New York City Judge Rules Against Luxury Development Embraced by Mayor
Activists had sued the city, which approved the project on the East River between the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges in 2016. The proposed project included 2,800 units, and one of the towers would have been more than 1,000 feet tall (304 meters).
“It would drive up the rent and more people would be facing displacement,” said Zishun Ning, an organizer for the Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association.
He singled out Mayor de Blasio, who expected the project to include affordable units and said in 2018, “The legalities made quite clear that this development could go forward."
“With this decision, we’re very excited to prove that the city is wrong, Mayor de Blasio is wrong,” Ning told the Daily News. “He’s with the luxury developers. He represents their interests.”
De Blasio declined to comment on the suit. A city Law Department spokesman said, “We are evaluating next steps including whether to appeal this decision.”
A spokesman for builders including L + M Development and CIM Group said they’ll appeal.
“These projects were lawfully approved, met all legal requirements and are in compliance with zoning that’s been in place for more than 30 years," spokesman James Yolles said in a statement. "They will deliver one of the largest single infusions of new affordable housing to Manhattan in decades, at a time when the creation of all types of housing is critical to slowing rent growth citywide.”
“Today is a major victory for our clients, neighborhood activists and Two Bridges residents,” said Ken Kimerling of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which filed the suit. “By banding together, they blocked a project that would have had devastating impacts on Asian and Latino low-income residents, including NYCHA tenants, and spell the end for affordability in the neighborhood.”
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