On January 27, 2021, DID membership approved a Resolution to support the Chinatown Working Group Plan.
The following letter was included with the resolution:
January 27, 2021
Hon. Bill de Blasio |
Hon. Margaret Chin |
Hon. Carlina Rivera |
Hon. Corey Johnson |
Hon. Gale Brewer |
Dear Mayor de Blasio, Council Members Chin and Rivera, Speaker Johnson, and BP Brewer,
Enclosed please find a Resolution approved by Downtown Independent Democrats General Membership on January 27, 2021:
In Support of the Chinatown Working Group Plan for Chinatown and the LES
The current zoning and zoning plans for Chinatown and the Lower East Side fail to meet community needs. These laws displace long-time residents via real-estate speculation, increase taxes on small businesses and tenants, and fail to nurture the historical and cultural character of the neighborhoods.
The Chinatown Working Group Plan is a community-led framework to stop displacement of tenants, workers, and small businesses; to expand affordable housing; to protect the diverse neighborhoods of Chinatown and the Lower East Side; and to prevent rezonings of one neighborhood at the expense of another, as happened with the 2008 East Village rezoning.
DID endorses the Chinatown Working Group Plan, and intends to join the CWG as a member organization.
DID urges the City Council and Mayor to support the CWG Plan, support the updating process, move forward with an Environmental Impact Study, and implement the updated Plan.
Sincerely,
Richard Corman
President, Downtown Independent Democrats
Enclosure
cc: Hon. Jumaane Williams, NYC Public Advocate Hon. Scott Stringer, NYC Comptroller Hon. Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator Hon. Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator Hon. Carolyn Maloney, U.S. Representative Hon. Jerrold L. Nadler, U.S. Representative Hon. Nydia Velázquez, U.S. Representative Hon. Andrew Cuomo, NYS Governor Hon. Carl Heastie, NYS Assembly Speaker |
Hon. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NYS Sen. Leader Hon. Brad Hoylman, NY State Senator Hon. Brian Kavanagh, NY State Senator Hon. Harvey Epstein, NY State Assembly Hon. Deborah J. Glick, NY State Assembly Hon. Yuh-Line Niou, NY State Assembly Tammy Meltzer, Chair, Manhattan Community Board 1 Carter Booth, Chair, Manhattan Community Board 2 Alysha Lewis-Coleman, Chair, Manhattan CB 3 |