The State of the Community

The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) will host an “Open Community Meeting” tonight (Monday, March 5), from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, at Six River Terrace (opposite the Irish Hunger Memorial and next to Le Pain Quotidien restaurant). Residents are urged to attend, hear a presentation from Authority staff on their vision for the community, and seek answers to questions that are crucial to future of everybody who lives here, such as resiliency, affordability, and security.

The Broadsheet asked a range of elected officials, community leaders, and residents to frame such suggestions and pose questions for the Authority to answer at tonight’s meeting. Here are their responses:

Margaret Chin, who represents Battery Park City in the New York City Council, notes that, “progress has been made through legislation passed last year requiring Battery Park City resident representation on the board. Considering this achievement, will the BPCA proceed in the future with a more inclusive approach to decision making?”

Ms. Chin adds that, “keeping Battery Park City affordable for the neighborhood’s founding families is my top priority. What is the board’s response to the Comptroller’s proposal to use BPC funds to repair and preserve affordable housing elsewhere?”

Finally, she observes that, “Last week’s Nor’easter was yet another reminder of our vulnerable coastline. We need protections against destructive storms as soon as possible. However, it is important that the concerns of the community are heard in this process. Will the BPCA heed the serious concerns of that members of the Battery Park City Committee of Community Board 1 [CB1] and others have raised about its resiliency plan — particularly in regards to Wagner Park?”

State Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou says, “I continue to hear from constituents, particularly from our seniors, about the dwindling of affordable housing options in Battery Park City. We need to take aggressive action to keep our families in their homes and community. What steps are being taken by the Authority to ensure our affordable units are protected?”

She also notes that, “as President Jones mentioned recently, the BPCA can serve as a model for resiliency planning across communities. Can the Authority delve into its resiliency work, both in the short- and long-term?”

CB1 chair Anthony Notaro avers that, “our parks are so much the fabric of life in Battery Park City and Lower Manhattan,” and asks, “what plans do you have to ensure their sustainability, now that the parks are over 30 years old? Are there plans to enhance the work and position of the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy?”

He also queries, “what is the reaction of the current BPCA Board to the recent legislation about having Battery Park City residents on the Board?”

Finally, Mr. Notaro wants to know, “how can we establish a process to address the end of the master lease in 2069? While this may seem far away, why not tackle it now? How would you see a process which includes all stakeholders — owners, renters, businesses, etc. —  unfolding to look at this issue?”

Maryanne Braverman, a longtime resident who is also one of the leaders of the Battery Park City Seniors group, notes that the BPCA’s new chief financial officer, Pamela Frederick, is scheduled to make a presentation on the Authority’s fiscal picture, but says, “my one concern in anticipation of the meeting is that they will paint with a broad brush, and I think this community needs a deep dive on a number of financial topics.”

Ms. Braverman also notes that the BPCA’s founding chairman and president, Charles Urstadt, recently called for the City and State (who jointly own the landfill on which the community sits, which they lease to property owners through the year 2069) to renew the lease for another 99 years, and says, “we need such an extension as soon as possible.”

She also wants the BPCA to comment on Comptroller Scott Stringer’s proposal, “that BPCA excess revenues go directly to public housing, rather than into general revenue, where the City and the State can plunder it at will.” And Ms. Braverman is also seeking assurances about, “getting local residents on the BPCA Board, to replace Governor Cuomo’s financial supporters, who typically get gubernatorial appointments.”
Maria Smith, a longtime resident who is also a public member of CB1, says, “Battery Park City residents, both owners and renters, are very concerned about rising costs in ground lease payments and apartment leases. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in Battery Park City is a multi millionaire. We have become a mixed community of families seniors and singles.” She wants to know, “how we can ensure that our neighborhood remains affordable, and keep this nice mix by ensuring our neighborhood remains affordable?”

Robin Forst, who serves on the board of the Gateway Plaza Tenants Association and is also a public member of CB1, wants updates about, “the resiliency plan, including how it would be financed, and the plan to redesign Wagner Park.”

CB1 member Tom Goodkind notes that, “Governor Cuomo’s own website states, ‘No State agency officer or employee who serves at the pleasure of the governor or their appointing authority or members of a State public authority or other boards appointed by the governor may contribute to and/or fund-raise for Andrew Cuomo 2018.’ But a recent New York Timesstory reported that ‘nowhere are the connections of Mr. Cuomo’s appointees more apparent than on the board of the Battery Park City Authority.’ The article singles out the large contributions by [Authority chair] Dennis Mehiel and [board member] Lester Petracca prior to their appointments to the BPCA. While these and other Board members appear qualified for their positions, they lack the familiarity with the neighborhood that residents have, and desire in board members. With this report, the ethical move for Mehiel and Petracca to make would be to step down, clearing the way for better representation of our area.”

John Dellaportas, who serves as president of his condominium board on Rector Place, asks, “is there some particular reason the pedestrian bridge at West Thames Street is taking years to install? It is prefabricated off-site, so this should be a relatively simple job. The Brooklyn Bridge was built in less time.”

In a related vein, CB1 member Bob Schneck proposes that the existing pedestrian bridge at Rector Place (which is slated to demolished once the West Thames span opens), “be renovated and that bridges and underpasses be explored to substantially limit direct interface between pedestrians and traffic,” on West Street.

Justine Cuccia, one of the founders of the grassroots organization, Democracy for Battery Park City, notes that, “in a recent BPCA board meeting, the staff reported that they have saved 30 percent on electricity by purchasing power for Battery Park City’s streetlights from the New York Power Authority, instead of Con Edison. Added to this is the benefit that the Power Authority generates electricity using mostly clean, renewable sources, such as hydroelectric power. I would like the BPCA to look into purchasing this service for the entire community and pass along the same savings to everybody who resides or does business here. Financial sustainability is a serious concern for most Battery Park City residents. Some residents, such as people who live in Gateway Plaza, feel they are being gouged by high electric bills, and owners and renters alike are suffering under the yoke of the ever-increasing ground rent and the looming expiration of the ground lease in 2069. This would be a small, but significant step in making Battery Park City more affordable — or at least less unaffordable.”

(Editor’s Note: Ms. Cuccia is related to the reporter who wrote this story.)