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NewsTranscript
00:01Good morning everyone. It is such a pleasure to be here in Greenpoint alongside partners,
00:10friends, and advocates to make this announcement that this neighborhood has waited years to hear.
00:21So what's a couple more minutes? I'm gonna, I first want to acknowledge a number of leaders
00:28both inside our city government as well as outside partners who have helped to make this day possible.
00:33You know, I'm proud to be standing alongside our parks commissioner, Trisha Shimomura, who is here with us.
00:39Our council member, Lincoln Ressler, who is here with us. Our assembly member, Emily Gallagher, who is here with us.
00:47We also have our EDC executive vice president of the capital program, Elizabeth Arnaiz, who is here.
00:53We have local residents, Acacia Thompson and Zach Eisenstadt, who have been critical parts of this fight.
01:02We have former city council member, Steven Levin, who is here with us.
01:06We have representatives from Congresswoman Nidia Velasquez's office who are here with us.
01:11And we also want to shout out all of the local organizations, advocates, tenant associations,
01:18commercial and manufacturing partners that made this day possible, who are here with us.
01:23And finally, staff from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the MTA, who are here with us.
01:33So a year ago, a Google Maps user named Henry Walker left a review for Box Street Park.
01:40In his list of pros, he wrote that it provided, quote, desperately needed park space in North Greenpoint.
01:46His list of cons contained only one item, does not exist.
01:51And still, he gave it three out of five stars.
01:57New Yorkers are nothing if not optimistic.
02:00As you can see from the cracked patches of pavement around us, Henry is correct.
02:05Box Street Park does not exist.
02:07More than 20 years ago, City Hall promised to transform this lot into a park.
02:13That was 2005.
02:16When that promise was made, movies came out on VHS.
02:21Tobey Maguire was Peter Parker.
02:23And I'm pretty sure I wasn't even born.
02:26Even then, the people of Greenpoint knew they deserved better.
02:31And they intended to hold government to it.
02:35They saw a lot that sat on the banks of Newtown Creek, one of the most polluted stretches of water
02:41in America.
02:42But they knew it could be transformed from an abandoned site into a place of community.
02:48So they did what New Yorkers do best.
02:50They laced up their shoes, they canvassed their neighbors, they held meetings in cafes and on street corners, and they
02:57organized.
02:57After years of Greenpoint residents testing the water and pushing for change,
03:03Newtown Creek was listed as an EPA Superfund site in 2010.
03:07An act that federally mandated that the creek be cleaned.
03:15But clean up is only half the job.
03:18The other half is returning this stretch of the waterfront back to the people.
03:22And year after year, City Hall continued to let this site languish in disrepair.
03:28But our administration believes what residents of Greenpoint have long known to be true.
03:33That access to our shoreline should not be a luxury, but a right that is afforded to every New Yorker.
03:43This morning, I am proud to stand here alongside the relentless advocates both in elected office and outside of it,
03:49of delivering on that very conviction as we finally turn a decades-old promise into a park.
03:57Beginning today, workers will prepare this site to transform it into a park.
04:04And in November, demolition and excavation will begin.
04:13I've never clapped for demolition and excavation.
04:17But it will take a concerted effort to transform this shoreline from broken asphalt and overgrowth
04:23into two and a half acres of new public waterfront.
04:26But once complete, New Yorkers will finally be able to enjoy the Box Street Park they have long awaited and
04:33deserved.
04:34An esplanade will let you look out over the skyline.
04:37And an accessible path and terrace seating will bring you right down to the water's edge.
04:42There will be a basketball court, a dog run, and a-
04:48And a picnic area for families.
04:53We got the dog constituency and the family constituency.
04:56Throughout the park, you will find black gum and eastern redbud trees, purple lovegrass and little blue stern,
05:02Virginia roses, and seaside goldenrods.
05:05All native plants that will cool the air and clean the water for years to come.
05:09And it will connect existing esplanades to the east and west,
05:13filling a gap that has interrupted the North Brooklyn waterfront for years.
05:17For the first time, New Yorkers will be able to walk this entire stretch of shoreline without a fence in
05:24the way.
05:28In short, Greenpoint is going to be greener.
05:32For too long, this neighborhood was told that a park was coming.
05:36Today, we are making good on that promise.
05:39We are building a Box Street Park that will turn that three-star Google Maps review into a five-star
05:45review.
05:46And maybe, maybe, just maybe, Henry Walker will one day write,
05:51Great Park, it exists.
05:55And with that, I'm going to pass it over to our MC for the day,
05:59New York City Parks Commissioner, Trisha Shimomura.
06:05Good morning, Greenpoint.
06:10Finally, I do not need to tell anyone here how critical our open space is.
06:15For far too long, Greenpointers have been cut off from parts of the waterfront,
06:18one of our city's greatest natural resources.
06:21Important public access projects have faced years of delays and obstacles.
06:26But as seen by this crowd and known very much in the hearts of our elected officials and advocates,
06:32this community does not give up.
06:34And neither does the Parks Department.
06:36This groundbreaking is an important step towards giving Greenpoint the public access
06:40and waterfront it deserves.
06:42And this project builds on the work that we're doing up and down the Greenpoint waterfront.
06:46Earlier this summer, we cut the ribbon on the No Motiva portion of Bushwick Inland Park.
06:54A $10 million construction project that restored tidal wetland ecosystem and provided access to the
07:00shore for kayakers.
07:02And yes, our council member was there celebrating every single inch of the park.
07:07Spaces like these are not luxuries.
07:10They are absolute necessities.
07:12At the new Box Street Park, New Yorkers will be able to relax by the water on terrace granite seating,
07:17take them in the Manhattan skyline from a picnic blanket on the central lawn,
07:21and work up a sweat on our brand-new basketball court.
07:24And of course, this new park will be accessible, welcoming space for all,
07:29including our four-legged friends at the new dog run.
07:35Before I introduce our next speakers, I would like to acknowledge some of the people who have been
07:39critical to this project.
07:40Many of you know her.
07:42Our North Brooklyn Parks Administrator, Mary Sally Coussain.
07:51Our Chief of Planning and Neighborhood Development, Nick Moulinari, and our entire planning division.
07:58And of course, our Brooklyn Borough Commissioner, Marty Marr.
08:05And now it's my pleasure to introduce our next speaker, our New York City council member and park lover, Lincoln
08:12Ressler.
08:1821 years ago, when this waterfront was rezoned, the central premise was that we were going to get a whole
08:25lot of housing,
08:26but we were going to finally open up our waterfront, our industrial waterfront, to our community.
08:32But the park space largely never came.
08:37The MTA promised that they were going to vacate.
08:40In writing, they promised they were going to vacate this site 21 years ago.
08:45There are kids, there are Greenpoint children who are born and can now legally drink,
08:51who are still looking at a damn parking lot on this site.
08:55When I ran for district leader back in 2010, which also was before Mayor Mom Donnie was born,
09:03the first action I organized with a number of the people who are standing behind us today
09:09was a rally here in front of these gates where we issued an eviction notice to the MTA.
09:17We posted it on the gate and we demanded that we get our damn park.
09:23Over these years, our community has organized again and again and again.
09:28Acacia founded a friends group for a park that didn't exist.
09:32When neighbors across the city were celebrating It's My Park Day here in Greenpoint, Emily and others were
09:38celebrating Where's My Park Day?
09:41And we kept fighting and fighting and fighting.
09:45And when I ran for city council in 2021, there were a handful of commitments that I made to myself.
09:51I said, come hell or high water, these things are going to happen.
09:54And Box Street Park was on that list.
09:58We started organizing monthly meetings with the parks department and EDC and DEC to make sure
10:03that the site was cleaned up and that we had the funding fully in place.
10:06We secured nearly 10 additional million dollars to take a project that was originally supposed
10:11to be 14 million and today costs 41 million dollars.
10:22We were able in the most recent rezoning over at the Monitor Point site to finally relocate this MTA
10:28ERU unit over to East Williamsburg so that we'll be able to break ground on the second phase of this
10:34park in two years time to get it fully completed. And with the mayor's generous support, we're already
10:39securing additional dollars for phase two to help make that a reality.
10:46This park will be an oasis for newer residents here in 77 and 35 commercial and blue slip
10:55and for lifelong residents like Laura Hoffman and so many others from Krakus and across the neighborhood
11:02who have been desperately fighting for this park space for decades.
11:06Yes, this is about reclaiming our waterfront. Yes, it's about securing the park space we deserve.
11:11But it's about something that's bigger than that. Something that I think is really the fundamental
11:16essence of this mayor's leadership. It's about restoring faith in government.
11:24For too long, we've had broken promises that have led neighbors to believe that nobody's looking out
11:30for us, that nobody's actually fighting for us. And by stepping into office,
11:35partnering with us and saying, we are going to secure every inch of park space that we were promised.
11:41We are going to make this happen together. Mayor Mamdani is delivering something that's even more
11:47important than a park. Faith. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.
11:53Thank you. Next, I'm thrilled to introduce our Assemblymember Emily Gallagher.
12:04Good morning, everyone. Good morning. I am so thrilled to be here with two of my dearest friends
12:11who I have been fighting with for this kind of faith in government my entire adult life. And I am
12:21so proud to be
12:22here at Box Street Park as we are opening the next phase. Much like what Lincoln just said,
12:32I really have learned two major things from this community. And I think it's the glue that holds this
12:39community together. It's a combination of faith and fight. We deeply believe in Greenpoint and
12:48Williamsburg that we will get what we deserve. But we are not willing to just passively wait for it.
12:55What we do is we band together, we form associations, we create opportunities, and we
13:03fight to the death for what we want. And when I first moved to this neighborhood in 2006,
13:10the rezoning had just been passed. And I met people on street corners who were pulling me in,
13:17who were preaching to me about what this neighborhood was promised and what we had to fight for,
13:22and what we had to get to get what we deserved. This neighborhood has a long history of being sold
13:30out by the city of New York. In the 1980s, the city of New York saw no promise for this
13:36neighborhood
13:36beyond polluting industry and parking lots and storage. But this community said absolutely not.
13:45This is our home. We deserve good health. We deserve open spaces where we can be with our friends and
13:52family and dogs. And we deserve to have the same kind of beautiful life that the better, betterly
14:02resourced, betterly, the more resourced neighborhoods had in other places. As time went on,
14:11the resource level of this neighborhood changed because on top of the exploitation of this neighborhood
14:16from industry, we also got exploitation from real estate. And it means that a lot of the people who
14:26fought with faith for this community are no longer here. What I am so proud of and what I'm so
14:33excited
14:34about in Mayor Mamdani's vision for our city is that that trajectory does not exist anymore. We will no
14:43longer let people be displaced or given terrible public health because they don't have the resources
14:51that other people have. And now this neighborhood will finally get what it deserves. And I want to
14:58dedicate this win to every single person who fought for this neighborhood, who fought through cancer
15:04diagnoses and other things that came out of this toxic past and who are continuing to fight today,
15:10whether they live here or elsewhere. This is a park for all of us. Every Greenpointer who has ever lived
15:18here
15:18belongs in Box Street Park. And I will continue to fight for the future of Greenpoint and New York
15:23State in the same fashion. Thank you.
15:31Nothing ever is able to get built or thrive without our local community neighborhood partners and
15:37advocates. And with that in mind, I'm thrilled to introduce Acacia Thompson to speak from Greenpoint
15:45Library and founder of Friends of Box Street Park. Good morning, everyone. I want to thank you,
15:53Mr. Mayor Mandami for coming. You've been giving Greenpoint a lot of love since you've been in office
15:57and we're very grateful. I'm Acacia Thompson. I've lived across the street for 11 years. And when I moved back
16:04to the community in 2015, I learned about this proposed park, part of the 2005 waterfront rezoning plan, right?
16:12So I was surprised to find out that nothing had been done in the 10 years since it had been
16:16promised.
16:18I'm an environmental justice coordinator here in the community and a librarian. So I want to give you
16:22just a little history so that you know a little bit about the advocacy of this park from your neighbors.
16:27As a parent and a burgeoning open space advocate, I rallied to draw attention to this park that had yet
16:33to materialize. For several years, I spoke to NYC Parks Department, our local electeds, neighbors,
16:39and other local activists to bring attention back to the fact that we still did not have this park and
16:44what could we do about it? I learned from the intrepid activists like at Barge Park Pals, Laura Hoffman,
16:50Steve Chesler at Transmitter Park and Bushwick Inlet Park, friends of, and about how to how to do it,
16:57how to advocate for open space here with the city. So I started Friends of Box Street Park. Meanwhile,
17:03super towers were going up and new neighbors were moving in and we desperately needed this park.
17:08We need this park. So as we all know, Greenpoint has a rich history of industrialized pollution and
17:14our community struggles with the environmental justice issues from that legacy. Every New Yorker
17:19deserves access to open green space for the quality of their life, the health, and the well-being of
17:26their friends and their families. This park is a much-needed public good in a rapidly developing
17:31neighborhood. So backtrack to April 2018, Parks Department held a design scoping meeting,
17:38and I pestered all the local electeds at the time, with some neighbors to attend and rallied other
17:43neighbors to come to let the community or Parks Department know about what they wanted in this park.
17:50The park design at the time was a soccer field, which would not serve the needs of our growing
17:55community. And given the fact that we already had several fields in the neighborhood and a diverse
18:00group of people living in North Greenpoint, we advocated for a passive and active park that can be
18:05enjoyed by all of our neighbors. So the next year Parks Department brought a design that would afford us
18:10passive and active space. And after community input, they also added greater access to the waterfront.
18:16So that was a while ago. We all know we've had a series of a lot of setbacks. The community
18:23has
18:23continued to develop and advocate for over eight years. And I really want to shout out to Mary Salig
18:28at Parks Department for always being very communicative and helpful in answering questions when we are
18:33getting very frustrated about the development of the park. I'm grateful to our electeds, Councilmember
18:38Wessler and Assemblymember Gallagher. I know my name. You've been in my living room. I know your name.
18:47You never forgot about the promise of this park to this community. And for 21 years, right,
18:54working to make this right and pushing it forward to hold the city accountable and to provide the much
19:00needed green space that will prevent fit the health and the wellness of our community for years to come.
19:07So we are deeply grateful this is finally happening. Thanks so much. Thanks a lot. Thanks, everyone.
19:18Greenpoint, I hope you know our next speaker. If not, you should sign up with him because this is going
19:22to be a bit of a long process, a little bit longer while we go through construction. And it's a
19:26great way to
19:27stay informed, stay involved, and be up to date on every single step along the along the way. So with
19:33that, I hope I'm thrilled to introduce Zach Eisenstadt, our Greenpoint resident and street safety advocate.
19:40All right, nothing like batting cleanup after these heavyweights, but I'll try as I squint at my phone.
19:47I am Zach Eisenstadt.
19:53Yeah, there you go. At least there was one woo.
19:54Now some of you might already know me because of the work we've done trying to calm commercial street,
19:59or because of the work we've done trying to organize tenants to hold landlords accountable.
20:05But I've come to Greenpoint about a decade ago, which by many accounts makes me pretty new to the community.
20:10And in that time, I came here as a struggling performer who was hoping to find an affordable place to
20:15sleep.
20:16And now I'm a dad. I'm a husband.
20:20I'm a community activist. I'm still a struggling performer.
20:24But now I have this outrageous hope of helping create a community where we can all not only afford to
20:31live,
20:31but enjoy and thrive living in.
20:36Now, as I witnessed these high-rises rise up around me, I got a first-hand seat to see how
20:42Greenpointers fight.
20:44They've all talked about it, and a lot of you have been witness to or participated in it.
20:49We helped ensure that the Newhart site got cleaned up.
20:53That's right.
20:54McGinnis is now much safer, and not that much slower for anyone complaining.
21:00And now we're finally getting the infrastructure we were promised over 20 years ago.
21:06This moment is a testament to the years of organizing this community has brought to bear.
21:12Speaking up for ourselves and our neighbors, whether they're new or old.
21:17No, no, no, I was saying to the general public, no, no.
21:21But 2006 is a lot sooner than 2015.
21:24Calm down.
21:26Look, Greenpointers fight.
21:28And now, and how incredible it is to finally see that fight come to bear alongside elected and an administration
21:37that shares that same outrageous hope that we all do.
21:43Now, I want to quickly thank Councilmember Ressler, Assemblymember Gallagher,
21:50and honestly, the face of hope in our city right now, Mayor Mamdani.
21:58Look, your support and dedication to Greenpoint has transformed it for the better
22:03in just a short amount of time that I've been living here.
22:07And it's really exciting to see what's about to come.
22:10This stalwart support has already helped make this a better community.
22:13And I think there's a lot more work to be done.
22:15And I'm excited to be a part of it with this administration and these elected officials.
22:20Now, as excited as we are to celebrate this groundbreaking,
22:23we are excited to welcome you back for the ribbon cutting.
22:26Also for the ribbon cutting when Commercial Street gets a little safer.
22:29And the school opens around the corner.
22:32And, you know, Greenpoint Playground gets a few more swings in it.
22:36But in the meantime, I want to just say that we are very excited and we want to thank you
22:42all,
22:42all of you, to everyone who fought, everyone who, you know, from the government on down,
22:47everyone here who has made a phone call or sat in a meeting.
22:50Thank you for helping them finally fulfill the promises of a past administration.
22:57This is a really exciting moment.
22:58Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
23:09Okay, we've got time for some questions about Box Street Park.
23:13Any questions about the park?
23:15Okay, we'll go to Monica, if you could just wait for the microphone.
23:19Hello, good morning, everybody.
23:20And good morning, Mr. Mayor.
23:21Good morning, everybody.
23:22First question, when this project will be completed, is there a deadline?
23:27But I have a second question on the topic of Greenpoint.
23:30As you know, I'm Polish-American.
23:32Yes.
23:32This is Little Poland.
23:34Mr. Mayor, will you attend the Pulaski Day Parade, which is marching this Sunday?
23:37I know you were invited.
23:40And the second question, is it true that you plan on cancelling the dedicated event
23:45to Polish Heritage at Gracie Mansion, Polish Heritage Night?
23:49If yes, then why?
23:50Thank you so much.
23:51October is Polish Heritage Month, so today is October 1st.
23:55Thank you very much.
23:56Yeah, you're welcome.
23:56Thank you for those questions, and happy Polish Heritage Month.
23:59I will get back to you on both of the questions about the Pulaski Day Parade,
24:03as well as the event.
24:04I have to be honest with you, I'm not as well versed in what my schedule is beyond the next
24:07day.
24:09And in terms of the Gracie Mansion events, but we will get back to you on that.
24:11On your first question, the construction is, we're going to be beginning at this fall.
24:16It's going to be completed by the end of summer 2028.
24:21Any other questions about the park?
24:23Okay.
24:24Thank you, Commissioner.
24:25Thank you to our speakers.
24:26We'll have time for some off topics.
24:27Thank you, sir.
24:40We can start with Katie.
24:46Hi, good morning, Mayor Mamdani.
24:48I have two questions.
24:49The first is...
24:51Good morning, Katie.
24:52Good morning.
24:52I wanted to ask, you know, there was a reporting today on the 12 neighborhoods in New York City
24:57that have the lowest share of new housing.
25:00Which neighborhoods would you like to see rezoned for more housing immediately beyond
25:05the south of Prospect Park neighborhood plan?
25:07And do you want the second question now, or...?
25:09I'll take the second question.
25:10The second question is, you know, the city council is having an AI hearing on Monday.
25:13It's a committee of the whole, so all the council members will be there to discuss
25:17both threats to the city from AI companies, but also AI policy.
25:21Do you want to talk, I know you've spoken about this months ago, but about the city's approach
25:25to AI and any concerns you might have about increased threats from AI companies and attacks,
25:31and whether the city is capable at this point of protecting the city and its assets from that?
25:37I think in the conversation that we've been having about artificial intelligence,
25:43I've shared a few of my concerns. One of the earliest iterations of this conversation
25:48was in the context of our students across New York City. So we put forward a nation-leading plan
25:55of a moratorium on generative AI from 2K through eighth grade, and for students in high school that
26:02the maximum they could use generative AI would be 45 minutes per week. And that this would actually be
26:07coupled with instructions on what artificial intelligence is, what it portends for our future,
26:14how to also be equipped with that knowledge given how much it is influencing the landscape also of
26:20job opportunities and what comes next for so many of our students. Now, separate from that, there is
26:25also the hugging face incident and the assertion by a number of leaders within the artificial intelligence
26:34who stated that the hugging face incident has occurred at every single AI company, and therefore it should
26:41not be viewed as a company-specific vulnerability, but rather something that is endemic to this industry
26:47as a whole. And we've also heard a number of them share their concerns about the potential end of
26:52humanity as a result of the technology. So yes, I am concerned. I'm concerned by the fact that we are
27:01finding out
27:02about this technology almost exclusively from those who are creating this technology,
27:08as opposed to from any federal government regulation of the technology. It feels as if
27:15the very place where there should be urgency and decisiveness is where we are years behind even
27:20understanding the scale and the scope of what is being developed by these companies. And I continue to
27:28hope that there will be a very different approach taken to the question of artificial intelligence
27:33than simply couching it in the language of an arms race with China, because the conversation is not
27:39about the supremacy of one nation over the other. The conversation has now become about humanity and
27:44the safeguards that need to be implemented. And we also know that when the only motive at hand is profit,
27:51then there are a lot of things cast at the wayside. And one of it is the consequences for people.
27:55And that is something that we are very concerned about. Then to your question about
28:02the fast tracking. So this week, we did release the bottom 12 districts that will be a part of the
28:08affordable housing fast track. In the fast track, just to give people an overview, we are talking about
28:13an expedited review process for new housing projects. And the community board, the borough president,
28:21they will still retain a review period within that, you know, to your question of where would I like to
28:25see it? Frankly, I want to see housing across our city. I think it is incredibly important when we
28:31are talking about the cost of living crisis, a recognition that housing is the number one driver
28:36of that crisis, the lack of affordable housing. And frankly, when you look at our city's history,
28:42the fact that we have not been able, it's not actually a question of technical, we have not
28:47chosen to build the amount of housing we need to since 1961. And so we are looking to bring that
28:53era
28:54to an end and start building the amount of housing that can ensure that the green pointers who first
28:59fought for a park like this can afford to stay in this neighborhood to enjoy a park like this.
29:16I think that, you know, we heard earlier that so much of this conversation starts with a rezoning
29:21around the promise of more housing. And but that rezoning was coupled with a promise about
29:26increased access to green space. And so I do think that as we are building more housing across our
29:31city, we have to understand it as part of a larger context of also infrastructure that's required.
29:37Sometimes that's infrastructure like green space. Sometimes that's also infrastructure
29:40like ensuring there's capacity across the board for the new residents that will be moving in.
29:45Thanks, Katie. Okay, we'll go to Melissa next.
29:49Good morning, Mayor. How are you? Morning, Melissa. I'm doing well. How are you?
29:51Fine. Thank you. As you know, landlord groups have challenged your
29:55rent freeze, your promised rent freeze, which takes effect today. Is there a scenario where if
30:01the city loses that case, tenants and rent stabilized units could be forced in the future
30:07to pay even retroactive rent increases? And what steps is your administration taking,
30:12if any, for that possibility? And then I have a second question. Okay.
30:17So first, what I will say is that the independent rent guidelines board rent freeze for one year and
30:23two year leases goes into effect today. So if you if you are in a rent stabilized apartment,
30:35whether you're here or you're watching from home, any lease renewal starting today must remain at the
30:42same rent that it was last year. In some ways, you know, Fat Joe once says yesterday's price is not
30:49today's price. This is one of the places where it's not correct. Now, if you are wondering,
30:54does this apply to me? You know, where do I stand in this? I would recommend that you call 311,
30:59because they do have a tenant helpline that can let you know whether your building is covered by this,
31:05what your rights are as a tenant. I know there are many rent stabilized tenants who don't actually know
31:09whether or not their status falls into this, they should call that line. And then, you know, I am
31:14confident in in the rent guidelines boards, their decision, their independent decision, and the
31:23the law department's continued defense of what they have done and the fact that they made that
31:27decision on the basis of all the information that they had in front of them. No contingency planning
31:31at this point, at least not yet. We are confident in this. And and what I will also say is
31:36that it is
31:36ironic to have seen reporting that the former first deputy mayor who is leading the lawsuit against
31:43the rent freeze, allegedly sought to influence members of the rent guidelines board in past years.
31:49And since we're here talking about open spaces, Mr. Mayor, your your administration has said that it
31:55will sue unless Columbia University reopens its pathway between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue
32:02immediately. How immediately do you want to see them do this? And for instance, should it be before
32:07October 7th, given that they ultimately closed their campus the first time because of concerns
32:13about protests? How should this be handled? Why is it a priority for you? So the reason this is a
32:20priority is that decades ago, the city reached an agreement with Columbia University on the basis
32:27that College Walk was supposed to remain open for public access. This is something that I know
32:32personally also as someone who grew up on Riverside Drive right next to Columbia University, whose
32:37father is a Columbia University faculty member. And what I have heard and what so many have heard in
32:44that neighborhood is that when you close what is public space in the very site that is supposed to
32:52be a protection for academic and public freedom, you are not only taking a very different path,
32:59but also quite literally, you are forcing so many members of the community to take very different
33:05paths to get around their day to day life. And we've heard from a lot of older members of the
33:09neighborhood that having lived on 116th and Amsterdam now to get to 116th and Broadway and take the one
33:16train, they now have to take many more blocks. And that is something that is not in alignment or
33:21accordance with the original agreement. You know, when when it comes to the specifics of of this
33:28lawsuit, I want to just lay out very clearly that what we stated is that unlike the past
33:33administration, we do support the reopening of the walkway and that we've actually reached an
33:39agreement with the petitioners who had initially taken the university and the city to court,
33:44which makes clear what the original purpose was of College Walk, as well as commits us to taking
33:49prompt legal action if Columbia does not immediately reopen the walkway. And as to the definition of
33:54immediate, I would say it speaks for itself. Thank you. Okay, we're going to go next to Josie.
34:01You could just pass the mic down. Let me get one real quick. The BQE. Speaking of detours,
34:07are you sad about ruining tourist photos with the with the over the bypass that's going to go over
34:12the Brooklyn Bridge for 12 years? Have you seen those renderings that came out yesterday? That's just
34:16how are you going to overcome? Of the tourist photos? Of the renderings? And also just the entire
34:22rejection of what some have called a failure of that plan to think bigger and to not sign us up
34:30for 40 years of cars and trucks going through that that space. Sorry, Josie. Totally fine.
34:37First, I do want to appreciate your DMX t-shirt. Second, I think to to the question of the BQE,
34:43some of the most pivotal questions that we have to answer that led us to this decision is one,
34:50how do we ensure that we're keeping New Yorker safe? We're talking about a highway that was
34:56constructed for less than half of the number of vehicles that are currently using it at this time.
35:00We also see a significant number of those vehicles being heavier than what was originally anticipated at
35:05the time of construction. The second is how do we make these repairs while also not increasing the
35:12amount of traffic on local roads around in the neighborhoods around because we know that's been
35:16a longstanding concern. And third is that we've seen administration after administration kick the
35:22can down the road on what they're going to do. And we know that when it comes to this, there
35:28simply
35:29isn't that much more room to postpone. And what we need to do is make it safe, ensure that we
35:35can
35:36continue to prevent any of that traffic spilling over into local neighborhoods and doing so on
35:40a timeline that New Yorkers can actually hold us to. So that's what we've laid out. That is the
35:45timeline that we've put forward. It is something that we will be completing over the next decade.
35:49And it is to ensure that we do not have to come back to this in two years or five
35:53years or eight
35:54years and say, we still don't know what we're doing about it. Thank you.
35:58Thanks. Josie, go ahead. Then I'll go to NJ.
36:00Um, in light of the Gotham is reporting about Randy Mastro potentially
36:07interfering in the rent guidelines board. Do you think the workers should sue Mastro for
36:13sue the sewer? Sue the sewer. You know, I mean, I've said there are a few things,
36:21there are a few things that are more certain than death taxes and Randy Mastro suing our
36:25administration. Um, I leave it to other New Yorkers of, of how they want to engage with Randy Mastro.
36:35Yeah.
36:38But you know, yeah, I think it's, I think it is, um, it was ironic to read the reporting in
36:45Gothamist
36:45that the man who is suing our administration on the basis that we have influenced the independent
36:51rent guidelines board is now being accused of having influenced the rent guidelines board
36:56when they raised rents.
36:58I have a second question.
37:00Um, Mark Levine on Katie's podcast.
37:04Oh, FAQ NYC?
37:05Yes, indeed. Shout out.
37:07Yeah.
37:07Oh, and Christina and Harry's. Um, was talking about how he's concerned about the city on the
37:17flip side of the AI debate, not being quick enough to adopt these technologies and potentially
37:22falling behind as others do use them. I wonder what you think of that.
37:27I think it's always a balance where we're looking for any tools that we can
37:32use to make a more efficient, more excellent city government. And we're also looking to ensure that
37:39this is not a technology that is coming at the expense of a workforce or of the quality of the
37:45work that we're putting forward. And that is a balance, uh, when it comes to what it means for
37:50our kids, we've laid forward that moratorium for, for two K through eighth grade and the very, um,
37:56strict limits for, for high school. Uh, when it comes to city government as a whole,
38:01it's a conversation that continues. What I will say is that we are an administration
38:05that appreciates what technology can deliver for New Yorkers. We are now in the month of October
38:12today where we will be launching the first municipal click to cancel rule in all of the United States
38:20of America, which is a portal, uh, where New Yorkers can go to report any subscription that they do
38:27not know how to get out of. And that is, you know, if it's, you know, if it's peacock or
38:35it's your
38:36gym membership and you don't know how to get out of it, this is a portal that we assume is
38:40going to
38:40save New Yorkers more than a hundred million dollars. It's only possible because of the technologists
38:45that we have on our team at OTI and the fast track work that they're doing. Thank you.
38:50And Jay, go ahead. Yes. Uh, good morning, mayor. Good morning. Yes. On the fast track plan,
38:56please. Um, you've got some members of the council who feel that it is an attempt to get around them,
39:01to cut them out of the process. Um, can you explain why you're taking this approach and,
39:07and do you see yourself as the Robert Moses of affordable housing?
39:11No, no, no, no, I don't. But I've also never been asked that. That's, um,
39:18to, to, to the, to the question that you've put forward. Look, I think that
39:22we need to build more housing, a city that does not build a city that does not grow is a
39:27city that
39:27will then die. And for too long, it has felt like we are comfortable to just rest on our laurels.
39:33We all know that we're the greatest city in the world, but the way that we became the greatest city
39:37in the world was not that we told ourselves that it's that we pushed ourselves to become that.
39:41And when you look at examples of the very icons of the city, the empire state building,
39:49it's built in 13 months. That is something that state senators Elmer Myrie often reminds all of us.
39:55And yet the idea that you could build that today in that same timeline, it sounds like a fantasy.
39:59And so for us, we have to expedite the amount of housing we're building,
40:04the speed at which we're building it. And we have to interrogate every single rule and regulation
40:09that we have in city government to ensure that there is an actual purpose for it. And if there
40:14isn't, then to ensure that we're doing everything we can to change that, to deliver on it. And when it
40:19comes to these specific districts, you know, we are talking about districts that have been found to be,
40:26they have not developed enough housing over a long period of time. And we do need this to be a
40:31responsibility that is, um, held by all neighborhoods, not just by specific neighborhoods.
40:37You heard assembly member Gallagher speak earlier about the disparity between neighborhoods with
40:42more resources and less. We don't want that to be the case when it comes to building more housing.
40:46And if the council members say you're putting them out of the process, what's your answer to that?
40:50My answer would be that we're looking forward to working with council members through this process.
40:54Um, this is, you know, we have seen council members who have even put forward their own ideas for what
41:00it
41:01could look like in their neighborhood. These are things we take very seriously. And what I appreciate
41:04is that it has shifted the conversation from, should we build more housing to what kind of housing should
41:10we build when and how, and that is at least a step forward. Now we just need to get to
41:14the building.
41:14Thank you. Okay. We've got time for one more. We're going to go to Molly from Politico.
41:20Morning. Morning, Molly. How's it going? Good. How are you?
41:23Although there's a man in a Liverpool uniform over there.
41:25It's tough for me. Yeah. Um, so this morning it was reported that Ken Griffin
41:30gave a historic $3 billion donation to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with $2 billion
41:35of that going towards setting up a new campus in Miami. Um, you and Ken Griffin had some internet
41:41beef earlier this year and he said that it was, you know, making him question how much money he was
41:46going to give to the city. And I'm just curious if that money was, you know, something you would have
41:50liked to see come to this city and if it made you rethink sort of like the video that you
41:54had posted.
41:54Yeah. I think we'll always appreciate more investment in our city and more support
41:59here in our city. Um, and, and that's something that is true for anyone who is looking to be a
42:04part
42:04of this city. You know, just yesterday we had the first convening of our business advisory council
42:09at Gracie mansion. And I got the chance to sit with and speak to a number of leaders across a
42:15wide
42:15variety of industry. Um, whether it be, you know, one of the leaders of our New York Liberty,
42:19who we are incredibly excited about, um, to, to leaders in healthcare and finance and building
42:26and food and restaurants. And what was so exciting about that is celebrating in the fact that of every
42:33state across the country, New York's economy is growing at the fastest rate and asking ourselves,
42:38what more can we do to build on that? We will welcome anyone's support, anyone's involvement,
42:43and we will always do so because this is a city that belongs to all who live here. Thank you
42:48so much.
42:48Thank you. That's all the time we have. Thank you.
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