Defining CD12

Examine CD12's Geography of Race, Ethnicity and Class

The study of the linkage between minority households and factors such as housing constraint and segregation, or labor market opportunities and regional employment decentralization establish geographies of limited opportunity and mobility. People of Washington Heights and Inwood where do you go from here?

Early twentieth century housing policies encouraged defacto economic segregation. This contributed strongly to racial isolation, but also contributed to relatively successful economic clusters. Imbalances in wealth is a subject separate from establishing the capacity to create and protect it from the onset. However, since the 1990s changes leading to more successfully integrated (class/income/race) communities have been ongoing. There are two notable exceptions in Asian and Latino populations that require greater understanding and new policy. New York City is perhaps the most diverse city imaginable and because of this, the question of how language-based neighborhoods become more broadly functional in the larger society is a good question.

In effect, the process of “breaking out” from a localized economic model begins with families, small business formation, and remittances to home countries. The "economic multiplier" begins with the family. It involves extended social relationships that lead to savings clubs that can become credit unions and banks. Expanded reliance on the extended family helps to form structures of acknowledgement that become business partnerships. Cash sent home from wages or a business draws its capital from this capacity to internalize community development in “the family” and a neighborhood, but the policy point that needs to "sink in" is that both take a generation or two to develop and it requires being “left alone” and that it is self-imposed on many levels.

The publication of the “Newest New Yorker” series by the Department of City Planning, is evidence of the failure to move the dialogue beyond the obvious of who or where the "newest" live. The most recent wave of immigration (Hispanic, Latino and Asian) is born of civil law suits in the late 1960s that proved a pattern of discrimination in U.S. immigration policy. But this is the real point, the model of two to three generations of business and cultural development that re-builds places like the Lower East Side is now sliding into the world of myth. You can tell "bootstrap" stories. They would be true, but no one will believe them today -- must be myth.

The need to invent new forms of action research in places such as Washington Heights and Inwood is extraordinarily important in New York City. Here, over 80% of the population is Latino of which 70% is Dominican. This is important because we might bear witness to an enormous struggle to prevent a cultural disappearing act. The term Nos Quedamos defines this pressure as Project Remain and We Stay. The question must be what will remain of the Latino experience during a period of continuing household impoverishment, slow economic growth and declining real wages in Manhattan above 155th Street.

Enter Robert Putnam

The negative effects of localized social, economic and political diversity are overcome with a healthy sense of nationalism according to Robert Putnam’s highly disciplined research. This may be the case in general, but there are places that are “positioned” by more powerful social, economic, and political forces as containing “personas temporales” in Spanish or 临时人 in Chinese. In large cities such as New York, social solidarity allows strangers as the norm, in less diverse communities’, behaviors such as “sundown” towns become more likely. This positive/negative and jingoist/turncoat dichotomy is a two way street.

Concisely, Putnam’s recent half decade worth of research points to the global inevitability of diversity by pointing out its positives in a review of its negatives. His research has found that the more ethnically diverse the “neighborhood”, the less likely you are to trust your local storekeeper or dentist for that matter, regardless of his or her ethnicity. On the other hand the more ethnically diverse, the “city” the more likely you are to develop relationships that transcend the neighborhood’s social or ethnic sense of security as a product of internal social solidarity. Given the positive of an economic multiplier that secures wealth in the family and the neighborhood, then the negatives of diversity (not trusting those outside the family or neighborhood) are more likely overcome by establishing a base upon which negotiations and creative exchanges are possible.

Debate on these measures by research specialists from the Community Service Society and others would yield a set of variables such as cost burden, business ownership, and property control ratios, median and per capita wages; job access and reverse commute figures, linguistic isolation, and so on. These measures would be selected and built up to define neighborhoods that can and should be given time. Time to organize, identify strategies, and implement programs coordinated well enough to establish a powerful base for targeted improvements in an internalized capacity to control investment rates, protect tenants, and build businesses. The objective is to defend against resident and labor force displacement, whether or not it is compelled legally, illegally and otherwise. When the constituency sought is in effect, “new” every two to three years it is nearly impossible to accomplish these purposes. On the other side of this coin lies the possibility of well-known urban pathologies such as gang style resistance designed to “defend the block” from outsiders. These too are measures of grass-roots reaction to external threats that press down on the quality of life in the form of rapidly deteriorating building conditions, seasonal employment, and irrational, as well as, rational fear of immigration policies defined by “in or out” resident alien status that push people into a form of political invisibility.

The intellectual rigor of Putnam’s research team establishes strong controls for a wide range of factors such as poverty, residential mobility, and education to define measures of inequality. In a community such as Washington Heights and Inwood, Putnam’s term of “hunkering down” has value in its production of social solidarity. In the short term it provides a basis for increased diversity as a friendly force for building a modernizing society. Modernization is a proven asset for creative social exchange and economic growth. The central measure is therefore relatively blunt. In a place such as New York City it would be unlikely to hear vitriol in a “them and us” debate, complemented with demands to conform to “our” way of life. It is more subtle here, and wrapped up in an economic models used to define the higher and better use of real estate, especially in the form of housing. In this sense, neighborhoods such as Washington Heights and Inwood, can if supported in doing so, buy the time needed. The jargon used by Putnam defines a unique capacity to defend successfully against forces that would kill the formation of “bridging capital” that build group to group interdependence, neighborhood-to-city relationships and the “bonding capital” essential to healthy personal relationships.

Legal Services

Expanding Legal Services in Upper Manhattan to Serve Tenants

With the support of CUNY's Community Legal Resource Network, Columbia University and others, New York State Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat (D-72nd District) recently developed plans for the expansion of legal services in CD12. This is action is partly in response to an alleged scheme to defraud investors in Washington Heights & Inwood by real estate developers. The charges leading to arrests, focused on buildings owned by the Kingsland Group. (see links below)

Overall, the rising cost of housing in comparison to wages continues to press heavily on the economic well-being of Washington Heights and Inwood. Expanded legal services are part of a yearlong campaign initiated by Assemblyman Espaillat and Nos Quedamos/Project Remain in coordination with the City University of New York (CUNY), the City University of New York School of Law and the Community Legal Resource Network (CLRN) and Columbia University. The resulting policy recommendations call for free housing legal services Nos Quedamos. Services will be housed in the district office of Assemblyman Espaillat, 210 Sherman Avenue, New York, New York 10034, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tenants interested in making an appointment to speak with an Attorney must call:(212) 544-2278.

According to the Mortgage Fraud Blog (click here) The properties listed in the complaint associated with the Kingsland Group can be found at this link or for the original source see: FBI PDF Press Release of 07/30 by Michael J. GarciaUnited States Attorney - Southern District of New York go to this link U. S. Arrests Two in Fraud Scheme

Sherman Creek/Inwood

Watch Jamaica and Greenpoint Williamsburg for the “Gives and Takes”

Greenpoint Williamsburg Inclusionary Zoning

The zoning text change adopted by the Commission and the City Council includes a groundbreaking Inclusionary Housing program, reflecting recommendations made during the public review process. The recently expanded “General Exclusion Area” formerly limited to Manhattan makes the inclusion of affordable housing mandatory. See Summary
The program promotes affordable units in both rental and condominium developments, encourages preservation of existing affordable units, and targets affordable housing to a range of income levels. On the waterfront, sites zoned with a blend of R6 and R8 districts would have a base FAR of 3.7 (reduced from 4.3 FAR in the original application), with a bonus up to 4.7 FAR for the provision of at least 20 percent affordable housing. Modifications also reduce by 20 feet the maximum permitted heights in R8 districts for buildings not using the bonus.

A bonus for providing affordable housing would also be available in upland portions of the rezoning area, where bonus floor area would be accommodated within contextual height limits. Modifications reduce the maximum FAR permitted without the Inclusionary Housing bonus in R6 districts on wide streets and R6A districts from 3.0 to 2.7, and in R7A districts from 4.0 to 3.45.

Both on the waterfront and upland developments could satisfy the affordable housing requirement by developing affordable units on-site or off-site, or by acquiring and preserving existing housing at affordable rents. Coupled with use of various HPD, HDC, and HFA finance programs, and the city's commitment to developing affordable housing on publicly controlled sites, this Inclusionary Housing Program produces incentives for the development and preservation of affordable housing in Greenpoint-Williamsburg.

Mitigating Displacement

Recognizing that not all change is for “the good” NYC/HPD circulated an RFP aimed at local CD1 nonprofit service providers. A coalition of CD1 community organizations led by the North Brooklyn Development Corporation submitted a response and requested the sum of $2M (as recommended by the City in the RFP) for implementation of services over two years.
In anticipation of zoning changes, CB12 should also encourage a multi-agency task force to develop a strategy for providing similar services in a greatly needed area of the city. These services are:

1. Identify at risk and potentially at risk
   residential tenants residing in each census tract of CD12


2. Provide education on legal rights and on new Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)
   Anti harassment provisions


3. Provide information and counseling on available, affordable housing opportunities


4. Provide limited relevant legal consultation services
   
   Implementation should begin in CD12 now, however, the certification of the ULURP for the Sherman Creek/Inwood zoning change should not be expected prior to the Fall of 2007 with completion about seven month following (perhaps May 2008) for submission to the NYC Planning Commission and finally for a vote by the City Council.
   

Examine Jamaica Changes

The time to research the “gives and the takes” of stimulating investment through zoning changes is now. In brief, DCP City certified the rezoning plan in early February 2007, thus beginning the ULURP (say seven months). The Mayor assured all that objections would be considered and resolved.
Objections/Issues: See: Jamaica DEIS: Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Queens CB12, voted down parts of the plan May 2007. Apprehension about density and traffic in the Jamaica DEIS speaks to issues in CD12. Queens CB8 is also affected and voted down the entire plan. To top it all, the city also suggested eminent domain as a tool to acquire property near the transit hub. Seems a test of Kelo is in the works if anyone wants to take it that far. The City Planning Commission will vote on the plan in the fall, and approve it in the name of growth, but then it goes to the City Council, where the real argument starts with a conclusion by September 2007. For a view on the pro side, see: http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/crd.htm

Neighborhood Plan and Land Use Study (N:PLUS)
To see drafts in discussion go to: http://www.cd12-plan.net/. The following tables from the N:PLUS report from Housing Section. CCAC expects to close the process in March 2007.

The New York City Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) began as a modest consortium of banks organized to make mortgage loans for the rehabilitation of apartment buildings in a risk pool. From 1975 to 1985, the CPC provided $61.8 million in rehabilitation financing for 155 buildings in Washington Heights. Today about 80 banks and insurance companies are involved as sponsors. Since its founding in 1974 CPC has financed more than 120,000 affordable housing units, investing over $5 billion. The point made here: CPC needs to do this again for new ten-year commitment and comparable financing of roughly $320 million.

The housing stabilization achieved in Washington Heights through the loans and improvements to occupied buildings included rent restructuring and stabilization to make the financings possible. It brought the area to the point where projects without substantial subsidies, incentives, and benefits were included in the mix. Just 30 years later, the moderate rehabilitation question becomes an important part of this community’s history once again. Is the same partnership available today? Can new or equally effective programs bring the level of financial restructuring expertise to a community that continues to need it?

To establish a sense of the geographic distribution buildings with a significant number of violations are mapped with violations over 200 and over 500. The total comes to 246 buildings with serious violations based on HPD Anti-Abandonment Unit figures. Furthermore, the 2000 Census finds Upper Manhattan’s housing to be in worse condition when compared to neighborhoods throughout New York City. [i]

Effective housing policy starts with a sense of on-the-ground opportunity for development and preservation. The land use/building condition survey, combined with review of data on building type, age, housing violations, incomes and “rent-burden” yielded the following overall observations on the prospects for preserving housing affordability in CD12.

CD12 maintains a high-grade housing stock that is physically capable of withstanding the stress of rehabilitation. The extensive bulk (square feet) makes replacement unlikely, given the current zoning. In effect, the 1961 zoning to R7-2 for most of the district was a down zone.

The rise in building code violations and complaint over the last five years is alarming. The issues are the quality of maintenance and management of the existing stock--and maintaining it as affordable.

The pre-war housing stock provides large and flexible apartment layouts that facilitate extended family, family friend, and guest living arrangements. Shared costs from food to rent, to childcare and small business development are effective means to survival that promote savings and the eventual building up of investment capital. CD12’s dense but flexible and affordable housing stock is therefore a wellspring for the social and economic success of newcomers.

The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) measures the cost of operating a multi-unit apartment building in significant detail. As the decisions are now critical, an independent review of methods is long overdue. Nevertheless, a growing share of households (about 25%) experiences a severe rent burden[ii] in CD12. A key to preservation will be strong
efforts to bring income up either directly, or through income supplements such as food stamps, expanded rent subsidies, and 100% utilization of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Advocate for methods to reduce the margin of cost to profit (or investor risk) by turning to rehabilitation as a source of sustainable affordable housing. This policy is daunting only for the fact that renovation is less predictable than new construction. Often a gap exists between the costs of renovation and the resources available to finance renovation. Strict
building codes may impose additional costs by requiring new construction building standards. Other regulatory barriers that may make a project complicated include historic preservation regulations, environmental clearance, access provisions, citizen opposition, and conflicting codes - such as building code vs. fire code, making approval processes lengthy.

For years, the public market defined housing affordability as a charitable function within a competitive market. The cost of privately rented housing moves upward based on competition in the market and changes in operating costs and regulatory practices including the expiration of incentives. On the other hand, the rent of other affordable housing that is embedded in the private stock will continue to move up based on the ability of the household to pay up to a point, beyond which it becomes unadvisable.

Let us be clear, a person earning $125,000 would pay $3,000 a month using the 30% of income as the housing affordability figure. But, he knows he can shop for a wide range of vacant, readily available apartments in Manhattan’s upper income market at $2,500. Opting for “affordable housing privileges” is not in his financial interest. The point is there are many neighborhoods where the market serves us well. But it is also a force that goes against the idea that we can all live together in that neighborhood (such as in CD12) with dignity regardless of our income. Imagine the reverse: 60% to 80% of the housing units are “means tested”, but it is built attractive enough to attract 20% to 40% eager to pay whatever the market would demand.

N: PLUS Alegría de Vida Project

Washington Heights and Inwood Community Board will monitor Columbia University’s Westside ambitions, define its personal version of New York’s affordable housing crisis, and nervously seek zoning protections through Inclusionary Zoning and Quality Housing Programs. All of this will be found in the formal release of a 300 page description dubbed, N:PLUS released in April 2007.

N:PLUS stands for Neighborhood Planning and Land Use Study. Its authors define it as a report to the community. While large in total, N:PLUS is designed as digital baseline. It seeks to attract a constituency for planning. It seeks the creation of a more lively board, one more interested in a new urban vision and “vida” than the bogged down drudgery of being the first rung on the public process ladder. This board wants to shred the sinking feeling that a con is in play all of the time. True or not, it is still a feeling. Having their own plan will, if nothing else, produce a basis for comparisons.

Based on research completed to date, the report makes thirty recommendations and describes eighteen “best practices” most useful to a volunteer group of community members. That is what is on the table now, but the digital component is busy seeking challenges to its own report. The facts are friendly; it is what they mean that creates dissemblers in the debate.

The board has a skeleton staff of three and a barebones budget of $200,000 the majority of which goes for meeting space, baseline operations, and the salary and benefits of its District Manager. This budget is the lowest per capita in the city.

From the viewpoint of Washington Heights or Inwood, Columbia University may seem too far away. How could changes all the way down past City College into the 120s produce problems this far uptown? This area is 155th Street through the 200s, so perhaps, the community is right. Columbia’s relationship with the residential community’s of Morningside and Hamilton Heights, Hamilton Grange, Manhattanville and even St. Nicholas Terrace is a more like symbol of bad PR than a tangible threat. Then again, Columbia did drop its name from the 8 million square foot medical complex now modestly marketed as New York Presbyterian Hospital. The supposition has therefore become “better safe than sorry” in serving what some are now calling “upstate” Manhattan.


[i] The 2000 Census measures affordability and quality: (1) lacking complete plumbing facilities, (2) lacking complete kitchen facilities, (3) with 1.01 or more occupants per room, (4) selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income in 1999 greater than 30 percent, and (5) gross rent as a percentage of household income in 1999 greater than 30 percent.

[ii] On the rental side of the market, affordability pressures clearly grew. The median monthly contract rent increased from $831 to $900 (after adjusting for inflation), and the median share of income spent on rent by New York City renters (the median rent burden) rose from 28.6 percent in 2002 to 31.2 percent in 2005. These numbers suggest that rents represent a significant strain for many households, especially those at the low end of the income spectrum who are not fortunate enough to live in subsidized housing. Among unsubsidized, low-income renters, the median share of income spent on rent rose to over 50 percent in 2005, up from 43.9 percent in 2002. Surprisingly, perhaps, the share of unsubsidized, low-income renter households that live in severely crowded housing actually fell during this period from 5.3 percent in 2002 to 4.8 percent in 2005. (State of City 2005, Furman Center)

What is this?

Why Plan for CD12 Washington Heights and Inwood?

Examine Washington Heights and Inwood as part of a Working Group.

The community district board communicates issues and concerns to the city’s major agencies and service providers. In this it is effective.

Less well known, is its ability to produce systemic change.

The City College Architecture Center recently produced a research project for Community Board 12. A set of maps show places, but a set of database backed geographic information system images (GIS) can show how property is developing in CD12 now and into the future.

It is an evaluation tool for urban design, community planning and of course, real estate investment analysis. For the purpose of community-based planning and research this resource is use to define two crucial community values.

• The first is to discover and encourage development for economic growth and;
• The second is to provide the community with what it needs today, as it is today.

The first value is easy, let the private sector do what it does to grow, the second one on on the other hand is more difficult as business growth and our personal or community development are not as compatible as we would prefer.

So Why Plan? Why a Working Group?

1. Planning produces ideas that can turn what you think is probable or possible into what is preferred.
2. From these visions, an effective and timely response to a central question is made: What is important now?
3. Producing public energy for planning makes solving today’s problems today possible.
   

A place for this and all of the information needed has begun to develop. Go to www.cd12-plan.net has all of the heavy docs. Monitor, don't download yet, and get back to us using this web resource and this blog CD12

Many subjects are possible to develop on on the change in zoning for Inwood has begun with very short descriptions of all the "Special Districts" developed in New York City over the years. Comments are sought so have a look at CD12-Special District Debate.

In closing, something that Margaret Mead said is useful now. "Never doubt that small groups of people change the world. It is the only way it ever has..."