CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF NEW YORK

IN THE MATTER OF THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING
OF THE
PERMITS, DISPOSITIONS AND CONCESSIONS
SUBCOMMITTEE

CITY HALL
NEW YORK, NEW YORK

DECEMBER 6, 1995
AT 1:22 P.M.

COUNCIL MEMBER C. VIRGINIA FIELDS, CHAIRPERSON

APPEARANCES:

COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ENOCH WILLIAMS
JEROME X. O'DONOVAN
WALTER McCAFFREY
ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, IV

COUNCIL MEMBER C. VIRGINIA FIELDS. CHAIRPERSON, SUBCOMMITTEE ON PERMITS, DISPOSITIONS AND CONCESSIONS: Good afternoon. The Subcommittee on Permits, Dispositions and Concessions is hereby called to order. . . .

L.U. 768, will be voted on today; the address is 156 Rivington Street, 161 Allen Street in Manhattan, and that is property under the Enterprise Round 7 Harmony Houses. That is a property where a hearing was held at the last Subcommittee meeting.

I understand that a number of people have signed up, but there will not be another public hearing on this item today.

The Subcommittee will vote on it, but there will not be a public hearing on it, and I recognize as I said, there are a number of persons who have signed up, but the public hearing was held on this at the last meeting.

It was duly publicized and duly noted, and it was made known that the public hearing would not be held despite the fact that some persons, new individuals have come to speak today. But there will be a vote taken. . . .

Before I ask the Clerk to call the Roll, the Chair would just like to make a brief comment on L.U. Number 768 for the Members of the Subcommittee.

As you recall, this item was brought before the Subcommittee last meeting, and it was laid over because there was some very compelling testimony presented by some of the members present from the organization, ABC No Rio, and it was the Chair's opinion that in light of the issues that had been raised, it did warrant further discussion and review by the Chair and Subcommittee.

And the information that had been made available points out that I guess there have been a number of meetings on many different levels surrounding this project. Meetings have taken place between the Council Member of that district, Kathryn Freed and the Manhattan Borough President and as well as discussions with AAFE, the group that is seeking to develop the area of the project that is under question.

And the purpose of the meetings based on information that AAFE made available to the Chair, was to obtain whether or not it was feasible that ABC No Rio which currently occupies that space to rent the ground floor space at 156 Rivington Street once it's rehabilitated by presumably the developer, AAFE.

And, this is a discussion that continues to take place between the organization and AAFE as opposed to HPD. But, it is understood that an offer -- well, I don't want to say an offer. I don't want to mis-characterize the discussions as I understand them, but that ABC No Rio continues to be on a month-to-month lease.

Discussions are ongoing in an effort to try to provide rented space after redevelopment, but one of the mandates, and if this is incorrect, the Chair will allow Joe Rosenberg to testify, but it is, as I understand it, up to HPD to relocate businesses that might come under one of its programs.

So I believe in view of the fact that we are talking about two buildings here and it is very clear that the program would not be financially feasible to do it if one of the buildings is taken out. So we are faced with a situation that if we take one building out, that terminates the program.

On the other hand, we want to make sure that groups that are in place have an opportunity to continue to be assited with another place to relocate if there is a need to relocate, and that is what the discussion that continues to go on is about, and I'm hopeful that tey will be able to resolve it.

And, I did indicate something that was incorrect and as I said before, I'll allow Joe Rosenberg to correct me only on that point.

MR. JOE ROSENBERG: Thank you, Council Member Fields. I am Joe Rosenberg, and I'm the Assistant Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs for HPD.

The dealings with commercial tenants regarding relocation is done as a courtesy from HPD. It's not something that we are required to do by law.

In this instance, we dealt with trying to accomodate the group that was in possession of the month-to-month lease by showing them alternative premises, but it's done as a courtesy on a policy level.

COUNCIL MEMBER FIELDS: And this courtesy has been extended to continue to work with ABC No Rio?

MR. ROSENBERG: It was done while they were tenants. Right now, the discussion dealing with whether they remain in the premises is between AAFE and ABC No Rio, which is what you indicated.

COUNCIL MEMBER FIELDS: And AAFE has reached, based on a correspondence from HPD, has affirmed that it can rent the aforementioned, but these are discussions that will continue between AAFE and ABC No Rio?

MR. ROSENBERG: Yes.

COUNCIL MEMBER FIELDS: That's the response given to the Chair on this issue. Are there any questions?

COUNCIL MEMBER ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, IV: Madam Chair, if I may, I have a Contracts Committee meeting across the room, and I was told they have to vote and I have to excuse myself. Would you like me to come back and vote?

COUNCIL MEMBER FIELDS: No, we are about to vote.

COUNCIL MEMBER POWELL: If there are no objections, I would like to be recorded aye on all matters.

COUNCIL MEMBER FIELDS: If there are no questions--where is the clerk?

Based on the information, while I just received a note since then, the note simply says that appropriate space was offered, but again based on the information that was submitted, it is the belief of the Chair that there is an opportunity to work through this and that some offers are on the table.

Recognizing that as we take the vote today, that the discussions still continue with that, the Chair recommends an aye vote on the items before the Subcommitee. Carol, will you please continue to call the Roll?

MS. CAROL SHINE, COUNSEL TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE: Council Member Fields?

COUNCIL MEMBER FIELDS: Aye.

MS. SHINE: Council member Williams?

COUNCIL MEMBER ENOCH WILLIAMS: Aye.

MS. SHINE: Council Member O'Donovan?

COUNCIL MEMBER JEROME X. O'DONOVAN: Aye.

MS. SHINE: Council Member McCaffrey?

COUNCIL MEMBER WALTER MCCAFFREY: Aye.

MS. SHINE: By a vote of five in the affirmative, none in the negative and no abstentions, all of the enumerated matters are approved and referred to the Full Land Use Committee.


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