NYC Sued Over Alleged Pro-Hasidic Bias
Racial and religiuos discrimination alleged in Triangle homes plan lawsuit
BY MIKE MCLAUGHLIN • NY DAILY NEWSOpponents of a controversial plan to build housing at Williamsburg's Broadway Triangle sued the city on Wednesday, charging the project breaks laws barring racial and religious discrimination.
The suit charged the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development caters to Hasidic Jews by including too many three- and four-bedroom apartments in the 1,895-unit complex, which would "disproportionately accommodate the Hasidic community's large families."
"This process was dramatically racial," said Marty Needelman, a lawyer for the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition, which filed the suit in Manhattan Supreme Court. "It acquiesces to the needs of the Hasidic community."
The plan also caps building heights at eight stories - which opponents charged is a nod to Orthodox Jews who cannot take an elevator on the Sabbath. They further contended that Orthodox Jews' attraction to the shorter buildings would create fewer housing opportunities at Broadway Triangle for Williamsburg's Hispanic population and African-Americans from nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Opponents called for taller buildings to maximize the amount of affordable housing. They also charged that two politically connected groups - the Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council and the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg - were tapped to develop city land without open bidding.
The Ridgewood-Bushwick group and UJO of Williamsburg are said to have used their ties to Brooklyn Democratic boss Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg) to be chosen as the developers.
"I want to see an open process with more apartments," said Leonides Reyes, 51, a Williamsburg resident, at a rally outside the courthouse.
Under the current plan, 1,895 low-rise apartments would be built at the site - 905 of them affordable to low- and middle-income tenants.
Supporters say the height limits have nothing to do with race: They just want buildings that fit in with the surrounding neighborhood.
"I want more housing, but I don't want skyscrapers in the middle of Brooklyn," Councilman David Yassky (D-Williamsburg) said in July, dismissing charges of racial bias. "I can't imagine that there are real grounds for a lawsuit."
Housing Preservation and Development spokesman Eric Bederman declined to comment on pending litigation.
Besides alleged racial bias, the lawsuit charged the rezoning plan to turn the manufacturing area into a residential community violated the city's land use rules because it skipped review by Bedford-Stuyvesant's Community Board 3.
The City Planning Commission is set to take the next vote on the controversial plan, which has already been approved by Community Board 1 and Borough President Marty Markowitz. After that, it goes to the City Council.
including too many three- and four-bedroom apartments
Wow, building 3 and 4 bedroom apartments is illegal or biased, what imagination - absurd. Talk about frivolous lawsuits!
Posted by: harold | September 10, 2009 at 07:11 AM
THIS WAS A NO BID PROCESS LOPEZ MADE A DEAL WITH DAVID NIEDERMAN TO GET SUPPORT AGAINST THE MARKEY BILL TO PROTECT SEXUALLY ABUSED KIDS HASHEM YERACHEM
Posted by: moshe | September 10, 2009 at 08:03 AM
This is just politics. Besides, nothing ever got done down there without a lot of lawsuits.
Posted by: FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican | September 10, 2009 at 10:51 AM
nothing ever got done down there without a lot of lawsuits.
Something has to be done to stop frivolous lawsuits! The losing party should have to pay court costs plus legal fees of the person/organization that the frivolous case was brought against. To prevent organizations or law firms with real deep pockets that bring too many add a punitive amount based on number of prior frivolous cases brought.
Posted by: harold | September 10, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Why is it that the city of New York allows illegal succas to block access to city sidewalks for non Jews? Why has the city refused to enforce it's own D.O.T. codes and discrimination laws? Why do these so called "religious" people knowingly discriminate, lie, and break the law? Why have complaints gone unheeded? Why has Dov Hikind refused to act upon tax paying citizen's complaints about this illegal act? People pay tens of thousands in fines if they block a sidewalk, yet Haredi are allowed in Bloomberg's NY to get away with knowingly violating the law! How can you be "religious" and treat your fellow man like an animal? Dogs walk in the gutter, not people. People are endangered by this as they have to go into traffic. They get away with not paying one cent for a permit, and people pay thousands for sidewalk permits, and if they don't have one, they are fined thousands! Who is allowing his outrage? Go to www.bloombergsracistcity.blogspot.com to see these outrages!
Posted by: Hyman Hinnock | January 13, 2010 at 06:18 PM