COUNCILMEMBER BILL PERKINS:

Thank you very much for allowing me to get up here so quickly.
Let me begin -- you know, this is a project of great, great concern to the neighborhood. And by the neighborhood I'm not just talking about the geographic area that Columbia plans to develop because there are implications far beyond that geographic area that have to be taken into consideration.

No discussion, however, can really begin when you have the notion of eminent domain on the table. It is a kind of discussion that begins with a gun at the head of the other parties involved in the process. So we need to be very clear about the outrageousness of that process when it comes to such a significant development plan and environmental study that's going to be done. It's very, very offensive and has no place in terms of this kind of negotiation.

Secondly, I want to commend the local community board for their 197-a Plan because if we are going to begin a discussion, if we are going to begin to look at their draft, then we have to seriously take into consideration the 197-a Plan of Community Board #9. That is a plan that I think is worthy of being included and all its details as we begin to move forward. And I would hope that the extraordinary work and energy that was put into that and the sincerity that was put into that and the fairness that was put into that is taken into consideration as we look at the deficient draft that was provided by Columbia. We have to force Columbia to provide details. What we have now does not provide details. It's too general and it is not as inclusive as it needs to be because the impacts, as I point out, will be river-to-river. It will not just be the immediate area where they intend on developing. There are going to be secondary and tertiary impacts that have to be taken into consideration when we come up with any environmental plan before we can even consider seriously any kind of zoning change.

And from that perspective, again, we want to make sure that it is as inclusive a study of the area as possible. You know, concern about the fact that a great deal of effort has been put into the development of this community by little people, by folks who have been neighbors and activists in the neighborhood in terms of housing opportunities, and especially those, for instance, who have been a part of the Tenant
Interim Lease program, who have by virtue of their sweat equity managed to restore their homes, get some affordable [housing]. We've invested into that housing so that those people can stay. Columbia's plans are threatening the loss of that kind of housing.  That housing is very, very important in terms of what it means to the community, what it means in terms of making sure that folks have some equity. So we want to make sure that those immediate displacement threats are dealt with as well as some others that may not be so visible. But these are especially of a great concern for me because we put so much time into that program and it seems as if there's almost 150 units of housing that might wind up being adversely affected here. Traffic and other kinds of infrastructure implications have to be taken into consideration and it has to be detailed.

And so, in wrapping up, you know, I would only urge that we have a much more inclusive, a much more extensive draft and that you make sure that issues like eminent domain, and especially the 197-a Plan from the local community board, are taken into consideration and eminent domain taken off the table.

Bill Perkins 

New York City Councilmember (Harlem)