Don’t know if anyone wasted their time going to Melinda Katz’s bullshit State of the Borough at York College on Friday, which obviously was filled with ass kissers and do nothing puppet elected officials, but from what I read, it was just the typical political bullshit, but then should you be surprised. But one council candidate, Paul Graziano, had this to say on Katz’s push for some kind of monster stadium on public property to make the wealthy even more wealthy (which is pretty much asshole con man Donald Trump’s, our “let me clear my throat”, president, entire agenda). SIDENOTE: FOLKS, wake up, Trump has already proven in his first week in office just how dangerous & irresponsible he really is for this country and the entire world.
“Borough President Katz’s push for yet another stadium in Willets Point on property that was essentially stolen from small businesses for the supposed use of creating a new affordable residential community — a plan that she herself negotiated in 2008 as the Land Use Chair on the City Council! — would be almost comical if it weren’t so disturbing,” said Paul Graziano, an urban planning consultant, plaintiff in the lawsuit and City Council hopeful.
“Law enforcement officials should look very carefully at possible collusion between the Borough President’s office and the developers in question, as this seems to be yet another attempt at grabbing our city’s public property in order to further enrich a few very already wealthy individuals at our expense,” Graziano, who is running as a primary opponent against Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) in September, continued.
We need more people like Graziano and Senator Tony Avella, instead of the spineless, do nothing and corrupt elected officials that fill our offices, especially in the dirty SE Queens. BUT then look at what we have in office for the highest position in the country. No wonder the Domesday clock moved 30 seconds closer to midnight (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/01/26/the-doomsday-clock-just-moved-again-its-now-two-and-a-half-minutes-to-midnight/?utm_term=.b2c8cc844e15).
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From Queens Courier:
Katz highlights explosive growth across Queens in her State of the Borough address
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz gave her State of the Borough Speech at York College on Jan. 27.
By Angela Matua
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amatua@qns.com
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Friday, January 27, 2017
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2:50 PM
Anyone who keeps up with the news in the “World’s Borough” knows that Queens has become a hot spot for tourism and a popular destination for people and families looking for a more affordable option.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz spoke about the borough’s recent popularity and more in her State of the Borough address on Jan. 27 at York College in Jamaica.
During her speech she listed a number of changes in Queens including the transformation of the skyline along the East River, the improvements to the New York State Pavilion, Arthur Ashe Stadium and the investments in Jamaica through the Jamaica Now Action Plan and LaGuardia and JFK Airports.
“We have been through some extraordinary changes,” she said.
She also highlighted the 5 percent increase in jobs since 2013, 34 planned hotels in the borough and $60 billion in economic activity from both airports. LaGuardia Airport is currently going through a $4 billion construction project, the first complete rebuild of any airport nationwide in more than 20 years.
In addition to LaGuardia Airport, JFK Airport will receive a $10 billion overhaul.
“It’s a new day for infrastructure in Queens, and we’re all on our way to creating best-in-class entry portals befitting of the international capital in the world,” Katz said.
Since the theme of the speech was “The Borough of Growth, The Borough of Families,” Katz also touted a number of programs implemented to aid families in Queens.
She highlighted the state of public schools, where two high schools including Townsend Harris High School and Queens High School for the Sciences are ranked among the Top 10 in New York State. Katz also pointed out challenges – Queens still has the highest overcrowding rate where elementary schools are at 119 percent capacity and high schools are at 111 percent capacity.
“So naturally, to stay competitive and meet growing demand, we’ve been pretty busy building up our schools,” she said.
Since 2013, 11 new schools were created and six existing schools have been expanded. A 461 percent increase in pre-K seats has resulted in 20,000 seats for toddlers and 43 classroom trailers have been removed.
Transportation options have also grown in the last few years, with Citywide Ferry Service being expanded through Long Island City, Astoria and the Rockaways. A new LIRR station will run through Elmhurst and the Main Street LIRR stop in Flushing has been renovated.
But she called on the Department of Transportation to come up with a borough-wide plan to make it easier for residents to travel on bicycle, train, bus and ferry.
“Queens is a transit desert,” she said. “Our subways reach only a third of the borough. The subways and buses we do have are overflowing due to ever increasing ridership. While I commend the Governor and the Mayor for putting forth ambitious transportation agendas, those individual projects shouldn’t be done in a vacuum.”
She requested a “comprehensive plan with a macro view, a citywide, coordinated transportation agenda for tomorrow that also addresses the unique challenges of each borough.”
Housing has also been a challenge in the borough, with rising rents and a growing population. Katz addressed the large homeless population in the city and the city’s reliance on hotels to house homeless families.
“The impact of this in Queens has been substantial,” she said. “In addition, we should also require a special permit to place hotels, which we don’t currently have. This would mean a mandate public review through ULURP, help guarantee community input and allow government to better monitor all hotel growth, citywide.”
Lastly, she called for leaders to “be unafraid to think bigger, bolder and more comprehensively” in terms of expanding Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Willets Point.
“We need to review positioning ourselves for success by thinking creatively about further options that address our changing borough’s needs – like a new school, an eco-recreation center, more parking to accommodate simultaneous events, because all those big events that we have now are wreaking havoc on the soccer fields and grass in Flushing Meadows for parking,” she said.
Public Advocate Letitia James and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz were in the audience, along with former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, for whom Katz served as director of community boards. Almost all of the 14 Queens City Council representatives and various commissioners from city agencies were in attendance as well.
From Queens Chronicle:
BP Melinda Katz proposes soccer, hockey at Willets Point
Photo by Anthony O’Reilly
Borough President Melinda Katz delivers her State of the Borough Speech at York College.
Posted: Friday, January 27, 2017 11:32 am | Updated: 1:28 pm, Fri Jan 27, 2017.
by Anthony O’Reilly / Associate Editor
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz in her State of the Borough address Friday proposed the placement of a soccer and hockey arena at Willets Point, as well as a school, economic recreation center and a parking facility at the 62-acre site.
“New York City’s land is not limitless, and with the projected growth in our borough, this highly coveted area of Willets Point needs to be remediated and prepped for a cleaner future,” Katz said at her address at York College. “…We should be unafraid to think bigger … bolder … and more comprehensively.”
Her idea, of which there were very few details, could face significant pushback.
Right now, the nearby parking lot for Citi Field, which is technically parkland, is being eyed for a 1.4 million-square foot mega mall. Preservationists, who say any such development would require approval from the Legislature due to the land’s status, have sued to block the project, called Willets West.
Those opponents of the plan, led by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), scored a major victory in 2015 when the state Appellate Division ruled the project illegal but the developers, Queens Development Group, successfully petitioned the Court of Appeals to hear their argument. The case remains there.
The developers say the Willets West project is financially necessary in order to move ahead with development at Willets Point itself.
Katz, in her address, said, “… as we await the outcome of the lawsuit, let’s ponder additional options.”
“We should be unafraid we should think bigger, bolder and more comprehensively,” she later said. “We need to review positioning ourselves for success by thinking creatively about further options that address our changing borough’s needs — a new school, an eco-recreation center, more parking to accommodate simultaneous big events that we have there now, because all those big events that we have now are wreaking havoc on the soccer fields and grass in Flushing Meadows for parking.
“And to help pay for it, let’s consider a soccer stadium, let’s consider a hockey stadium” she said. “Just imagine if we, the World’s Borough, hosted the World Cup or the Stanley Cup.”
A soccer stadium was previously proposed at nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park, but that plan fizzled out following massive community opposition.
At the bare minimum, Katz said of Willets Point, the old Iron Triangle, “Let’s clean it up.”
One opponent of the mall project quickly criticized the borough president’s proposal.
“Borough President Katz’s push for yet another stadium in Willets Point on property that was essentially stolen from small businesses for the supposed use of creating a new affordable residential community — a plan that she herself negotiated in 2008 as the Land Use Chair on the City Council! — would be almost comical if it weren’t so disturbing,” said Paul Graziano, an urban planning consultant, plaintiff in the lawsuit and City Council hopeful.
“Law enforcement officials should look very carefully at possible collusion between the Borough President’s office and the developers in question, as this seems to be yet another attempt at grabbing our city’s public property in order to further enrich a few very already wealthy individuals at our expense,” Graziano, who is running as a primary opponent against Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) in September, continued.
Avella called it a “non-starter,” citing the opposition to the failed Flushing Meadows Corona Park stadium.
“I don’t think that will fly with the community,” he said. “I’m sort of surprised the borough president would suggest a stadium.”