers.
The roof at the Brownsville Public Library branch is severly damaged and needs replacing; the HVAC system needs repair; bathrooms modernized; and the interior of the building needs painting.
Our day care centers also need capital improvements to make them safe for our children. Additional day care services are needed to meet the growing needs of working parents.
We need job training centers and vocational schools to equip our young adults with skills to enhance their employability.
Many of our gifted youngsters and adults are unable to display their creative talents while others lack exposure to the artistic resources of our community. We encourage the development of a comprehensive cultural and performing arts center where our residents can display their talents, learn about cultural diversities, and foster better community relations in our neighborhood and City.
The importance of providing adequate and well-equipped educational facilities and programs cannot be over emphasized, especially in our attempt to
attract middle-income families with children. The educational facilities, coupled with quality programming, are important determinants for those families contemplat¬ing residence in a community.
PARK AND STREET TREES
A districtwide pruning of trees in our parks and on the sidewalks is needed. Tree limbs are blocking street lights and hanging low in the path of pedestrians on many of our streets. Trees are becoming top heavy and limbs are frequently breaking off which present a hazard to pedestrians and motorists. The addition of new trees through the Million Tree initiative are welcomed, however, resources must be allocated to maintain them and the existing stock.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION
We continue to need regular maintenance of catch basins. During heavy rainfall, flooding and ponding conditions are common at a number of heavily trafficked locations throughout the district.
We are also seeing more sewer back ups, especially on streets where new housing has been built. It appears that the sewer capacity is inadequate to accommodate our growing population.
Potholes and depressions continue to imperil traffic. The Departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection need to jointly inspect locations that frequently depress and eventually cave-in to identify the origin of the roadway condition and repair them in a timely fashion.
With the new housing construction, the volume of traffic is increasing. It is imperative that the Department of Transportation conduct a districtwide survey to determine locations for new traffic lights and All-way stop signs.
Some of our streets are dimly lit and create an atmosphere conducive to criminal activities. The intensity of our street lights need upgrading, especially underneath the elevated train lines along Broadway and Livonia Avenue, and along bus routes.
Truck traffic is increasing throughout the district. Residential blocks, instead of designated truck routes, are being used by 18-wheelers which are destroying our streets and creating congestion.
The Sutter Avenue, Livonia Avenue, and New Lots Avenue stations on the “L” line are elevated structures and are not accessible to the physically challenged. We are requesting that they be made handicap accessible.
We call upon the Metropolitan Transit Authority to appropriate needed funds to construct a connecting passageway between the “L” line and the IRT “3” at Junius Street and Livonia Avenue to enable commuters to freely transfer between the stations.
Extensive repairs are needed on the IRT-3 line stations. Sections of the stairway at the Rockaway Avenue Station have deteriorated and are endangering the safety of commuters. In addition, the Sutter Avenue, Saratoga Avenue, Rockaway Avenue, and Livonia Avenue stations need painting.
The Broadway Junction station, which has connections to 3 train lines and 5 bus lines, needs to be made handicap accessible. The station has a series of steps
that prevent the physically challenged from using the facility. We are encouraged by the study being conducted to ascertain methods to reduce the congestion of vehicles and pedestrians along Van Sinderen Avenue between Broadway and Fulton Street. We appeal to the agencies to follow through on its findings.
The East New York Station of the Long Island Railroad is in need of updating. Cameras are in place on the platforms and should also be placed in the tunnel connecting the stairwells leading to the service roads of Atlantic Avenue. The stairs on the eastern end of the westbound platform should be converted to a ramp to provide access to wheelchair-bound passengers. Train schedule information should also be placed on platform level for those who are unable to descend the stairs to the ticket booth.
SANITATION AND PEST CONTROL SERVICES
New housing construction is bringing new families to the community. We need more Sanitation personnel to pick up garbage and clean our streets.
Community District #16 continues to remain at the bottom for recycling. We need ongoing community outreach to educate our residents about the benefits of recycling.
Illegal dumping in vacant lots and on sidewalks in front of vacant buildings and lots continue to obstruct pedestrian traffic and create a nesting place for rodents. We need regular Sanitation Police patrol of chronic dumping locations to apprehend violators. We also need manpower and equipment to keep these areas clean.
Our schools and New York City Housing Authority buildings generate tons of garbage and they have limited storage space on site. Several locations have containerized service while others do not. Consequently, bags of garbage are placed on the sidewalks daily. We need daily pick up of this garbage.
We also need more bulk collections to prevent the dumping of household debris on sidewalks in front of vacant buildings and in vacant lots.
Large rats are attracted by garbage on our streets and in vacant
lots. Excavations for housing units are also unearthing them. We need Pest Control to bait these areas.
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL REVITALIZATION
Belmont Avenue, a once thriving four-block commercial strip between Rockaway Avenue and Mother Gaston Boulevard, has a number of vacant stores. We appeal to the owners of the these properties to market them at a reasonable rate to encourage entrepreneurs to come and provide goods and services to our community.
There are several undeveloped properties along the commercial strips of:
- Rockaway Avenue between East New York Avenue and Newport Street.
- Broadway between Saratoga Avenue and Eastern Parkway.
- Livonia Avenue between Mother Gaston Boulevard and Junius Street.
- Atlantic Avenue between Howard Avenue and Eastern Parkway.
- Fulton Street between Saratoga Avenue and Van Sinderen Avenue.
- Saratoga Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Eastern Parkway.
- Mother Gaston Boulevard between Pitkin and Sutter Avenues.
We appeal to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York City Economic Development Corporation to market City-owned parcels and work with private owners who are in need of financial assistance to develop their properties.
As our residential population increases, so does our need for banking services, quality supermarkets, meat markets, bakeries, dry cleaners, pharmacies, hardware stores, family restau¬rants, and clothing stores. We appeal to businesses to come into our community and request that tax incentives be given to developers to encourage their invest-ment.
We encourage the NYC Economic Development Corporation to continue marketing vacant parcels in the East New York In-Place Industrial Park to bring new businesses and employment opportunities to our community.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Statistics reflect a decrease in the major crime categories in the 73rd Precinct. However, unreported crimes and injuries from street justice continue to negatively impact on our community. Gun violence is an increasing problem. We need continued police presence on our streets, in the subways, and in our New York City Housing Authority buildings.
We have witnessed the positive effects that an impact zone has had in reducing crimes in our community. We encourage its continuation and expansion.
After hours and social clubs in basements on residential blocks continue to be a problem in the community as they generate loud noise and large crowds. These establishments need to be identified and property owners made to comply with noise, fire and building codes.
We are also seeing an increase in the number of illegal boarding houses, many of which have hazardous conditions and house a vulnerable population of single adults with mental illness and other disabilities. Many of these occupants are formerly homeless who come out of the City’s shelter system and prison facilities. They are least likely to complain about their living conditions for fear of losing this housing.
We need a coordinated effort involving the New York City Department of Homeless Services, the New York City Department of Buildings, the New York City Fire Department, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the New York State Department of Health to close down these illegal boarding houses which are endangering the lives of those who live in the buildings as well as adjacent property owners and their tenants.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Many people have lost their homes and ended up in shelters due to loss of a job or a medical emergency.
We need homeless prevention programs to assist those at risk of homelessness from losing affordable housing by linking them to needed resources such as job training, childcare, and substance abuse programs. Community-based social service agencies that can give these families the long-term support they need must receive sufficient funds to outreach to this population.
Many of our elderly and infirm adults who live alone need escort services to accompany them on shopping trips and medical appointments. They also need assistance with personal care, housekeeping, and financial management as they strive to live independently in their own homes.
We need continued funding of senior citizen centers which provide daily meals and socialization for many seniors who do not have the family support and would be left isolated in their homes.
HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Many of our residents are uninsured and underinsured. We need health insurance companies to continue their outreach in the community to enroll individuals and families in health plans.
We seek assistance for adults who are experiencing financial hardship due to escalating costs of prescription medication. Our senior citizens, in particular, are finding it most difficult to pay out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions.
A healthy diet is paramount to the well-being of an individual. We need nutrition education outreach in the commu¬nity to identify and assist persons who are not eating roperly and are at-risk of becoming obese and developing circulatory and respiratory conditions.
Asthma and diabetes are on the rise in our community and we need services to combat these health challenges.
Teenage pregnancy continues to be a major concern to us. We need programs to outreach to our adolescents and educate them about the consequences of engaging in premarital sex. We also need resources to identify and assist those in need of prenatal care. Infant mortality is one of the leading causes of death in our community.
There is also a need to expand obstetric, pediatric, geriatric, mental health, HIV and AIDS services.
SUMMARY
As our population increases, we must meet the community’s needs for police and fire protection, garbage collection and street cleaning, parks and playgrounds, day care centers and public schools, employment opportunities and other resources for a healthy community. Therefore, we call upon the City Administration to work with us and provide those services that we so desperately need.
We also encourage the private sector to come and do business in our community where there is a need for quality goods and services and employment opportunities.
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District Needs Statement
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How can I obtain minutes from past Board meetings?
See links below.
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2009 Minutes
Click below to download file. (Requires Adobe Reader or other PDF reader - go to www.Adobe.com to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.)
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2009 Minutes
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2008 Minutes
Click below to download file. (Requires Adobe Reader or other PDF reader - go to www.Adobe.com to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.)
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2008 Minutes
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2007 Minutes
Click below to download file. (Requires Adobe Reader or other PDF reader - go to www.Adobe.com to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.)
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2007 Minutes
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2006 Minutes
Click below to download file. (Requires Adobe Reader or other PDF reader - go to www.Adobe.com to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.)
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2006 Minutes
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