The Political Scene

Pol Announces Tax Breaks For Housing

After a long struggle with the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development to afford equal treatment for all nonprofit developers in the city, City Council Member Diana Reyna announced that she secured tax abatement benefits that would create or preserve 84 affordable housing units.

The City Council voted last Thursday, Feb. 26 to approve Article XI tax abatement benefits for the units located in northern Brooklyn. Reyna reportedly helped push for the approval of four affordable housing development projects, including the creation of eight units at 295 Jefferson St.

Additionally, the legislator worked to secure 420c tax abatements for two locations in East Williamsburg: 19 Humboldt St. and 124 Graham Ave. The homes have a combined 21 units of housing.

"Creating and preserving affordable housing is my foremost priority as the elected representative of the 34th Council District," said Reyna. "The delay in the implementation of these tax benefits was jeopardizing our community's ability to preserve affordable units and threatened to allow these affordable units to disappear. I cannot sit by and watch certain projects get approved while others wait for months to years for no reason than politics."

Community Grants For Civic Action

Assemblywoman Audrey I. Pheffer has announced that the Citizens Committee for New York City has informed her of grants available to local volunteer community groups and public school-based student groups working to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods and schools across the city.

Through "New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods," the Citizens Committee offers grants ranging from $500 to $3,000 to grassroots community groups in economically under-resourced neighborhoods to work on community improvement projects that bring neighborhoods together.

"With this grant program, Citizens Committee is offering our community organizations a wonderful opportunity to bring many of their wonderful community improvement project ideas to fruition," Pheffer said. "I encourage anyone interested to take full advantage of this great opportunity."

The application deadline for the Spring 2009 grants is Saturday, Mar. 14. For more information, call 1- 212-989-0909 or visit their website, www.citizensnyc.org/grants.

Candidate Calls For 'One City, One Toll'

Republican Alex Zablocki, a candidate for public advocate, announced a "One City, One Toll" plan that would make tolling residents from New York City more fair.

Under the proposal, all city residents using EZPass would pay only the highest toll if crossing more than one MTA bridge or tunnel within two hours. Currently, many residents of the five boroughs must pay two tolls to travel around the city.

"There is no reason why a New York City resident should have to pay two or three tolls to get around the other five boroughs," he said. "Such a burdensome toll system stifles economic activity and forces residents to pay much higher fees or travel outside the city, like New Jersey or Long Island."

Zablocki's proposal came on the heels of the announcement of a plan to install tolls on all bridges crossing the East and Harlem rivers. The Staten Island Republican is against the proposal as well as planned toll increases on all MTA crossings.

"My 'One City, One Toll' plan would be a step in the right direction to help residents that have no other mass transit choice," Zablocki added. "Hard-working New Yorkers shouldn't have to pay two or three tolls to get around their own city."

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