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hearing section of the meeting with the presentation on Reed Properties’ plans to build 70 percent market rate, 30 percent affordable and senior housing on the dormant site in Bushwick. The former brewery is located on land in northwest Bushwick in the vicinity of Forrest and Bremen streets. The developer, Reed properties will oversee building on the site, but Klein said the company has agreed to keep the community informed at each stage. Reed donated six lots of land to local non-profits Churches United For Fair Housing and Los Sures “with the stipulation that low income housing is developed at the site.” Los Sures Director of Communications Thomas Servello said. Reed Properties is also working with Los Sures to include social services for tenants in the new housing. Reed will use most of the land to build towers with over 1,000 apartments, and Los Sures and Churches United For Fair Housing will oversee the social services components. Reed began working with Los Sures and Churches United for Fair Housing based on the community desire that local not for profits become involved in the affordable housing developments in the bushwick area, Servello said. Rob Solano, the executive director of Churches United For Affordable Housing addressed the meeting and said the general goal of his organization, both globally and specifically related to this project is advocating for “an affordable housing component (in Bushwick).” Concerning the Rheingold project, the goal remains the same. “Our number one focus is affordable housing,” he said. “If you were here for the bad times and stayed when things got better, there should be a place for you (in Bushwick), he added. When the project was first proposed, an 80/20 market-rate, affordable ratio was planned, but members of Community Board 4 and activists from the Northwest Bushwick Community Group wanted 30 percent reserved affordable. Solano explained how many one and two-bedroom apartments are planned, and told the meeting that as part of NYC Community Preference Requirements for housing, “50 percent of (the) affordable units have to go to residents of Community Board 4.” Solano said 10 percent, or 88 units are reserved for seniors, and added, “(this is) the real cake on the entire project.” The senior housing component will also include a community space on the ground level, and social services on-site to assist tenants. Brandy Moreno of Los Sures addressed the meeting as well. She believes her organization, which will oversee pre-development and construction activities at the site is a good fit for the project “We really have a strong legacy of building housing in Bushwick,” she said. “It’s a two year process and right now we’re just working on beginning.” Los Sures, founded in 1972 on the south side of Williamsburg, “has developed 5000 units of affordable housing,” in north Brooklyn, Servello said. In addition, the organization is “among the leading groups fighting against displacement of local residents in the face of aggressive gentrification practices by private landlords, corporations and government,” he added. The background of the development on the site has included much community input, including a Comprehensive Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP), several town hall meetings, a community advisory committee that included Board 4 members and northwestern Bushwick activists, outreach efforts and a full vote by Board 4 last July. Klein told Board 4 last Wednesday night that the work will be completed in four phases, and that he is currently “focused on fasttracking phases one and two along land bordered by Bushwick Avenue and Stanwix and Montieth streets.“ Solano and Churches United For Fair Housing will help prepare prospective tenants seeking one of the affordable units for interviews, help them fill out applications so that they can get an apartment in the development. “The worst feeling is when you get an interview and don’t get it,” Solano said. Churches united believes very strongly in working to help seniors and moderate income residents remain in Bushwick, though rents are rising steadily and many can no longer afford to stay. “We came to you months ago and said we are serious about senior housing. From our minds, we are not local non-profits, we are Bushwick, Solano said. “Emotionally this is our land.” Leah Archibald the executive director of the East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Development Corporation, spoke about preserving manufacturing jobs. Residential rezoning and largescale housing development, “it’s a use that drives out manufacturing jobs,” she said. Though the brewery has long since been closed, the site will include retail space on the ground level, reserved for local businesses that do not exceed 20,000 square feet, unless for a supermarket or freshfoods store. Following several speakers, local activist Bridget Blood read aloud a statement she wrote regarding the site specifically, and Bushwick development generally. “As a community, we should ask ourselves what would it mean for us to benefit from large scale luxury development?And what does it mean to lose industrial space?” she said. “Thirty percent affordable units still means 70 percent luxury units and the market forces that go with them. Not to mention that the affordable units are way out of reach for many of us.” Community Board 4 Chairperson Julie Dent believes “it’s very important for us to know what is going on in the community and that everyone understands the process along the way.” She wants the people of Bushwick to be involved and informed. “If there is something you don’t understand, you have the right to ask questions,” she added. In her statement, Blood was critical of the ULURP process, calling it “alienating for all. Even the most community minded of residents.” She praised Board 4 for holding the developer accountable to the community, but feels the process should be altered to include more community input. “Creating market rate and above market rate development in low income neighborhoods brings with it many negative impacts for longstanding residents,” she said. “This type of rezoning and luxury development must hold developers accountable to their true impact. Currently this ULURP process and this development fail us.” Brooklyn Community Board 4 generally meets on the third Wednesday each month at 6 p.m. at the Hope Gardens Senior Center, located at 195 Linden St. in Bushwick. For more information, call 1-718-628-8400. TIMES, THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014 • 28 Board 4 Gets Rheingold Development Update -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- Phone Scammer Is Cuffed allegedly visited the location soon after the wire transfer was made and received funds under Jason Ortiz’s name. Hours after the family complied with the suspect’s request, the criminal complaint noted, Cruz allegedly contacted them a second time and ordered that additional funds be wired to the name David Ortiz at a Pay-O-Matic branch on Saratoga Avenue in Ocean Hill. As in the first instance, authorities said, he reportedly threatened to kill a relative. Shortly after the victims wired the second amount of money, authorities Water Rate Hike Is Approved gallons of water per day, accounting for about 25 percent of all singlefamily homes in the city. As previously reported in the Times Newsweekly, the DEP reduced the rate hike through a number of cost-cutting measures including refinancing its debt and eliminating or deferring multi-billion projects mandated by the federal and/or state governments. The Water Board also approved a host of programs designed by the DEP to assist those struggling to make their water bill payments, including the following: • a low-income assistance program funded by the city to identify homeowners eligible to receive an annual credit on their bills; • expanding the Leak Notification Program—in which the DEP, through its Automated Water Readers (AMR), alerts customers to sudden spikes in water usage—to allow partial forgiveness of leak-related charges to customers who fix a leaky toilet, faucet or other maintainable fixture within 60 days of receiving an abnormally high bill; • extending the deadline for customers to appeal their water bills to the Water Board from 30 to 60 days; • suspending the lien sale process for customers whose appeal of an outstanding water bill is pending; and • suspending interest for 90 days for customers who receive a “catchup” bill after the installation of AMR on their property. For more information on the rate hike, visit www.nyc.gov/dep or call 311. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- Katz Approves R’wood Rezoning came with the condition that the developers reserve a number of the units as designated affordable housing. Last month, Community Board 5 recommended approval of the plan following weeks of debate on the matter. While some residents welcomed the rezoning plan as a way to improve the surrounding neighborhood, others were concerned the new construction would drive up rents and deprive the city of space to develop new businesses. In her recommendation, Katz stated the plan “would be an improvement in this particular area of Ridgewood,” but expressed concern about affordability for the proposed apartment house. The owners of 176 Woodward Ave. said the building would be rent stabilized for a time since they would receive a state property tax abatement for 15 years. Accordingly, rents would only increase based on a percentage agreed upon by the city’s Rent Stabilization Board. “Rent stabilization does offer a more predictable rent and future increases,” Katz wrote last Friday. “However, even at rent stabilized rates, some of this housing will still be out of reach for current local residents of that part of Ridgewood.” Katz requested that “some number of the apartments built as a result of this rezoning should be made available at a rate comparable to current area rents,” generally at 60 percent of the area median income. “This would give area neighborhood sic residents a chance to afford to live in the apartments,” the borough president concluded. She also requested that the City Planning Commission and City Council consider new commercial overlay zoning for the district to allow for greater business development. The City Planning Commission and City Council could approve the rezoning plan within the next 120 days. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 1- said, Cruz was allegedly seen entering the Ocean Hill Pay-O-Matic branch and obtaining funds, using the alias David Ortiz. Following an investigation, Cruz was tracked down last Thursday and taken into custody by P.O. Ronald Scrimenti of the 104th Precinct Detective Squad. He was charged with second- and fourth-degree grand larceny, first- and second-degree coercion, petit larceny and harassment. Court records noted Cruz was arraigned in Kings County Criminal Court last Friday, May 23, and ordered held on $15,000 bail. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 1- If You See Breaking News On Your Block... Contact The Times Newsweekly Call 1-718-821-7500 Email info@timesnewsweekly.com


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