This year for the first time ever, the East Sider of the Year Award will be shared by two significant politicians and community members: Council Members Dan Garodnick and Jessica Lappin.

These two will often say that although they share a borderline in their districts on the East Side, these borders are often blurred. Garodnick and Lappin are the type of people who have worked tirelessly together in 2012 on issues like fighting the Marine Transfer Station on the Upper East Side, which would add a waste disposal plant to the area around Asphalt Green, a beloved recreational facility. They are also the type of politicians who walk up and down the blocks of the Upper East Side in search of a facility for a new middle school.

As for working together, Gerodnick jokingly asked who had gotten more points or votes in the “race” for East Sider of the year. But he said that Lappin has been a great partner. Lappin agrees, and said that Garodnick has always been a great and efficient City Councilman, and that they have blurred district lines while working together over the better part of a decade.

Jessica Lappin has represented the Upper East Side in the city council for seven years. This year, she is trying to make an even bigger difference in New York by running for Manhattan borough president, and already has support from people like Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Assembly Members Dan Quart and Micah Kellner, as well as having raised almost $900,000 already.

“We’re very actively engaging voters and starting to talk about the issues,” said Lappin. “I love the chance to meet new people, talk about issues and get to know people.”

Lappin was drawn to politics as a student in high school when she attended a march on Washington for women’s rights. From there, she worked for various politicians including Senator Moynihan and Gifford Miller, who was her predecessor.

As City Councilwoman of District Five, Lappin has always taken her roots seriously, focusing on the issue that drew her into politics: women’s rights. In fact, one of her most proud accomplishments has been the Crisis Pregnancy Center Bill, which was passed in 2011, and is waiting on a decision in the district courts. The bill would regulate these centers that, Lappin said, are often dishonest with pregnant women, in attempting to convince them not to get an abortion. She was surprised, she said, when she learned that there were a couple of these centers on the Upper East Side.

“The right has tried to roll back women’s rights and its important for us on the left to not allow them to gain ground,” said Lappin. “People had told me ‘there’s nothing you can do on the local level to advance women’s rights’, but I didn’t believe them.”

Lappin also has focused on senior citizens as chair of the aging committee, who have become an increasingly larger part of the city’s population.

“We want to protect the most vulnerable population,” said Lappin. “This year we got the mayor to agree to baseline money for senior citizens.”

Lappin is also extremely proud of the parks and schools that have opened on her watch, including P.S. 267, on York Ave. and East 78th Street, and P.S. 151 on East 88th Street, which both opened in 2010, as well as P.S. 527 on East 91st Street, which opened this year. She also said that there is a fourth school under construction, which will open in he fall. She is committed, she said, to keeping parents living on both the Upper East Side, and in the city.

Councilman Dan Garodnick, like his colleague, has also focused on creating schools and parks in his district. He worked on creating a school in Midtown at 35th St. and First Ave. that will be opening in September, as well as working to plan for a revived East River esplanade, that would run along the waterfront in midtown and the Upper East Side.  He also said that he is committed to opening a new middle school on the Upper East Side, despite not yet having a location.

“One of the biggest frustrations New Yorkers have is when they feel like the city isn’t addressing the needs of their kids,” said Garodnick. “You have overcrowding in schools, you feel like the parents themselves have to push the city to build new schools.”

Garodnick, a lifelong East sider, began his career as a lawyer, and has always wanted to be a public servant. After dabbling in political campaigns, and coming back from law school, he saw a vacancy in the city council when Eva Moskowitz left in 2005, and ran with it.

As City Councilman, Garodnick has been particularly proud of his accomplishments that affect New Yorkers citywide, and not just on the Upper East Side, including environmental impact bills, and tenant’s rights. He also passed a bill that protects whistleblowers who are pointing out corruption in city government from getting penalized. He is the author of the city’s first green energy code, which is all part of the mayor’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

“Even small things, like a mandate for new commercial and school construction to have censors that automatically turn off lights,” said Garodnick. “It comes out of a concern for the New York City environment locally and broadly and a worry that we’re on the wrong path and a hope that we can be a leader in reforms for other cities.”

But Garodnick points to his efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy as one of his proudest moments this year. Every day for four days after the hurricane, he and his team went literally door to door in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village and along the waterfront, to make sure that people had enough food and supplies.

“I hope we will have a neighborhood in which people feel like the city is working for them, and is highly functional,” said Garodnick. “Whether it’s mass transit or the schools or the need to afford affordable housing. East siders have a government that’s addressing their needs.”

“Today’s announcement is a milestone for new housing models,” Steel said at the press conference announcing the decision.

AdAPT NYC was launched last July as a pilot program seeking to develop micro-units, a new model of housing that aims to be efficient and affordable in a time of rising population growth. A Request for Proposals was issued to find developers to design, build and operate NYC’s first-ever micro-unit apartment building at 335 E. 27th St.

“We’ve built market-rate and affordable housing in the five boroughs that has given people places to live and make memories, but this is an important opportunity to change the way we think about living space in an urban setting,” said Alphonse Lembo of Monadnock.

Because an entire building of micro-units does not meet NYC housing codes, Bloomberg has decided to waive the relevant zoning regulations during this testing period.

“The growth rate for one- and two-person households greatly exceeds that of households with three or more people, and addressing that housing challenge requires us to think creatively and beyond our current regulations,” Bloomberg said.

My Micro NY will be Manhattan’s first multi-unit building to use modular construction, a method that cuts cost and time. Sections will be pre-made at another location, in this case the Brooklyn Navy Yard, then transported and added to the already completed foundation, utilities and ground floor.

Features of this winning project include a multi-purpose ground floor used for “creative activities,” a rooftop garden, laundry room and fitness space. The housing units themselves, covering 250 to 370 square feet, will be divided into “toolbox” and “canvas” zones, featuring full-depth closet, compact kitchen, 9-foot, 10-inch ceilings and Juliette balconies.

Who is the target consumer for this revolutionary style of living? One or two people earning low to middle incomes looking to live in Manhattan. The city hopes it might attract young professionals trying to get their footing or a newlywed couple looking for their first shared home.

The Museum of the City of New York will be  featuring the winning proposal along with four other distinguished proposals in the exhibit “Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers.”
Museum director Susan Jones said, “With this exhibition, the Museum of the City of New York and the Citizens Housing & Planning Council are giving New Yorkers a glimpse into the future of housing in our city.”

Another Democratic Official Backs Lappin
State Sen. Brad Hoylman is the fifth elected Manhattan Democrat to endorse City Council Member Jessica Lappin in her run for Manhattan borough president. Noting Lappin’s past achievements that should prove beneficial for future issues, Hoylman said, “She’s fought to bring new schools to the borough and ease overcrowding. Her key role in bringing the Cornell-Technion applied sciences campus here will create thousands of good jobs. And she understands how critical preserving and expanding affordable housing is to the middle class.”

Hoylman went on to acclaim Lappin’s progressive efforts, particularly toward pro-choice, LGBT rights, civil rights and social justice.

“I’m incredibly proud and honored to have Brad’s support for borough president,” Lappin said. “He’s one of the exciting new voices in the Democratic Party—and someone who’s spent more than two decades as a West Side civic activist making a difference on so many issues important to his community.”

Nadler Ranks Again
Once again, Congressman Jerrold Nadler has been named the ranking Democrat on the newly renamed Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice of House Judiciary Committee. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over all proposed constitutional amendments as well as constitutional and civil rights and civil liberties (i.e., LGBT rights and abortion rights).

As a vehemently outspoken advocate of these rights and liberties, Nadler is honored to continue this role. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance critical constitutional and civil rights that continue to be under attack by a right-wing majority in the House and in the courts,” he said. I will do my very best to form a first line of defense against any and all attempts to limit or roll back protections.”

Compiled by Jessica Mastronardi

MTA TO RAISE FARES
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority unanimously voted to raise fares on the city’s trains, buses, bridges and tunnels last Wednesday, Dec. 19. The new rates, which will go into effect in March, include a 25-cent increase on base subway and bus fares (up to $2.50), an $8 spike on 30-day MetroCards (to $112) and an extra $1 for a seven day pass (to $30).

Bridge and tunnel tolls all will increase, many by 53 cents to $5.33 for E-ZPass holders and by $1 to $7.50 for cash users. Metro-North and Long Island Railroad fares, which vary by time and distance, will go up on average 8.19 to 9.31 percent per ticket.

The bonus on pay-per-ride MetroCards also will decrease to 5 percent from 7 percent. A bonus will be applied to purchases of $5 or more, however, instead of the current $10 minimum.

To determine the fare changes, MTA accepted feedback from customers on four different proposals for increases earlier in the year. The price hike is the authority’s fourth in five years, and it is expected to generate $450 million annually.

CITY SEEKS TO EXTEND EAST RIVER FERRY SERVICE
Major Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and NYC Economic Development Corp. President Seth Pinsky announced their search for a long-term operator for the East River Ferry service. Launched in June 2011, the ferry this year already surpassed its projected 1.3 million passengers for the entirety of its three-year pilot program.

According to Bloomberg, “We now have the opportunity to build upon this success and sustain this essential part of our transportation vision well into the future. Expanding transportation options along the waterfront will better serve communities and spur new housing and economic development.”

A major success of this service was proven in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, in that it was one of the first forms of mass transportation that got back on its feet.

“This ferry has not only proved to be a reliable and efficient form of transportation in a time of crisis, but New Yorkers also really love taking it the rest of the year,” Quinn said.

BillyBey Ferry Co. operated the ferry for the pilot program, which will expire in June 2014. The new Request for Proposals seeks an operator to maintain, improve and possibly expand this system for the following five years. Responses to the request will be collected through March 2013.

KRUEGER ENDORSES LAPPIN FOR BOROUGH PRESIDENT
Last week, state Sen. Liz Krueger has announced her endorsement of Jessica Lappin in the Democratic primary of Manhattan borough president for next year. Krueger, who noted that she had worked with Lappin for almost 10 years, said she had no doubt about Lappin’s ability to lead and make a difference.

“She shares my commitment to reform and has a proven record getting results for all New Yorkers,” Krueger said, listing results such as limited power of big money, three new Manhattan waterfronts, regulation of crisis pregnancy centers and the building of additional schools.

Lappin, in turn, praised Krueger for her tenacity. “I am equal parts excited and honored to have Liz’s support in my campaign for borough president,” she said. “No one has done more to advance the cause of reform and good government in New York over the past decade than she has.”

RED HOOK WORKERS STAFF NEW FAIRWAY IN KIPS BAY
Workers from the Hurricane Sandy-ravaged branch of Fairway Market in Red Hook relocated to Manhattan last week to staff the company’s newly opened grocery store in Kips Bay. The Red Hook branch, which is right on the water in Brooklyn, remains temporarily closed, and the company has been working to place workers in its other locations and provide free shuttle services to transport them there. The new 40,119-square-foot branch, located in the Kips Bay Shopping Center at 550 Second Ave. (at East 30th Street), is the market’s fourth Manhattan store, and 12th overall. The market has opened nine of its locations in the past six years.

“I have only heard praise from the people she is elected to serve,” said Maloney, a veteran politician representing Manhattan’s East Side who has worked with Lappin on issues like school overcrowding, and whom Lappin claimed as a mentor.

Maloney described Lappin as a champion of progressive reform, capable of cutting through political rhetoric to bring about lasting change. “If you want to see what a person will do, ask them what they have done,” she said, citing Lappin’s role in bringing Cornell’s future tech center to Roosevelt Island, fighting against the proposed waste transfer station by Asphalt Green and authoring a law to regulate pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in the city.

Maloney also listed Lappin’s accomplishments in education, which include supporting the opening of three elementary schools in her district and securing 20,000 additional public school seats across the city. Lappin herself attended Stuyvesant High School and has a child in a public school in the city. “If we aren’t reforming schools, we’re going backwards,” Maloney said.

Lappin promised to continue to support education, affordable housing and senior programs as borough president, and noted the importance of the position in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. “We are clearly in a rebuilding phase in our city, and that demands strong and effective leadership on all levels of government, and leaders who believe in the power and responsibility of government to do for us what we cannot always do for ourselves,” she said. “The next borough president has to be deeply involved in how and where we rebuild. We are going to get billions of dollars in aid, and we have to spend that money wisely. I want to help the borough grow and remain competitive, yet still retain what makes us unique.”

After her speech, Lappin said working in her district had prepared her well for the role of borough president: “What I’ve learned is that there aren’t issues that are ‘Upper East Side problems.’ You go neighborhood to neighborhood across the borough, and you hear the same issues: affordable housing, public schools, jobs and quality of life concerns.”

Lappin was first elected to the City Council in 2005. She chairs the council’s Committee on Aging and co-chairs its Women’s Caucus, and is a member of the district’s Education, Transportation, Cultural Affairs and Land Use committees.

“The results are there,” Kellner said in his endorsement. “Jessica has not only done things for our community, but borough-wide and citywide already as a member of the City Council.”
“I can’t imagine anyone more vested in the future of Manhattan,” Quart said.

Supporters from the neighborhood gathered around Lappin with campaign signs and led cheers as she spoke. They also spoke highly of her. “I think that she’s actually fearless,” said Rita Popper, a member of Community Board 8. “She has conviction. She has passion. We need that, especially when we’re battling something like the marine transfer station, especially after Hurricane Sandy.”
“I don’t know anything about the others running against her,” admitted Lorraine Johnson, another supporter. “At this point, I don’t even want to know anything about the other people. From her experience and everything she’s done over the years, there just couldn’t be anybody better than that.”

Other contenders in the 2013 election include former Community Board 1 Chairperson Julie Menin and City Council Members Gale Brewer and Robert Jackson.

“Grading buses is an easy way to let commuters know what they’re getting, and let the MTA know where they need to improve,” Lappin said in a statement. “For the past two years I’ve issued a report card on Select Bus Service, and it’s been a great transparency tool. Why not extend it to all bus lines?”

Earlier this year, Lappin issued a report card that gave Select Bus Service a “B” for its quality of service. MTA itself conducts customer satisfaction surveys for its overall service on buses, but does not rate individual bus lines.

VANDERBILT YMCA HOLDS CLOTHING DRIVE, FREE DINNER
Vanderbilt YMCA at 224 East 47th Street is conducting a clothing drive throughout the month to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. The organization is seeking donations of coats, thermals, gloves, scarves, hats and socks, which they will bundle and distribute to needy families and individuals who attend their free Christmas dinner on Dec. 25. Clothing collection runs through Dec. 21.

STRINGER SEEKS NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is selecting next year’s class of Community Board members. Manhattan is divided geographically into 12 communities, each of which has its own board of up to 50 unpaid local members appointed by Stringer. The boards have no administrative rights, but present requests to the city’s administration that address neighborhood quality of life, business and residential issues. Stringer is holding information sessions about the application process on Thursday, Dec. 13, and Tuesday, Jan. 8, in the Municipal Building at 1 Centre St., 6:30 to 8 p.m. RSVP to cbinfo@manhattanbp.org.

EAST RIVER C.R.E.W. HOPES TO FUND BOAT REPAIRS
East River CREW (Community Recreation and Education on the Water) is wrapping gifts this month to raise repair funds for its two 25-foot boats. The nonprofit, which provides free non-competitive rowing to educate New Yorkers about the East River, will be at the Barnes & Noble at 150 E. 86th Street on Thursdays from 5 to 10 p.m.

According to the organization, one of its boats was punctured during Hurricane Sandy. The second boat was damaged while being wheeled to the East River Esplanade at East 96th Street. The nonprofit uses the boats to promote stewardship of the city’s waters, and runs many programs for schoolchildren.

The organization is also seeking tax-deductible donations. More details can be found at East River CREW’s website, www.eastrivercrew.org.

FREE CHRISTMAS GALA
Arts at the Park, a component of the Park Avenue Christian Church, is holding a free Christmas Gala on Wednesday, Dec. 19. The show will feature a program of choral and instrumental music and readings, with a focus on female composers. Works include organ pieces, a medieval English carol and an African-American spiritual. The concert will conclude with sing-along Christmas tunes and a hot chocolate toast. The concert begins at 8 p.m. at 1010 Park Ave.

APPLE SEEDS HOLDS WINTER CONCERT
Apple Seeds, an indoor children’s playground and development center, is hosting a winter concert on Sunday, Dec. 16, at Stage 72. According to the company, the show—which it says will be “highly interactive” with dance- and sing-alongs—will feature original music by Mr. Ray, popular kids’ songs, top 40 hits and Christmas classics. The event promotes Apple Seeds’ “Songs for Seeds” program, a group music class for children up to 5 years old that introduces them to music basics by focusing on different international music cultures. The show begins at 11 a.m. at 158 West 72nd St., and tickets can be purchased online at www.stage72.com.

LAPPIN PROPOSES GRADES FOR CITY BUSES
City Council Member Jessica Lappin introduced a resolution to the Council on Monday that calls for a letter-grading system for buses. Like restaurant grading, Lappin’s measure would rate individual bus lines from A (excellent) to F (terrible) based on criteria like cleanliness, timeliness and seat availability. The idea for bus ratings was inspired by Susan Giles, an Upper East Side resident who suggested it to Lappin over the summer.

“Grading buses is an easy way to let commuters know what they’re getting, and let the MTA know where they need to improve,” Lappin said in a statement. “For the past two years, I’ve issued a report card on Select Bus Service, and it’s been a great transparency tool. Why not extend it to all bus lines?”

Earlier this year, Lappin issued a report card that gave Select Bus Service (SBS) a “B” for its quality of service. MTA itself conducts customer satisfaction surveys for its overall service on buses, but does not rate individual bus lines.

STRINGER SEEKS NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is selecting next year’s class of Community Board members. Manhattan is divided geographically into 12 communities, each of which has its own board of up to 50 unpaid local members appointed by Stringer. The boards have no administrative rights, but present requests to the city’s administration that address neighborhood quality of life, business and residential issues. Stringer is holding information sessions about the application process on Thursday, Dec. 13, and Tuesday, Jan. 8, in the Municipal Building at 1 Centre St., and on the Upper West Side on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 163 W. 125th St. All sessions are from 6:30 to 8 p.m. RSVP to cbinfo@manhattanbp.org.

On Monday, Dec. 3, 11 students locked themselves in the Peter Cooper Suite at the top of the school’s Foundation Building. They originally intended to remain there (fueled by food, water, a bathroom and laptops) until three major demands were met: Free education must remain, a stronger democratic decision-making process must be implemented, and the current president, Jamshed Bharucha, must resign.

The administration remained tight-lipped throughout the ordeal, issuing a single statement: “The 11 art students who have locked themselves in the Peter Cooper Suite do not reflect the views of a student population of approximately 1,000 architects, artists and engineers.”

On Monday, Dec. 10, the students ended the stand-off, citing the media attention and large turnout at a rally held on Saturday in Cooper Square, and telling reporters that they felt their stunt had made enough of a differene to possibly affect the school’s tuition decision. Cooper Union administration issued no statement.

Menin Seeks Borough President’s Seat
Julie Menin, former chair of Community Board 1 in Lower Manhattan, has officially announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Manhattan borough president, following months of buzz about her potential run. Menin said in a statement that she is “running for borough president because I believe my strong track record of leadership and solution-driven approach is what is needed in the challenging times our borough faces.”

She also cited a desire to guarantee the opportunity of great schools, parks and playgrounds to all families and give a stronger voice to the average New Yorker.

Her leadership and practical-solution approaches have lead her to many successes as a lawyer, owner of a small business and community leader. Her track record includes helping with downtown’s post-9/11 revival, attaining three new K-8 public schools in Lower Manhattan and working with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to allocate over $200 million to job-creating infrastructure projects.

Menin, a mother of three, has already finished her fundraising for the 2013 race and has picked up endorsements from over 200 grassroots community leaders all over Manhattan, including from judges, CEOs, activists and former elected officials.

Although Menin has been the first to formally announce her campaign, other candidates in the sure-to-be competitive race are expected to include Council Members Gale Brewer (Upper West Side), Robert Jackson (Washington Heights) and Jessica Lappin (Upper East Side). As in many Manhattan races, the likely contenders are all Democrats and no Republican challenger is imminent, so the winner of the party primary can expect an easy ascendency to the position in November, forcing the real battle to play out earlier in the year.

Menin has announced that she will be spending her campaign time meeting with potential constituents around the borough to garner support.

Compiled by Jessica Mastronardi

Frankie Quinney puts the finishing touches on raising the Big Top tent for the Big Apple Circus in Lincoln Center. Tickets go on sale this week for the circus’s all-new, 34th season production, Legendarium!

LAPPIN DEMANDS RETURN OF TRASH CANS
A month ago, the MTA brought a pilot program intended to curb trash and litter in the subway to the East 57th Street F station. The program, which removed trash cans at eight stations around the city in an effort to reduce the frequency of refuse pick-ups and deter the rodent population, is supposed to last for six months, but Council Member Jessica Lappin is demanding the trash cans returned to the Upper East Side spot. Armed with the results of a constituent survey, Lappin insists that one month is enough time to tell that the program isn’t working.

“As you might expect, taking away the trash cans doesn’t mean people magically stop producing garbage,” said Lappin in a statement.

The survey, to which 218 people responded, found that 66 percent of subway riders said they’ve noticed more trash at the F station in the past month, and that 93 percent of people just don’t like the plan.

EAST SIDE TOWN HALL
Upper East Siders are invited to schmooze with their elected officials and get the chance to air their grievances and share their ideas at a town hall meeting next Tuesday. The meeting is sponsored by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer along with U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velázquez, state Sens. Tom Duane, Liz Krueger, Jose Serrano and Daniel Squadron, Assembly Members Richard Gottfried, Brian Kavanagh, Micah Kellner, Dan Quart and Sheldon Silver, and Council Members Margaret Chin, Dan Garodnick, Jessica Lappin and Rosie Mendez, as well as Community Boards 3, 5, 6 and 8. Representatives from government agencies will also be attending. Tuesday, Oct. 23, 6 to 8 p.m. Lighthouse International, 111 E. 59th St. RSVP by calling 212-669-4451 or email RSVP@manhattanbp.org.

OLD U.E.S. DRUGSTORE OPEN FOR NEW RETAIL
The former home of Lascoff Drugs, 1209 Lexington Ave., is on the market. The owners closed the iconic store, which has been operating since 1899, this past July, deciding to retire and sell the building. Winick Realty Group is marketing the space, which has 1,600 square feet on the main floor and 600 feet each in the mezzanine and basement. It’s available for $36,000 a month, which they note is a substantial discount when compared to rents around the corner on East 86th Street, where storefronts are going for $500 a square foot. The building boasts cathedral-style 20-foot ceilings, 20-foot arched windows, 115 feet of frontage and the ability to co-opt the giant, iconic blade sign out front for a new display. The marketing agents emphasized that the space could work for restaurants or for high-end apparel or cosmetics.

By Paul Bisceglio

“When you see banners that say ‘luxury housing,’ you know something has gone wrong.”

City Council member Dan Garodnick delivered this message in a news conference last week to a crowd of tenants in front of Independence Plaza North (IPN), a three-tower apartment complex along Greenwich Street in Tribeca. Garodnick was one of several city officials gathered to confirm their support of the tenants’ struggle to keep rents stabilized at the plaza, which was built as affordable housing in 1973 but now is leasing one- and two-bedroom apartments for up to $4,500 and $6,500 per month.

“We want the people who have made this neighborhood great to be able to stay in this neighborhood,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn told the crowd.

The long-term tenants cheered in agreement. After decades of petitioning for paved streets, traffic lights and schools in a neighborhood once full of empty factories, these residents say they ended up with a community so vibrant and popular that they can no longer afford to live in it.

The officials—who also included Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, state Sen. Daniel Squadron, Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, former Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin and others—announced their filing of three amicus briefs (unsolicited court documents) to convince the state’s Court of Appeals to consider the request by the Independence Plaza North Tenants’ Association (IPNTA) to return the complex’s 1,349 units to rent stabilization.

The Tenants’ Association has battled the complex’s landlord, Laurence Gluck of Stellar Management, for years. Gluck removed the buildings from the state-subsidizing housing initiative Mitchell-Lama in 2004 to pursue market rates for some apartments, but received tax breaks from the Department of Finance’s J-51 affordable housing program for two more years. He eventually repaid the amount he received in tax cuts plus interest, but the tenants argued that he could not forsake their rents’ stability after he had received benefits to secure them.

A lower-court judge ruled in the tenants’ favor in 2010, but the State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division reversed the decision last May on the grounds that Gluck actually should not have received J-51 tax breaks in the first place. The benefits were “merely the erroneous result of the [Department of Finance’s] failure to adjust IPN’s tax liability,” the judges said. “That error did not create rent stabilized status for a development that was not otherwise subject to the rent stabilization law.”

IPN’s tenants and the politicians supporting them see a dangerous precedent in this reversal. “By essentially making rent regulation optional for J-51 landlords,” said a conference press release, “[the court’s decision] may jeopardize the tens of thousands of New York City residents living in post-1973 buildings that receive J-51 benefits and are currently in any temporary, income-based program.”

Stephen B. Meister, a lawyer for the plaza, though, argues that this worry is unfounded. “The Appellate Division correctly held that IPN became ineligible for J-51 benefits upon exiting the Mitchell-Lama program, and therefore never became rent stabilized,” he told DNAinfo in a recent article.

If the Court of Appeals agrees to consider the tenants’ case, it would be their last chance to change the ruling. While some tenants will be affected differently than others if they fail, because some pay market rates while others’ rents remain protected, all would benefit from stabilized rents, argued the tenants’ lawyer Seth Miller at the conference.

IPNTA President Diane Lapson, a longtime resident of the complex, encouraged her fellow residents to be strong. “We built Tribeca. And we’re still building Tribeca,” she said. “Every great story has a great struggle.”

She said in an interview, “We made the neighborhood so great that other people wanted to move in, but now IPN is the diversity of Tribeca. Without it, this would be white-bread land. Without it, young people no longer have a choice of where to live [in the city] like I did.”

Community Board 6 Chair Mark Thompson said that while the board hasn’t taken an official position on the rezoning proposal, they are generally supportive of it. The biggest problem, he said, is that the city wants to plow ahead with the plan before allowing adequate time to answer the community’s questions and figure out how a potential business boom in Midtown would affect other city systems. Thompson said the board is concerned that the city isn’t giving enough consideration to ancillary factors like sidewalk crowding, an influx of subway and bus passengers and the impact on the electric grid and sewer systems that would come along with a rapid upward expansion of Midtown office buildings.

The board will be sending a letter to City Council Member Dan Garodnick requesting a meeting and his assistance in getting the DCP to steady the pace as they continue, and is working in conjunction with Community Board 5, which shares their concerns.

Renewed Calls for Pedicab Restrictions
Upper East Side Council Member Dan Garodnick, chair of the consumer affairs committee, has consistently called for stricter regulations of the pedicab industry, citing the high number of complaints that his committee has received from customers who feel they were ripped off. The New York Post reported earlier this week that one visiting family from Texas was charged over $400 for a 10-block ride in Midtown recently—and that the charge was completely legal. Garodnick introduced a package of bills last year that passed the Council and now require pedicab drivers to clearly post their rates someone in their cab, but the city doesn’t place any restrictions on how much pedicabs can charge, and some are getting around the rule by posting their rates in tiny lettering and not directing their passengers’ attention to it. Now Garodnick, along with many in the pedicab industry who don’t want their profession given a bad name, are calling for additional laws that will require drivers to state the charges clearly at the beginning of a ride, instead of springing a huge bill on riders when they reach their destination.

Summer Streets on the East Side
If you’ve always dreamed of zip-lining through the streets of Manhattan, your dreams may soon be fulfilled. The Department of Transportation will continue the fifth annual Summer Streets program for the next two Saturdays, Aug. 11 and 18, on the East Side, closing down Park Avenue from Foley Square downtown all the way up to East 72nd Street from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cars will vanish and the avenue will be free to roam on foot, bike, scooter, rollerblades or hoverboard, with activities like the zip-line, a rock climbing wall and a picnic food stand area from Whole Foods at various rest stops along the way. There will also be interactive art projects and a fire hydrant sprinkler, perfect for parched kids. Complete info at nyc.gov/summerstreets.

A Comic Consolidation
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) announced this week that it will be consolidating its collections with that of the Society of Illustrators, located at 128 E. 63rd St. The two art institutions will merge their assets and become a single institution dedicated to celebrating illustration, comics and animation. The Society will continue to host the MoCCA Fest, an annual independent comics festival, and will dedicate one of their galleries to MoCCA’s permanent collection and draw from the collection for curated shows.
“The Society of Illustrators has a long, proud history of promoting the art and appreciation of all genres of illustration,” said Executive Director Anelle Miller in a statement. “We are honored to be able to spearhead the expansion and growth of the incredible foundation that MoCCA has created over the past 10 years.”

East Siders’ Ideas to Boost Second Ave.
While the businesses on Second Avenue near the subway construction have suffered in the past years, with foot traffic down by 30 percent in some spots, local residents say that they try their best to support those businesses and have ideas of how they can do even better, according to a survey conducted by Council Member Jessica Lappin’s office. Out of the 990 people who responded to the survey, 78 percent said that they shop in stores or dine in restaurants along Second Avenue. An overwhelmingly number—86 percent—also said that they’d be inclined to spend on the Avenue more frequently if merchants offered coupons or deals.

“Businesses have been hit hard by Second Avenue construction, so it’s wonderful that East Siders are supporting them,” Lappin said in a statement. “This survey also makes it clear that shoppers are looking for bargains. In this economy, who isn’t? So, going forward, this is something we can work on with Second Avenue merchants.”

The survey also found the best thing the MTA can do to help people who live around the Second Avenue construction is to provide better information for the community about what’s going on. Survey respondents chose that option 40 percent of the time, more than keeping the work spaces cleaner and being less noisy.

C Tops the List as the Worst Line in the City
Have a favorite subway line? So does the New York Public Interest Research Group, whose Straphangers Campaign released its annual State of the Subway report last week.

The Q line came out on top, with major points for a low breakdown rate, regular service, seat availability and cleanliness. Apparently, this line also has the best announcements in the system. It ranked relatively low, though, on the actual amount of scheduled service.
Probably to few New Yorkers’ surprise, the C line came in last. For the fourth year in a row, its notorious grimy cars, frequent breakdowns and infrequent appearances kept it at the bottom. It ranked second to last on in-car announcements.