Council Approves Rezoning Of 125th Street
May 1, 2008
Opponents of the 125th Street rezoning brought the City Council vote to a standstill.
They screamed and booed from the balcony, to the point where City Council Speaker Christine Quinn had to stop the meeting and call in police officers to kick out members of the public.
“The meeting is going to stand in recess while we can clear out the balcony,” she told those gathered.
The anger continued outside the chambers. Opponents directed their indignation at Harlem Councilwoman Inez Dickens, who voted in favor of the rezoning. One man called her “an Aunt Jemima sellout.”
In the end, the rezoning passed by a vote of 47 to 2. The vote came after Dickens reached a deal with the Bloomberg Administration earlier this month. The agreement calls for 46 percent of the housing units to be built on and around 125th Street to be set aside for low-income families. The plan also reduces the size of proposed buildings and shifts the focus of new construction from residential to commercial.
“What’s been accomplished here is great for 125th Street, great for Harlem, but it is also a great model for other communities to follow,” said Quinn.
But the plan will likely force out 71 businesses. Opponents tried to stop the vote in court, but were denied a temporary restraining order. They claim the character of the historic street will be destroyed.
“Harlem is being transformed into a rich, white community,” said Harlem resident Michael Henry Adams.
But Councilwoman Dickens believes the rezoning will protect existing residents.
“Educators can remain in our communities, so that social workers and our healthcare professionals, other than of course the doctors, can remain a part of our community,” said Dickens.
Opponents are vowing to continue their fight in court, even though at this point the rezoning is a done deal.
Source: NY1
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