All stakeholders need to keep talking to each other

It has been almost a year since the Northwest Bronx entrusted me with representing the new 33rd Senate District and the responsibility of advocating in the best interest of our community. I want to let you know how my team and I have been working to address various issues impacting our community during this trying year, including evaluating recently proposed community developments.

I have a process I’ve sharpened over my tenure in the legislature to evaluate potential projects that are coming to my district and seek my support. I first ask how the project will address the local community’s needs. I seek out input from community boards and local stakeholders to work with the project partners to address those needs. Which is why I am troubled by recently proposed community developments that have clearly lacked transparency and accountability. Our community should not have to insist that public or private partners coming to our neighborhood actively communicate with us. That communication is a basic requirement.

It is why I cannot support a recently proposed congregate shelter at 6661 Broadway. That is not the kind of housing our city needs. Many local leaders agree that $350 million is far better spent on affordable housing, not dehumanizing housing models. We need city agencies to help us understand why this contract has almost doubled since 2021 to a third of a billion dollars for 130 shelter beds. Nonprofit and private partners should be available to the community to answer questions, without insistence, if they’re so confident their plans will pass muster.

Private entities, like the Stagg Group, which purchased Manhattan College’s Overlook Manor Dormitory in May, should be more than willing to have an open line of communication with their new neighbors. I remember in 2017, after the Stagg Group presented plans for market-rate and affordable family apartments, they subsequently signed a contract with the Department of Homeless Services instead. I hope that the Stagg Group has learned that we expect them to be as responsive to community inquiries as any public or private partner working in our community.

During the summer, we learned about hasty plans to bring the Cricket World Cup to Van Cortlandt Park. I was proud to join local organizations and leaders in swiftly voicing the shortfalls of the proposal. Thankfully, we no longer need to be concerned about the potential impact on the parade grounds and the local community.

The process before the International Cricket Council’s plans were made public remains concerning to me. When an organization is interested in benefiting from our community’s assets, like a public park, decisions cannot be made in closed-door meetings. Community boards exist to ensure space for local residents to learn about plans and offer their input. They may not make the ultimate decision, but they shouldn’t be an afterthought. When public goods are up for a discussion, how our community benefits should be the first order of business.

Stakeholders, both private and public, should be eager to discuss projects with the community. There will always be naysayers, but in collaboration with representatives and community boards, we can address legitimate concerns and maximize the benefit to residents and our city overall.

We all have a responsibility to hold each other accountable as we build the neighborhoods and communities we want to live in. My team and I are here as resources to make that ethos a reality and these are just some ways that we’ve done that during my first year in office.

The author is state senator representing the Kingsbridge and Riverdale area