Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) zoomed through a packed agenda, at July 22’s full board meeting. Having been consigned to the pages (and web links) of history, it’s a case of “See you in September.” The full board did not convene in August, and will resume its first-Wednesday-of-the month schedule as of Sept 2. (Click here for more info.)

Held online, as all full board and committee meetings have been since COVID-19 put the kibosh on in-person public group gatherings, we asked of its leaders to fill us in on what went on. To access CB4’s YouTube channel, where its online events are archived, click here.

Scott Stiffler, for Chelsea Community News (CCN): CB4 as been conducting committee and full board meetings via Zoom. What are the advantages and disadvantages of meeting in the digital realm?

Lowell Kern, CB4 Chair: Attendance has been better, both Board members and members of the public, in an online forum. Our meetings have been running longer as a result.

CCN: Do you have any sense of when public meetings will resume, and has there been any talk of social distancing or other COVID-19 precautions when this happens?

KERN: CB4 meetings will resume in person when the City and the State give us the OK to do so. However, we will probably keep some form of online access to our meetings as well.

CCN: Regarding the July 22 full board meeting of CB4: Please discuss the concerns of those who spoke in the public session, what CB4’s position is on the matter, and what manner of follow-up was discussed once the person had their say.

KERN: The most contentious issue at the July 22 meeting was the application for a liquor license for a new establishment to be called The Spot. We had multiple speakers for and against the proposal. Although the Business License and Permits committee had agreed to the application with certain stipulations, the full Board voted to deny the application. My sense is that Board members were not comfortable with the proposed operator, with whom we have had multiple issues before.

The other issue where we had a number of speakers from the public was the problems being caused by DHS [NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development] using multiple hotels on West 36th and 37th Streets for clients of homeless shelters. The sheer number of people who have been moved to this area by DHS has overwhelmed the neighborhood and caused significant quality of life issues. Although the Board, in conjunction with Speaker Johnson’s office, has repeatedly asked DHS to reduce the number of hotels in use in our district, DHS continues to move people into hotel shelters without consultation with the local community.

CCN: Tell us about any especially notable presentations, reports, committee activity, votes, and ongoing issues of concern that came out of the July 22 full board meeting. Please include info on the status of Agenda Items 01, 21, and 25 (respectively, Letter to Mayor de Blasio and DOE [NYC Department of Education] re School; Letter to DOT [NYC Department of Transportation] re Pedestrian Space in Relation to Open Dining; and Letter to Mayor re Request for Community Task Force on Policing).

Jesse Bodine, CB4 District Manager: The Letter to the Mayor and Dept. of Education was a detailed summary of the items and recommendations discussed at the recent Education Forum held by the Arts, Culture Education, and Street Life Committee. The ACES [Arts, Culture, Education & Street Life] committee members worked hard to gather a well-informed and diverse panel and I think that resulted in a robust set of recommendations.

The Letter to Dept. of Transportation regarding the Open Restaurants Program speaks to the need for the Administration to take into account the impact the program has on public health and the pedestrian. Now that the DOT programs have been extended it is even more vital that DOT review the guidelines to maximize public health while allowing restaurants to use the sidewalk and street to do business,

The Letter to the Mayor regarding the creation of the Community Task Force on Policing was one of the recommendations put forth by MCB4’s Social Justice Working Group. The internal CB4 Working Group had met every week in June and July. They were tasked with sending recommendations to the Full Board. The recommendations focused on the board itself, citywide policy and initiatives, and specific recommendations for the NYPD. I believe it is CB4 leadership’s plan for the working group to continue to meet in the fall and begin accomplishing a number of the recommendations

CCN: On Tues., Aug. 18, CB4 and Housing Conservation Coordinators (HCC) were to have presented are presented “Tenants’ Rights During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” an online educational event with HCC staff attorneys and tenant organizers on hand. It was rescheduled for Sept. 15. Will a rep from CB4 be speaking?

BODINE: I will be present but HCC will be moderating and doing the majority of the presenting. With the Federal programs yet to be renewed and the courts reopening, we thought our community needed to know what has changed and what hasn’t in terms of tenant protections.

CCN: Will there be ample time for questions from the audience?

BODINE: Yes. This is our second tenant protections event we co-hosted with HCC. The goal is always to create a space for people to ask questions and organize.

CCN: What tenant/housing issues are foremost on the minds of the board and residents in your area of coverage? What is CB4 doing to address matters of concern, in terms of policy, outreach, advocacy, and planning?

BODINE: There is a need to keep people in their homes, to preserve the existing affordable housing stock, and promote the creation of new affordable housing. CB4 has an affordable housing plan which can be found on our website. The plan outlines a number of site recommendations for future affordable house development. In addition, in 2019 we have partnered with HCC to conduct a flyer campaign on particular buildings we believe are at risk of tenants being pressured to leave due to real estate speculation–and finally, we held two events focusing on tenant protections.

For information on CB4’s next full board meeting (Wed., Sept. 2, 6:30pm), click here.

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