In This Week’s “THIS WEEK IN & AROUND CHELSEA”

CB5 Committee Meeting Regarding MSG’s Special Permit Renewl-in-Perpetuity Application / CB4 Committee Meetings / District 3 Participatory Budgeting Project Expo / The 10th Precinct Sector C Build the Block Meeting / Community Cleanups / Apply by March 22 for the Manhattan DA’s High School Summer  Internships / Aged Out: Event Listings from Earlier in the Week

Madison Square Garden on the Agenda of Manhattan Community Board 5 (CB5) Land Use, Housing & Zoning Committee Meeting: Wednesday, March 22, 6pm via Zoom| After two meetings during which comments by members of the none-too-pleased public numbered in the hundreds, CB5’s Land Use, Housing & Zoning Committee meets to take a stand (and a vote) on the matter of Madison Square Garden’s application for a new special permit that would, well, permit them to continue operations, as is. Whether they continue to do business where they are is a matter of debate that played a large part in the public comments heard by CB5. Those speaking out against renewal of the special permit (which MSF seeks to be granted in perpetuity) did so with a mind that the matter is inexplicably linked to the dreadful, losing-steam proposal by NYS Gov. Kathy Hochul to raze a considerable radius surrounding Penn Station in order to facilitate construction of several tall towers (wiping out residential buildings, small businesses, and a house of worship in the process, invoking eminent domain if necessary). With design proposals of their own, members of the public maintained that MSG must give up its perch atop Penn Station, if a truly world-class, ground-level redo is to take place. MSG reps, in a rare defensible gripe, repeatedly noted that the matter of moving has no place within the context of a special permit renewal. Still, they hedged their bets, with the presence of pro-MSG testimony throughout the public session—often in the form of youthful participates in their Garden of Dreams program, a charitable wing of MSG whose good deeds are irrefutable, albiet not terribly location-sensitive. To what extent CB5 had been swayed by any of these boosters or naysayers is for the Land Use, Housing & Zoning Committee to say. And say, they shall. To see what they say, register for the March 22 Zoom meeting by clicking here. View previous hearings on the subject via CB5’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. 

The Remaining March Meetings of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) | Monday, March 20, 6:30pm via Zoom: Chelsea Land Use Committee (CLU) | The CLU will vote on the matter, after seeing a presentation by the 5-Borough Housing Movement (for details, see this roundup’s March 8 listing for agenda items addressed by the Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Land Use Committee. There is also a tentatively scheduled presentation by Essence Development and NYCHA to present on Chelsea NYCHA Development Plan (this matter was also tentatively scheduled for the March 16 CB4 Housing, Health & Human Services meeting To register to attend the CLU’s live March 20 Zoom-held meeting, click here. By telephone: 646-518-9805. Meeting ID: 420 721 312. Monday, March 27, 6:30pm via Zoom: Executive Committee (EXEC) | The agenda was TBD at press time. To register, click here. By telephone: 646-518-9805 Webinar ID: 916 5217 3279. The Next Full Board Meeting of CB4 is Tuesday, April 4, 6:30pm | To register, click here. To attend via phone, call 646-518-9805. The Webinar ID is 986 0945 5541. Want more, more, more? Follow CB4 on social media. Facebook: Manhattan Community Board 4 and Twitter: @manhattanboard4. For a full rundown of March commitee meetings, click here. 

Participatory Budgeting Project Expo: Thursday, March 23, 7pm-8pm at the Whitney Museum of American Art (99 Gansevoort Street) | The annual Participatory Budgeting process see discretionary funds from the reserves of your NYC Council Member (in this case, District 3’s Erik Bottcher) set aside for project that have a finite goal (more trees on our sidestreets! Repairs and upgrades to local schools! The creation of new local park space!). This event will preview the projects on the ballot during an upcoming voting period. When the dust settles, the top vote-getter is funded first–followed by second place, third place, and beyond winners, until the $1 million allocated has been spent. To register for the March 23 preview event, click here. For more info, see the flyer directly below.

The 10th Precinct’s Sector C Build the Block Meeting: Thursday, March 23, 6pm at Manhattan Plaza (400 W. 43rd St. btw. 9th/10th Aves.) | The NYPD police precinct tasked with protecting most of Chelsea—the 10th—is divided into three Sectors: A, B, and C, or “Charlie,” whose area of coverage is West 29th Street to West 43rd Street, Ninth Ave. to the Hudson. This “Build the Block” Sector C meeting—the first of four in 2023—encourages you to bring concerns about the neighborhood to the attention of the two NCOs (Neighborhood Coordination Officers) assigned to Sector C. They’ll be reporting on the latest crime statistics and lead the anything-goes Q&A session that comprises the bulk of the proceedings. For any questions about the meeting (or questions about anything, for that matter), email Sector C’s NCOs: PO Marian Bencea (Marian.Bencea@nypd.org) and/or PO Daniel Sendrowski (Daniel.Sendrowski@nypd.org). As with all Build the Block meetings, the date, time, and location is subject to change. Call your local precinct to verify correct meeting information, preferably on the day of, and close to the announced time. See the below poster for more info.

Community Cleanups with NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher: Most Sundays Through May 21 | The District 3 Council Member whose area of coverage represents the West Village, Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen areas invites citizen volunteers to clean house–by cleaning up their streets. Facilitating a tidy and inviting environment is one of the actions the Council Member has been advocating for since before he was running for that office. Years later, this annual tradition continues, now until the chilly winter of 2023. To participate, click here.  For more info, see the below flyer.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Summer Internship Program: In-Person, July 10-August 25 / Application Deadline is Wednesday, March 22, 5pm| The Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program is a rigorous internship that provides students with an insider’s view of the criminal justice system. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in workshops and discussions surrounding criminal justice, police brutality, civic engagement, leadership, and more. All applicants must live or attend school in Manhattan and be current sophomores, juniors, or seniors. For more info, click here, email highschoolinternship@dany.nyc.gov, or call Imani Doumbia, Education Coordinator, at 917-808-6421… and see the below flyer!

The 13th Precinct Community Council Monthly Meeting: Tuesday, March 21, 6pm via Zoom | Held on the third Tuesday of the month—sans July, August, December—the 13th Precinct Community Council provides a forum where the public can interact with Police Officers, Detectives, and top leadership from the precinct tasked with protecting and serving a southern portion of Midtown Manhattan that includes swaths of easternmost Chelsea. Presently conducting business via Zoom, Council President Serge Harnett moderates, fielding questions from attendees, as answered by top 13th Precinct leadership. Please direct any questions before the meeting via email to Detective Vincent Arlotta, at vincent.arlotta@nypd.org (these questions will be answered first). To read our report of goings-on at February, 2023’s meeting, click here. To join the March 21 meeting, click here just prior to its 6pm March 21 start time. Meeting ID: 896 4140 6870. One-tap mobile: 646-558-8656.

 

—Listings Compiled by Scott Stiffler

 

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