The Eminent Domain

The City Planning Commission just voted 11-1 in favor of the Willets Point rezoning proposed by the Bloomberg administration (dissenting vote was Karen Phillips, the appointee of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum).

It’s now up to the City Council to set some strong terms on how development goes forward. So far, a majority of councilmembers have followed the lead of Queens member Hiram Monserrate and demanded greater commitments and accountability from the City on assistance for displaced workers and the creation of affordable housing as a condition of approving the rezoning. With term limits looming, some councilmembers may not be enticed by any promises the administration may dangle in exchange for a yes vote on Willets Point…while others will desperately need the mayor’s support as they run for their next office. It’s hard to predict yet which way the Council will sway.

Did I say “how development goes forward”? That’s so very 2004. Let’s see: the City sweeps away some 1,800 jobs, spends hundreds of millions (it’s right there in the city budget) to prepare this polluted swatch of land for development, and…and…? There’s a little credit crisis exploding right now that could well leave northern Queens with a great big model airplane field — and, like Hanky Paulson, Bloomberg could be committing huge sums of money to a retro fantasy that’s no longer viable.

It’s sold out, but see if you can sneak in: Tonight the Municipal Art Society is hosting “Coney Island at the Crossroads,” a panel discussion on the fate of one of New York City’s great public spaces.

Like many New Yorkers, I’m mourning the demise of Astroland, the heart of Coney Island’s gloriously cacophonous amusement area. And like other commentators, such as the Village Voice’s diligent Neil deMause, I’ve been wondering why the loss of Astroland sparked such a tepid reaction? Where’s the New York moxie? The outrage?

Well, one reason, of course, is that Deno’s Wonder Wheel park next door remains open, featuring similar attractions and the all-important Coney Island energy.  Though they won’t admit it outside the anonymous forums of the Daily News website, a lot of post-Giuliani New Yorkers also fear and loathe a public space where teenagers who live in housing projects dance on the streets late into the night.

But I think there’s also another reason for the mournful silence around Astroland’s dismantling — an attack of cognitive dissonance about what government’s role ought to be in city planning. For several years, many New Yorkers who care about the shape of the city’s future have been fighting massive development projects by standing up for the small property owners who are being pushed aside. From Manhattanville to Atlantic Yards, grassroots groups seeking the preservation of beloved neighborhoods have coalesced around the absolute support of property rights, in the face of government’s power of eminent domain.

But in Coney Island, preservationists faced the exact opposite problem. The owner of Astroland, Joseph Sitt, has done exactly what property owners are supposed to do — exercise their rights, within the zoning and other codes, to do what they want with their property. City planners and economic development officials are now twisting themselves like contortionists at the Coney Island Sideshow to accommodate Sitt’s dreams of condos by the ever-encroaching sea while carving out some space for the rest of us. And while a few hardworking activists are demanding more aggressive action, it’s hard to ask the mayor for a heavy hand by the sea after years of decrying incursions by the City to advance big projects. New Yorkers have to demand, loudly, that the Bloomberg administration — this time — push a lot harder.

Manhattan Community Board 11 (Harlem and East Harlem) holds its general board meetings the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.  Call 212.831.8929 or visit the website for location information.

Manhattan Community Board 10 (Harlem and Polo Grounds) holds its general board meetings the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m.  Call 212.749.3105 or visit the website for location information.

Brooklyn Community Board 2 (Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Mall, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fulton Ferry, and Clinton Hill) holds its general board meetings the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m.  Call 718.596.5410 for location information.

Manhattan Community Board 9 (Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville, and Morningside Heights) holds its general board meetings on the third Thursday of each month.  Call 212-864-6200 or visit the website for location information.