NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn Advises DHS & BRC Not To Move Forward With Plans For 25th Street Shelter While CFC Lawsuit is Pending.
On February 22, 2011, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn served the Bowery Residents' Committee, Inc. ("BRC") and Commissioner Seth Diamond of the New York City Department of Homeless Services ("DHS") with a letter regarding their proposal to operate a 328-bed homeless shelter, alcohol and drug detoxification and psychiatric treatment facility on West 25th Street in Chelsea. The Speaker's letter, available here, advised BRC and DHS that the proposed size of the facility is too large for our neighborhood. Speaker Quinn, referencing the lawsuit filed by the Coalition, noted that our claims create "a significant level of uncertainty about the future of this project." Accordingly, the Speaker advised that the "project [should] not move forward until the result of the lawsuit is clear," and that the public is owed the opportunity to review certain of the environmental studies that have yet to be completed. The Coalition agrees with and supports Speaker Quinn's position that "[a]nything less would be an attempt to subvert transparency."
First and foremost, the Coalition acknowledges with appreciation the efforts of the Speaker and her staff in reviewing and analyzing the various issues related to BRC's ill-conceived proposal. The Speaker's office has spent countless hours discussing these issues with individual members of the Coalition and its professional advisors.
We expect BRC and DHS to be guided by the Speaker's letter. The Coalition is prepared to provide the community with its day in court, ensuring that our voices are heard and that the City subjects this project to the legally required reviews and processes. The Speaker has done her part, and now it is time for the community to do its part. We ask that you make a donation as soon as possible using the guidelines below:
We ask that residents contribute at least $750 per bedroom and that commercial property owners contribute at least $1 per square foot. If you have not yet contributed, or if you have contributed less than the suggested amount, we ask that you contribute now. While this is undeniably a lot to ask during such difficult times, the economic and community changing consequences are far more severe if the 25th Street plans for a 328 bed psychiatric treatment, homeless shelter and substance abuse detoxification facility go through.
Finally, we direct your attention to BRC Executive Director Lawrence Rosenblatt's Letter to the Editor published in the February 23, 2011 edition of Chelsea Now. Rosenblatt, in an attempt to deflect attention from his efforts to subvert legally required processes, asks CFC to disclose to him the names of the members of the Coalition, and suggests that we are hiding behind our lawyers. We find his request and his accusation irrelevant and insulting. The Coalition is indeed represented by counsel, but we are not hiding behind our lawyers. The Speaker has met with members of the Coalition on a number of occasions, and her staff speaks with CFC members on an almost daily basis. The Coalition chooses to speak through our elected representatives and our professional advisors. Mr. Rosenblatt, in his letter, says "''shame' on the CFC for demanding transparency . . . ." We find nothing shameful about aligning ourselves with and taking positions consistent with those of the New York City Council Speaker.
|
