Testimony in opposition to the Water Street Upgrades Text Amendment – N 160166 ZRM

To: Council Member Chin
cc’d: The Broadsheet 

Dear Council Member Chin,

As a Peck Slip School parent, and resident of Downtown Manhattan, I am deeply troubled by the possibility of the 17 open-air plazas and atriums on Water Street being reconfigured in such a way that does not appropriately address the concerns of families living in the area.

While I fully understand that URLRP  (the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure is a standardized procedure whereby applications affecting the land use of the city would be publicly reviewed) has a long and arduous review, it is also understandable that the community, particularly those families with young children, is not able to keep up with every meeting where this is discussed.

Agenda items labeled “Water Street Upgrades Text Amendment – N 160166 ZRM” do not exactly inspire community participation.

As a Vice President of the neighboring Soho Broadway BID, one in which the residents enjoy a 50% seat at the table, I understand how important it is to engage those who live in the community, as their perspective is invaluable to the process.

Who better to consult with when deciding what “the community” needs, than those who spend their days and nights living and working here, frequenting as well as owning restaurants and small businesses, bringing their children to local schools and playgrounds, and generally walking, playing and being in the neighborhood on a daily basis.

I read Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s comments on the amendment, and share many of her same concerns. For those of us who have not been involved in this process, who are hearing about this for the first time two weeks ago, we don’t even know what is at stake.

I don’t want to be a knee-jerk, “NO” person, but we have not been properly notified about what this actually means for those who live here. Forgive me if I fear that these arcades will become more Duane Reades and banks, because, very rarely does the “mom and pop shop” win out over those!

Sitting at the playground on Friday, many moms could think of a dozen good uses for the arcade spaces, but we haven’t been consulted.

What about a free indoor play space for kids in the winter, when it rains, or it’s too hot?   A space that the entire school can gather for ceremonies, events, and celebrations. We need a place for our kids to kick a soccer ball. A place for the local free after-school tutoring program, just to name a few.

Forgive my skepticism, but the giving away of public/private land back to developers rarely seems to result in something good for the community.

I urge the Councilwoman Chin, MBP Bewer’s office, the Community Board, and The Downtown Alliance, to hold a meeting at the school, invite the PTA of Peck Slip and Spruce Street, The residents of Southbridge, the small businesses of the Seaport, the “community”. Let’s have a conversation, a real conversation about what should be done to “enliven” our neighborhood.

Because when real conversations take place, when true civic engagement occurs, that is when everyone wins.