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COURIER LIFE, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019
MENCHACA FLEES TOWN HALL
Councilman shouted down by locals after outlining plan to approve Industry City rezoning
BY ROSE ADAMS
Councilman Carlos
Menchaca fl ed a town hall
meeting Monday in the
face of outraged constituents,
who booed the legislator
for offering to support
a controversial zcheme to
rezone Industry City if executives
bowed to a list of
demands, and the Mayor’s
offi ce promised to invest
in the community.
Industry City is seeking
city permission to embark
on a 12-year, $1 billion redevelopment
of its sprawling
manufacturing and
retail campus. The expansion
would add 1.45 million
square feet of space, two
hotels, department stores,
and educational buildings
to the 35-acre complex, but
is currently prohibited under
existing zoning regulations.
Local activists strongly
oppose the project, which
they fear would spur gentrifi
cation and displacement
of the surrounding
Latino and Asian communities,
while supporters
claim that the move could
bring needed jobs and economic
renewal.
Menchaca — whose
vote as the local representative
will sway City Council
to either approve or
reject Industry City’s application
— tried to strike
a middle ground during
Monday’s meeting at Sunset
Park High School. The
Councilman argued that,
while Industry City’s redevelopment
may displace locals,
the land-use-approval
process gives residents an
opportunity to set rules for
the manufacturing complex.
But the legislator’s argument
REJECTED: Councilman Menchaca announced that he will reject Industry City’s rezoning application unless developers acquiese to his demands and the Mayor’s offi ce
invests in the community. Industry City
soundly failed to
sway his constituents, who
waved signs saying ‘No concessions!”
and repeatedly
drowned out Menchaca’s
calls for compromise in a
chorus of boos and chants,
which prompted the legislator
to fl ee the packed auditorium.
And so, Menchaca released
his list of demands
in a statement after the
meeting. They include:
• Eliminating hotels
from the application
• Reducing the amount
of new retail space
• Providing space for a
non-profi t manufacturing
business
• Creating a public technical
high school
• Providing job training
programs for locals
• Offering educational
programs on tenants’
rights
• Funding for affordable
housing
• Providing free lawyers
for residents in Housing
Court
Menchaca added that
he would pass the rezoning
only if the Mayor’s offi ce
commits in writing to provide
funding for the high
school, affordable housing,
and tenant programs,
in addition to forming a
community association to
oversee spending and sign
a contract that would cement
the agreement.
The councilman unveiled
his list of demands
after rejecting a rezoning
application Industry
City submitted in February,
only to later pull it after
Menchaca promised to
kill the proposal if executives
didn’t give him six
months to mull it over. He
now wants Industry City
to conform their next application
to refl ect his
demands, as opposed to
working them in during
the city’s roughly yearlong
public-review process.
Activists responded to
the legislator’s tacit support
with outrage, claiming
that Menchaca’s conditional
acceptance of the
rezoning goes against the
will of his constituents,
who want him to reject the
proposal outright.
“Tonight, Menchaca
confi rmed he doesn’t stand
with the more than 4,000
residents who signed our
petition demanding he reject
the rezoning with no
concessions,” said Colleen
Peabody-Diez, a local activist.
“The Council Member
has aligned himself with
rich developers rather
than the community.”
Menchaca claimed that
he understands the activists’
concerns, and decided
to leave the Monday’s meeting
so that he didn’t have
to speak over them.
“I was not able to fi nish
the presentation, and that
is okay,” he said in a statement.
“It was completely
understandable that many
of my neighbors who are
anxious, excited, fearful,
or angry about what Industry
City has and hasn’t
done would want to make
me aware of those feelings
and make sure I got it.”
The future of the rezoning
application, he added,
is now in its developers’
hands.
“The ball is in Industry
City’s court about whether
we can partner in a way
that benefi ts everyone,”
said Mechaca, who added
that he plans to send a letter
about his recommendation
on Tuesday, and
he expects a response by
Thursday.
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