Future development
Sept. 22, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
As Court Square continues its massive growth and development, a community organization is aiming to ensure that residents who live in the neighborhood have a voice in shaping it.
The Court Square Civic Association, founded by Amadeo Plaza in March, will hold its first public meeting next week to discuss resident concerns in the neighborhood.
The meeting, which will be on September 29 at 7 p.m. at MoMA PS1, will specifically focus on the issues pertaining to development, and will feature speakers Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, Rockrose VP of Planning Paul Januszewski, and City Planner Penny Lee.
“This area is being defined by other people, and it’s time for people who actually live here to have their voice heard,” Plaza said. “This area needs defining more than just a subway stop. We want to bring a voice to the table with other decision makers and have a say in what defines the community and neighborhood.”
Amadeo Plaza (Source Viewing NYC)
Plaza said that he sees the Civic Association addressing many community issues, including development, infrastructure, education, small business development, recreation and community services, transportation and safety, and cultural advocacy. He said that the Association is planning to have meetings every two months, with each focusing on a different topic.
The meeting next week will focus on development, bringing together a politician, city planner, and developer to speak to the community.
“This isn’t a witch hunt against the developers, they are operating within the laws and restrictions the city places on them. It’s a discussion to see how the city can incentivize them to do the right thing for the community and try to get everyone talking together,” Plaza said.
He added that the Civic Association would likely operate largely through committees, allowing each group to focus on a single issue. Some issues he mentioned specifically were increasing the amount of parks and green space in Court Square, and adding more trains to the tracks in anticipation of the L train closing down in Brooklyn.
“The Civic Association will be like the driving instructor for the committee efforts, we can make connections and point things out and have some control, but we want strong willed and sharp committee leaders that will really advocate for the community,” Plaza said.
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9 Comments
Great, looking forward to the meeting to discuss. Would love to see this neighborhood focusing stronger in its art district building upon the Sculpture Musuem and PS1. Both my husband and I are architects and would love to see a higher level of quality in the facades of these buildings with some interesting retail shops to reinforce the arts district and not become big box chain stores. Green spaces are needed as well even if vertically on walls in areas, not concrete plazas.
Mr. Plaza. try to stop the insane overbuilding without infrastructure in place in LIC as they did in Flushing. Let’s not rubber stamp everything . It is fast turning LIC into a skyscraper jungle such as in Manhattan. LIC should have smaller buildings with a small town feel, not the hustle, bustle of Manhattan.
I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Plaza once in LIC Market, and I have watched his years of steady LIC advocacy. It is very refreshing to see someone work so hard for LIC. Thank you Mr. Plaza. Best of luck to your organization. Keep it up.
Well I been living in L.I.C for 8 years in November…I hate it cause there is no way to shop..we have to take a train or a bus to go shopping…I live in Queens bridge project..There are so many seniors..they can’t shop..I always pay a cab too many bags…We have alot of hotels , storage places , so much factories and auto parts places, I need a Target, Walmart, Marshalls clothing store.. we’re the only project that doesn’t have a mall close by the other boroughs they have the malls themselves not far close enough….Not alot of people like to go on trains or bus…They like to walk..I am just so mad..I love to shop…
Well, you get what you pay for. Maybe if you shopped a bit less you could have more leverage in your choice of housing. Really, stop looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Why do you so quickly make bigoted assumption about people? What is your problem? You don’t know how often this person shops or how much she spends, but that hateful lizard Trump brain of yours goes into action and assumes the worst. The woman makes a valid point about lack of access to shopping in the neighborhood that plenty of wealthy and white people in our neighborhood have made or could make. I don’t recall you shooting them down with similar withering comments, schmucko. God, I can’t stand you.
Do tell what was bigoted in my post…really go for it. I make 3 points.
First, if you may massively cut rent, you should be grateful and not expect your every whim and need to be catered to. Bigoted? Nope.
Second, doing less shopping opens up more disposable income. Given Maria’s focus on and self-professed love for shopping in her post, suggesting she shop less is called LOGIC. Bigoted? Nope.
Third, I suggest that María be grateful for having the government provide projects in the first place instead of complaining. Bigoted? Nope.
Now we come to your gem of a comment. You go right to calling me a bigot, and howling about rich white people. You do realize that many of the people in LIC, including those on the waterfront, are actually not white, right? Or are the Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic people there now white? And, yes, I have pointed out on many occasions here that the complaints about a lack shopping are overstated. Just ask MRLIC and others.
No, Not Anonymous, the only bigot here is you. And you seem like an idiot with reading comprehension and anger management issues to boot. I cannot determine if I could stand you or not, since I don’t know you, but I am certainly inclined to think it would be the latter based on the available data.
Yea, frank you tell those impoverished elderly people. This is someone’s grandmother. Like to see you speak that way to yours.
Thanks for covering the meeting! Really eager to see people there!