MARCH 27, 2023

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GOVERNOR’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN

REMEMBER THE ALAMO, THIS IS OUR LAST STAND

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As we approach the NY state budget deadline this week, we must keep up the pressure on the governor to withdraw her disastrous plan to eliminate one family zoning and any building height restrictions.  We have been working with our state legislators Sens. Comrie, Liu, Stavisky and Assem, Braunstein all of whom have held the line so far.

 

Please note that our previously planned rally in Manhattan for this week is cancelled.  We are holding local rallies instead. We held a rally on this past Friday at Boro Hall 65 civic leaders showed.

 

Please email the Governor, Mayor, and all members of the state legislature early this week. At the end of this newsletter see the links and instructions on how to contact your electeds.

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Candidate's Night

On Tuesday, April 18th at 7;30 pm in the Community Church of Douglaston, DCA will hold a candidates’ night for the Democratic Primary election for District Attorney and City Council.

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Udalls Cove Preservation Committee will hold its 54th Annual Shoreline, Wetlands and Woodlands Cleanup, with a free picnic lunch for all volunteers. Saturday, April 29 starting at 10 AM.

 

NY City Sanitation Department will this week once again be collecting your compost, yard waste, and food scraps please place the waste in the special brown bin (or any separate bin with a secure lid and brown bags ) and set it out for collection on your regular recycling day.

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NYC Sanitation Department effective April 1st has new rules about when you can put out your garbage for collection. Cans or bins with a lid after 6 pm and for bags it is after 8 pm.

 

There will be an electronics recycling event at the St. Anastasia's Church in the parking lot on Northern Blvd. and Alameda on Saturday, April 1 from 10 am to 2:00 pm, More Information: https://www.lesecologycenter.org/calendar/e-waste-recycling-event-little-neck-st-anastasia-church-3/

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Memorial Day Parade Is on Monday, May 29th at 2pm. This year our President Sean M. Walsh is being honored with the Community Service Award. 

 

Saturday, April 1, from 1 to 5 pm, there will be a fundraiser for the annual Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade at Monahan's in Bayside (214-17 41st Avenue); $30 contribution; food will be free, and there will be a cash bar. Another way to donate to the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade is to participate in the "300 Club" drawing you donate $100, and have a one in 300 chance to win $10,000.

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NY state specifically prohibits planting two separate types of dangerously invasive bamboo: Phyllostachys Aureosulcata & Phyllostachys Aureaon in the soil on your property.   

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CONTACT GOVERNOR HOCHUL TODAY BY GOING TO HER WEB SITE https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form  AND SAY NO TO HER AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN.  IT IS NOT THE WAY TO CREATE  MUCH NEEDED AFFORDABLE HOUSING.  READ BELOW FOR MORE COMMENTS & INFORMATION.

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Contact all NY state legislators by copying the list below of legislators’ emails into the blind copy line “bbc” and then send the email to yourself in the TO line.

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Addabbo@nysenate.gov, Ashby@nysenate.gov, Bailey@nysenate.gov, Borrello@nysenate.gov, Breslin@nysenate.gov, Brisport@nysenate.gov, Brouk@nysenate.gov, Canzoneri@nysenate.gov, Chu@nysenate.gov, Cleare@nysenate.gov, Comrie@nysenate.gov, Cooney@nysenate.gov, Felder@nysenate.gov, Fernandez@nysenate.gov, Gallivan@nysenate.gov, Gianaris@nysenate.gov, Gonzalez@nysenate.gov,Gounardes@nysenate.gov, Griffo@nysenate.gov, Harckham@nysenate.gov, Helming@nysenate.gov, Hinchey@nysenate.gov, Hoylman@nysenate.gov, Jackson@nysenate.gov, Kavanagh@nysenate.gov, Kennedy@nysenate.gov, lkrueger@nysenate.gov, Lanza@nysenate.gov, Liu@nysenate.gov, Mannion@nysenate.gov, Martinez@nysenate.gov, Martins@nysenate.gov, Mattera@nysenate.gov, May@nysenate.gov, smayer@nysenate.gov, Murray@nysenate.gov, Myrie@nysenate.gov, Omara@nysenate.gov, Oberacker@nysenate.gov, Ortt@nysenate.gov, Palumbo@nysenate.gov, Parker@nysenate.gov, Persaud@nysenate.gov, Ramos@nysenate.gov, Rhoads@nysenate.gov, gRivera@nysenate.gov, Rolison@nysenate.gov, Ryan@nysenate.gov, Salazar@nysenate.gov, Sanders@nysenate.gov, Spanton@nysenate.gov, Sepulveda@nysenate.gov, Serrano@nysenate.gov, Skoufis@nysenate.gov, Stavisky@nysenate.gov, Stec@nysenate.gov, scousins@nysenate.gov, Tedisco@nysenate.gov, Thomas@nysenate.gov, Walczyk@nysenate.gov, Webb@nysenate.gov, Weber@nysenate.gov, Weik@nysenate.gov

gibbse@nyassembly.gov, giglioj2@nyassembly.gov, giglioj@nyassembly.gov, glickd@nyassembly.gov, gonzalezrojasj@nyassembly.gov, goodella@nyassembly.gov, grays@nyassembly.gov, gunthea@nyassembly.gov, hawleys@nyassembly.gov, speaker@nyassembly.gov, hevesia@nyassembly.gov, hunterp@nyassembly.gov, hyndmana@nyassembly.gov, jacksonc@nyassembly.gov, jacobsonj@nyassembly.gov, jeanpierrek@nyassembly.gov, jensenj@nyassembly.gov, jonesb@nyassembly.gov, joynerl@nyassembly.gov, kellesa@nyassembly.gov, kimr@nyassembly.gov, lavinec@nyassembly.gov, leeg@nyassembly.gov, lemondesj@nyassembly.gov,

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MARCH 14, 2023

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DOUGLASTON CIVIC ASSOCIATION ACTION PLAN IN RESPONSE TO GOV. HOCHUL’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN IMPOSES MANHATTAN  DENSITY

 

Dear Friends:

 

On March 14TH the DCA and over a hundred other civics and electeds from outside NYC held an organizing and informational meeting to determine our best course(s) of action to stop Governor Hochul’s “Housing Compact” from destroying our communities. This was a follow up to our initial meeting at the Douglaston Club last week with over 200 in attendance. Hopefully, this summary and next steps will bring you up to date, as we have a hard deadline of March 31st. That is the end of the budget negotiations – YOU NEED to take action if we are going to stop this.

 

Tanya Cruz, an expert on how to create and conduct “digital” rallies, gave a short presentation [Attached] followed by a Q & A so that we could more quickly learn how to do this and get our organizational membership to jump on board. For those who are interested or could not get on to the Zoom last night, just click on the picture above.

 

This strategy will send our messages directly to the Senate, Assembly and Governor as well as their central staff, so the combined submittals will have a significant effect.

Here is a template you can use for your communications with elected officials.



The rally plan is as follows:

 

Tuesday, March 21st, 12pm – Staten Island Rally – Hylan Blvd & Burgher Avenue

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Thursday, March 23rd – proposed Westchester Rally – Location/Time TBD

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Friday, March 24th, 12pm – Queens Rally – Queens Borough Hall

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After speaking today with several representatives in Nassau County, it is possible that there will also be a rally in Nassau County on Wednesday, March 22nd. I will let everyone know if this rally happens.

 

We need to keep the heat on until the budget is finished, and the Housing Compact is dead on arrival.

 

Sean M. Walsh

President, Douglaston Civic Association

Save1familyny.org

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FEBRUARY 27, 2023

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ACT TODAY  SAVE OUR COMMUNITIES

 

On Friday, February 24, the Douglaston Civic Association hosted at the Douglaston Club a press event to stop Gov. Hochul’s “Affordable Housing” plan to end one family home in New York state and Mayor Adams plan to suspend the city zoning and building codes and fire egress rules.  We had 200 people attend our rally and unfortunately 60 people had to wait in the lobby due to the Fire Code.  We apologize to them, but the overflow crowd demonstrated our strength. In attendance we had representatives from northeast Queens, central Queens, southeast Queens, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester County, Staten Island, and many other jurisdiction that have joined our voice to stop this real estate give away.

 

At our monthly DCA meeting on Tuesday, February 21, an overflow crowd heard our representatives Senator Toby Stavisky, Assemblyman Braunstein, Councilwoman Paladino call on the Governor to remove her “Affordable Housing” plan from the state budget.  

 

Time is of the essence. Write, Email, Call Now your elected representatives, the Governor, and Mayor tell them if this “Affordable Housing” plan remains in the budget, I will not vote for you!  Click here for a sample letter.

 

See also Save1Familyny.org web site. Sign the petition at Change.org:

www.Change.Org/StopNYS2023Upzoning

 

To oppose the Assembly Bill (A1075) click here:

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/A1075 

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To oppose the Senate Bill (S2276) click here: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/s2276

 

On the right side of both websites is a box where you can indicate whether or not you support the legislation.  We recommend you click on "NAY" to record your opposition. Please read very carefully the voting instructions to be sure your vote is IN OPPOSITION to these bills.  They have changed the meaning of AYE and NAY.

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MARCH 4, 2023

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DCA Vice President Dennis Saffran recently penned an opinion piece to Real Clear Policy titled: "Hochul Renews Assault on the Suburbs" regarding Governor Kathy Hochul's radical proposal to override local single-family zoning in neighborhoods like Douglaston.

As Dennis notes, sophisticates have long sneered at the suburbs and outer boroughs as filled with “little boxes made of ticky-tacky” -- contemptuous of the American dream of the middle-class and working-class people progressives once championed.  Now Hochul, responsive to these elitists in her base and to big developers, wants to make the burbs and boroughs look like Manhattan.

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Click here to read entire article.

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FEBRUARY 23, 2023

 

NYC is poised to enact steep congestion pricing tolls for cars and trucks, unless critics can kill the plan first.

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Click here to read about their plans in more detail and what it means to you.

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FEBRUARY 16, 2023

 

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Media Advisory For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Paul Graziano (718) 309-7522

Save1 Family NewYork@gmail.com

 

Who:

S.A.V.E. 1-FAMILY New York (the Statewide Alliance Vs. Elimination of 1-Family Zoning in New York)

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What:

A major press event with our coalition members and allies in opposition to Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed land use bills, currently inserted into the New York State Budget.

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Where:

The Douglaston Club 600 West Drive, Douglaston, NY 11363

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When:

Friday, February 24th, 2023 at 5pm

 

Summary:

For the second year in a row, Governor Hochul is attempting to impose mandates that force all cities, towns and villages throughout New York State to make enormous – and untenable – increases in housing density along with the lowering of construction and building safety standards. The Governor would achieve this through an extensive list of proposals, including but not limited to: - Mandatory development cycles / housing unit targets - State government oversight and removal of home rule in the zoning and land use process - Staggering increases in density to areas within ½ mile of rail and subway stations - Blanket Amnesty for Illegal Conversions in New York City regardless of safety concerns - Relaxation of the Multiple Dwelling Law and its construction and safety standards - Property Tax Exemptions for the creation of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Should these proposals become law, the resulting development free-for-all will cannibalize all of our communities, lowering our quality of life and affecting property values. Finally, none of the Governor’s proposals will create any increase in affordable housing; instead, it will increase unaffordability in our housing stock.

 

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE DOUGLASTON CIVIC ASSOCIATION - SEAN WALSH

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Dear Friends and Colleagues, Civic and Homeowner Associations –

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As many of you already are aware, for the 2nd year in a row Governor Hochul inserted a number of poisonous housing bills into the state budget bill on February 1st of this year, described by her as a “Housing Compact” for New York.

If adopted, these bills will have a disastrous impact on our communities. This includes but is not limited to:

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     -     Mandatory massive upzonings within ½ mile of rail

           and subway stations

     -     Mandatory numbers of housing units on perpetual

           3-year development cycles

     -     New State Housing Board which will approve multi-

           family housing anywhere

     -     Subsequent Removal of Home Rule in violation of the

           NY State Constitution

     -     Blanket Amnesty for all Illegal Conversions in New

           York City

     -     Property Tax Exemptions for developers who create

           Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

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We have 30 days from when this was inserted into the budget to get the Governor to pull it out of the budget bill willingly, which gives us until March 2nd – otherwise, it will be adopted by April 1st if the Legislature does not intervene.

 

As representatives of our collective neighborhoods, towns and villages, we need to respond to this immediately.

 

We will be having a press event on Friday February 24th, 2023, 5pm, at the Douglaston Club located at 600 West Drive, Douglaston, NY 11363 (see attached press release).

 

The press event is an invitation-event for press, civic and homeowner associations, community boards and concerned citizens. Elected officials who have publicly stated their opposition to the Governor’s “Housing Compact” Plan will be invited to attend. We will acknowledge them if they write a press release or statement on official letterhead that they unilaterally OPPOSE the “Housing Compact” set of bills (particularly the items mentioned above) and if they are State Senators or Assembly members, that they will vote against the budget if they are not removed. Civic and Homeowner association leadership (and Community Boards who have stated their opposition) will also be invited to participate in the event as we want the public and the press to understand how your areas will be affected if this legislation becomes law.

 

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP no later than Wednesday, February 22nd to either paulgraziano2013@gmail.com or Save1familyNewYork@gmail.com – Please include your official position against the Governor’s “Housing Compact” plan.

 

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sean M Walsh, President Douglaston Civic Association

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The below link is the Governor’s legislative package to essentially end one family homes in NY state.  The proposal is contained in the state budget.  We have only a few weeks to get the Assembly and State Senate and Governor to remove this from the budget.  Furthermore we oppose the Mayor’s separate set of proposals to weaken one family zones. 

https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy24/ex/artvii/elfa-bill.pdf#page=140

 

 

July , 2021

City Council Plan to End Single Family Housing

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​NY City Council Speaker Corey Johnson's proposal to amend the zoning code to phase out single-family homes (they're "racist," of course!) met with strong opposition from civics throughout the city and has been tabled for now.  We expect it to pop up again before the summer is over; therefore, write, email, call all public officials and candidates running for office and voice your opposition.

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Background Summary:

There is a proposal by N.Y. City Council Speaker Johnson to establish long term planning process in a report called Planning Together: A New Comprehensive Planning Framework for NYC.  The plan is extremely negative to single family homes in our communities, especially single family zones such as ours. The thrust of the plan is to say that single family zoning is “racist.” I find that hard to accept when I look at Southeast Queens or Corona as examples of a communities of color living in single family housing.

 

This will be a topic of the upcoming Mayoral and City Council races. In my reviewing construction permits I have found that the Department of Buildings has designated on the construction or demo permits the lots to be R-3 not the proper legal designation of R1-2.  R-3 permits two family occupancy.  When I have pressed DoB on why they are doing this, I am stone walled.  When I ask our elected officials, they say they have not received an answer. It is obvious that City Hall is openly hostile to communities like us. Please light a fire under our electeds today. 

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Read and print the petition to get the word out and oppose City Council Speaker Johnson's "Planning Together" report and companion bill.

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Paving Over Alley Pond Park

As you can see the Alley Pond Environmental Center is under construction.  Board members Carol McCarthy & Bruce Stuart are monitoring the City’s plans to pave over trails for bikers and open a concession stand. Your thoughts?  Board member Bernie Haber is still working on getting funding to move the bike lanes on Northern Blvd.  Maybe with our next Mayor.

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GET INVOLVED!

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October, 2021 letter to Community Board 11 and District Manager from

DCA President, Sean Walsh

 

Dear CB 11 Chairman and District Manager,

 

The Douglaston Civic Association brings to your attention and the various agencies of the city a dangerous and life threatening condition.  I have previously informed you and sent you pictures of the site in question.  The hill behind the former Douglaston Macy store Douglaston Plaza under the city’s golf course has progressively showed signs of an exponential eroding potentially leading to a collapse. There is a history of this hill being unstable with a high water table. The area to the south did collapse and buried homes some years ago.

 

The hill needs to be stabilized immediately. CB11 needs to bring the necessary public and private parties together to act before something terrible happens.

 

Sean M Walsh

President

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