CM COHEN & COMMUNITY LEADERS ANNOUNCE PASSAGE OF FIRST DOWN-ZONING IN 2 YRS

  On Wednesday, April 20th the New York City Council voted in favor of a down zoning amendment pertaining to a portion of the Woodlawn neighborhood. This change marks the first down zoning in over 2.5 years in the City of New York.

The area affected is property generally bounded by East 240th Street to the North, East 234th Street to the South, Viero Avenue to the West and Webster Avenue to the East. This section was previously an R7A District and will now become a R4A District. Before, the project area was 19 lots that were either zoned R7A or were split between R7A and R4A districts. R7A Districts are typically 7 and 8 story apartment buildings, while R4A Districts are one-and-two family detached homes.

This zoning change will provide a framework for orderly growth while protecting the established residential character of the neighborhood. The previous zoning did not adequately reflect the one-and-two family housing stock typically found on residential blocks. The change to a R4A District more closely reflects the existing built condition of the project area’s properties, and will protect against future development that would be out of scale and out of character that was permitted under the R7A zoning.

“The down zoning of Woodlawn will stop the destruction of the single family homes that currently gives the neighborhood its intrinsic character, as well as prevent high-rise developments from invading its narrow streets. This is something that the residents of Woodlawn have been in support of for quite some time and I am proud to have been able to make it a reality. I would like to thank Community Board 12, the Women of Woodlawn, the Woodlawn Taxpayers Association and the Webster Avenue Taxpayers Association for their backing on this issue and for continuing to ensure that this unique neighborhoods remains just that, unique,” said City Council Member Andrew Cohen.

"Bronx Community Board 12 was happy to rezone this portion of Woodlawn after several meetings with the local constituency and elected officials.  This rezoning is the result of careful planning between the Community Board, City Planning and Council Member Andrew Cohen's office to help preserve what makes Woodlawn a vibrant and close-knit neighborhood," said George Torres, District Manager of Community Board 12.  

  

The Woodlawn Heights Taxpayers and Community Association is delighted that Councilmember Cohen and the NY City Council passed this zoning amendment, as it will maintain the current character of our neighborhood, and prohibit large, multi-family dwellings from being built on our quite residential streets. Thanks very much to Councilmember Cohen and his staff for all their help,” said Kenneth Nugent, President of the Woodlawn Taxpayers Association.

Brush Fire In Van Cortlandt Park

   If you think Brush fires do not occur in the Bronx you can tell by the photos above, there was a moderate brush fire which took yesterday in the northern section of Van Cortlandt Park just below the Yonkers city border. A dozen fire engines responded from all over the north Bronx, and five ambulances stood ready if any of the firemen became overcome by the smoky brush fire. There has been very little rain this month leaving places like Van Cortlandt Park vulnerable to brush fires.  

Above - You can see the line fire engines that responded.

Below - Firefighters had to lug equipment a long way to get to the brush fire.

In case they were needed the EMS set up a command center of several ambulances.

Ischia Bravo Fundraiser Thursday April 21th

Dear Friend,

I just wanted to remind you that I am having a spring fundraiser tomorrow night at Lexa, 357 East 204th Street, Bronx, NY Bar beginning at 630pm. Help me on the journey to restore the faith to voters in the 78th District. Now, is the time for change!

I really hope you can make it.

Your support at this crucial time is more important than ever. RSVP now for our fundraiser on April 21st. Please click here to make a contribution to help create the foundation for my campaign.

I am working hard every day to fight for progressive values and help change the face of Albany so that working families actually feel the positive impact of good government policies. 

Please click here to donate $300, $150, $50 or as much as you can today.

Thank you for your trust and faith in me,

Ischia

100 PERCENT EXTRA - The Day After The New York Primary - What Happened

100 PERCENT EXTRA

By Robert Press

The New York Primary 2016

  It is the day after the New York primary, and let's see what happened.

  On the Democratic side Hillary Clinton won bigger than most people (including myself) thought. The margin of victory was 58% for Clinton to 42% for Sanders. As far as delegates, Clinton picked up 139, while Sanders picked up 106. This puts Clinton closer to the nomination, and Sanders who has settled back for a few days to rethink his goal, and if he can get the Democratic nomination for president. Is it time for Sanders to pack it in, and support Ms. Clinton, we should find out by next Tuesday where five states are in play.

  On the Republican side it seems that Donald Trump did better than most people expected, especially his two opponents. I was off by the margin of error, and had Kasich coming in second with Cruz the third place finisher. One thing I said was that bad things happen to Republicans that go to State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. for his help. Well Ted Cruz wound up not winning a single delegate in New York, while Kasich was able to walk away with 4 delegates, with the rest going to Donald Trump. This now places Ted Cruz out of the hunt for the Republican nomination as it is now mathematically impossible for him to get to the number of delegates needed to win the nomination on the first round. 

  As of now it seems to be a race for the White House between Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side against Donald Trump on the Republican side. However as I always say 'One never knows what may happen next in politics'.

Election Day Investigation Called For

AMID WIDESPREAD REPORTS OF VOTER DISENFRANCHISEMENT AND POLLING PROBLEMS, COMPTROLLER STRINGER ANNOUNCES AUDIT OF BOARD OF ELECTIONS

   With the New York City Board of Elections confirming that more than 125,000 voters in Brooklyn were removed from voter rolls and widespread reports of voters having trouble accessing polling sites and other polling irregularities, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer announced today that his office would undertake an audit of the operations and management of the Board of Elections.

“There is nothing more sacred in our nation than the right to vote, yet election after election, reports come in of people who were inexplicably purged from the polls, told to vote at the wrong location or unable to get in to their polling site,” Comptroller Stringer said. “The people of New York City have lost confidence that the Board of Elections can effectively administer elections and we intend to find out why the BOE is so consistently disorganized, chaotic and inefficient.  With four elections in New York City in 2016 alone, we don’t have a moment to spare.”

To read Comptroller Stringer’s letter informing Michael J. Ryan, Executive Director of the New York City Board of Elections, that his office would commence an audit, please click here.

Attorney General’s Hotline Troubleshoots A Range of Election Day Issues

    Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman reminded voters today that his office has created a Hotline to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues and barriers encountered by voters at the polls for the primary today.  The Attorney General urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the office’s hotline at 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. The hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the office's Civil Rights Bureau.  

“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and my office is deeply committed to ensuring equal access for all eligible voters on election day,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “I urge all New Yorkers to immediately contact my office if they face any barriers or issues that prevent them from casting an effective ballot.”

EDITOR"S NOTE:

In addition to the above, Mayor Bill de Blasio has called for an investigation of today's voting irregularities. As well as candidates from both sides who are involved in the Democratic and Republican primaries today.

Savor The Bronx Craft Beverage Trolley Tour

Assemblyman Mark Gjona - Mosholu Parkway Cleaning and Beautification Project

CarFreeNYC Event Evers from Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez

 

As many of you know, my office and I have been hard at work for the past couple months planning our "#CarFreeNYC" initiative, aimed at reducing car usage in New York City on Earth Day this year. This initiative, announced last month at NYU is about promoting forms of transportation that are more environmentally friendly and efficient that single occupancy vehicles. This means active transportation like cycling and walking; public transportation like subways, buses and ferries; and carpooling options such as Uber and Lyft (who is offering discounts on its carpool service Lyft Line on Earth Day). Ultimately, we want to further a conversation about how our choices impact our environment this Earth Day. We live in a time where rising temperatures are having real impacts on our city, our country and our world. The past five years have been seen the highest temperatures on record and from droughts in California to devastating hurricanes in New Orleans and hear at home, we are fast realizing that our actions have severe consequences. Vehicles and transportation account for nearly a quarter of all city emissions, with that number expected to rise in the coming years. 1.4 million New Yorkers own over 1.8 million cars in a city that is fortunate enough to have a great public transportation eco-system. I hope you will join me in pledging not to drive on Friday, something you can sign up to do at our website, www.carfreeday.nyc.  With this Friday fast approaching, I wanted to let you know of some great opportunities to get involved with the initiative! Academic Panel Thursday: Some of our stellar partners in this endeavor have organized a panel discussion featuring some big names in the environmental and transportation sectors. This includes professors from Columbia University's Earth Institute, NYU, CUNY and the officials from the Regional Plan Association. These experts will address key issues pertaining to transportation, urban planning, sustainability, equity and public health in an urban environment. They will highlight the importance of the #CarFreeNYC initiative and supporting more sustainable transportation options. The flyer for the event can be found here. It will be held on Thursdaymorning, April 21st. in the Auditorium of the New York Institute for Technology: 1871 Broadway, just north of Columbus Circle. Doors open at8:30 and the discussion will take place from 9:00-10:30.   Street Closures Friday: We are so fortunate to have the support of the NYC Department of Transportation behind this major initiative and are pleased to announce the closure of several streets throughout the borough of Manhattan. The time and location of these closures are as follows: Broadway, from 23rd Street to 17th Street (Flatiron Building to Union Square) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM The centerpiece of #CarFreeNYC will feature programming including helmet giveaways, live music, yoga and workout classes, life size board games and more! Washington Square Park, surrounding streets 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM NYU will be supporting their local park, once the site of a planned highway, but saved thanks to the first #CarFreeNYC advocate, Jane Jacobs. NYU will host activities on the streets surrounding the park. Wadsworth Avenue, 173-177th, Washington Heights 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM At home in Washington Heights we'll be partnering with NY Presbyterian and local community organizations such as NMIC to support a health fair and Earth Day celebration Uptown! Promotions (For Friday): In addition to the above mentioned Lyft Line discounts this week and on Earth Day, other fun opportunities include free rides with Citi Bike, 2 for 1 deals at Bike and Roll, a free All-Day Access Pass with NY Water Taxi if you show a NYC ID card, Hornblower Cruises is offering 2 for 1 on their "Alive After Five" cruise, using the code: CarFreeNYC. Other Earth Day Events: CUNY will be hosting numerous Earth Day events throughout the week, all of which can be found here The Earth Day Initiative will host a Earth Day 5k, where running is less of a focus than checking out some great sites around downtown and lower Manhattan with an environmental bent. More info for this event can be foundhere. _____________ Through our many partners, we are working to make NYC a more transportation and environmentally friendly city. I hope you can help to support, show up at some of our great events, but most of all, leave your cars at home on Earth Day! Help us spread the message on social media by following our twitter account: @CarFreeNYC; visiting our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/carfreenyc, using the  #CarFreeNYC hashtag and more! Also, if you're a driver who wants to pledge not to drive, another way is through the SpotPog app, where you can pledge your spot, meaning you'll leave it there throughout the day. Many drivers have already pledged and we expect many more as well! You can also pledge through the website:www.carfreeday.nyc where there are other ways to get involved as well. For any additional info, please call my office at 212-788-7053 or by emailing my Deputy Chief of Staff, Russell Murphy at rmurphy2@council.nyc.gov.  Thank you so much for your participation in this great event that we hope will spark a movement. This is just the first year but we want to have some great results to announce on the following day! Sincerely,

Sincerely, Ydanis Rodriguez Council District 10 Washington Heights and Inwood