Marty Markowitz Weighs In on Providence House

Borough President Marty Markowitz has submitted an official statement on the Providence House development proposed for 329 Lincoln Road to the City Planning Commission. The statement says a lot of the right things about the need for transitional housing and the success that Providence House has had in their other projects but, in the end, like CB9, he recommends against the project.

To be clear, Markowitz doesn't formally oppose the project: he approves the project "with modifications" and disapproves the special permit "with modifications." Here is a breakdown of Markowitz's proposed changes:

• The current plan calls for 20 of the 26 units to be used for transitional housing with the remainder to be low-income units. Markowitz wants the transitional units reduced to 16, in keeping with the 60/40 split Providence House has in place at their Bed-Stuy facility.
• The current plan calls for the development to be all-Single Room Occupancy units. Markowitz proposes that the low-income units be a mix of SRO and family units.
• He opposes the request for a special permit allowing the building to go as high as 6 stories. Markowitz opposed the request for a special permit unless the units were allocated along 60/40 lines with half of the low-income units set aside for families.
• He further asks that the CPC set up a Community Advisory Committee to be kept abreast of news on the project.

Alas, those modifications appear to be outside of the scope of the Providence House project and are therefore unlikely to be made, and may effectively kill the plan. I presume that the CPC can override the Borough President's recommendation but I don't know how likely that is.

I know that our readership falls on both sides of the issue, so whether you want to yell at or thank the Beep, you can email him here.

Comments

[babs]

The CPC has overridden the BP on at least one occasion, the facility on 16th St and Fifth Ave in Park Slope, but the CB had been for it, and it was modified based on the BP's comments. Here you have both the CB and the BP opposed (although not totally). I think the BP's report presents a reasoned and logical compromise and hope his suggestions can be adopted.

[babs]

Phoenix House is not Providence House BTW

[Charles Star]

Thanks for the catch, babs. I've made the change wherever I noted it, though the mistake lives on in the URL of the post.

As for the validity of the compromise, I think it is more like death by paper cuts. Each change seems superficially reasonable but cumulatively so change the nature of the project that, in the end, the project probably can't go forward.

[babs]

Fine with me - in my opinion the original proposal shouldn't go forward. Glad to see that both CB9 and the BP agree w. me (as does Sen. Adams, who wrote Marty a letter against it).

[Dan]

Marty looks disturbingly sultry in this photo.