575 Fifth Avenue Update
From Michele de la Uz, Fifth Avenue Committee, [email protected]
Thank you to everyone who attended last Wednesday’s marathon hearing at the City Planning Commission to testify in support of FAC’s proposed 575 5th Avenue project and thank you to all who submitted testimony as well!
More than 70 supporters were in attendance, including a large number of neighbors close to the project, many of whom were able to stay to testify despite the fact that the Commission moved the hearing to later in the day (we were there until 3:30 pm!) to try to accommodate the large number of people in attendance. A smaller number of people at the hearing also spoke against the project either because they wanted to maintain parking, because they believed that having a building with individuals earning less than $30,000 annually and individuals living with mental illness was not something they welcomed in their community, or because they still had outstanding questions about the project.
Hearing the heartfelt and informed testimony of the vast majority of area residents, local leaders, social service providers, city-wide advocates and our elected officials, and 551 Warren Street residents, their family members, and neighbors in support of the proposed project certainly helped to restore my faith in humanity! As one supporter stated at the hearing; “I want to teach my child to not judge people based on the color of their skin, their income or their medical history.”
The past few weeks have been challenging. A campaign of fear and misinformation has been waged which has been extremely counterproductive to a healthy community dialogue about what this proposed project is and who its future residents really are. I remain hopeful that through FAC’s continued outreach and as a result of our commitment to involve the community through the Community Advisory Board (CAB) will be able to assuage the fears and address the concerns of those that maintain an open mind about the proposed project and its future residents.
At our open house last Thursday at 551 Warren Street (the third we’ve held in the last three months), a vocal opponent of the project attended (the only person in opposition to the proposed project who has actually accepted any of our four invitations to come to FAC’s existing supportive housing building) and she walked away saying; “The people that are against this project really need to come see this place. It is not what they think.” This comment epitomizes an important point that FAC has been emphasizing. What people’s worst fears are, and what affordable, supportive housing and its residents are truly like are two very different things.
Supportive housing works on many levels including; 1) the individual level because folks are able to live with dignity in a permanent, affordable apartment; 2) for the tax payer who has invested their tax dollar more effectively toward a permanent solution to the affordable housing crisis and to end homelessness; 3) for the community whose property values and public safety are either not affected or actually improve as a result of supportive housing; and 4) for the policy makers and advocates who are seeking replicable models that balance a multitude of needs. It works because it’s based on an integrated tenancy model – much like the buildings we live in with our families and friends – older folks living with the younger generation, and those living with mental illness or who are physically disabled living with those that are not. It also works because it is a model that provides quality housing with the skilled social service support necessary to help everyone in the building live as independently as possible while also providing a safety net should the need arise.
At last week’s City Planning Commission Hearing, FAC, with your help, sent a clear message that the proposed 49 studio apartments with on-site social services at 575 5th Avenue will meet an urgent and existing need in the community for affordable, supportive housing. FAC and our social service partner, Center for Urban Community Services, also conveyed that we have the experience and knowledge to ensure that the project will benefit both the individuals who will live there and the community at large.
Though the City Planning Commission has until late May to vote, we anticipate that they may make their determination by April 24th, 2007. If you haven’t submitted testimony, you still can by going to: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildcp.html
– you will need to indicate that you are writing about 575 5th Avenue’s ULURP application # C070262 HAK.
Assuming that we receive a positive vote by the City Planning Commission as part of the project’s ULURP application, we will then be scheduled for a hearing at the land use committee of the City Council. We will share information about the date and time of this hearing as it becomes available.
Please contact me for the nomination form for the project’s Community Advisory Board (CAB). FAC will be honoring Community Board 7’s recommendation regarding make-up of the Community Advisory Board and we are seeking nominations from local residents and businesses as well as from organization’s likely to refer individuals to the proposed project. Nominations are due by May 15, 2007.
Thank you for your continued support. Your clear voices of reason and compassion have been inspirational. You have truly made a profound impact on FAC’s efforts to provide decent, affordable housing for all residents in our community.
Michelle