One of the most candidly funny, unscripted moments of Tuesday nights hearing.
Andy Tung from Forest City lets the cat out of the Bag. Someone on the New Rochelle City Council is being paid off!
Irony is that Yonkers Council Woman Sandy Annabi was actually convicted of receiving bribes from Forest City for her vote on the controversial Ridge Hill development in Yonkers.
It is really amazing that
It is really amazing that Bramson could listen to all those negative comments and valid concerns, yet at the end of the meeting, instead of saying “thank you, we will discuss your concerns and try to find some answers”, he says that the facts were misperceived by the people and he expresses his support for the project without even digesting what was told to him. Is this the behavior of an open-minded leader who puts the people and our community first?
I am rather surprised that
I am rather surprised that there is no coverage on the Echo Bay meeting by the Journal News. I wonder if Bramson doesn’t want the residents of Westchester to know the degree of opposition there is to this project and the fact that it is going to get passed anyway.
protecting the machine
The Journal News is doing its part to make sure this does not get any exposure, they must keep a lid on it to protect him and his superiors. We should hound them and make them cover it. Even write a letter to the editor. It may not do any good but who knows until you try. For there not even to be a mention of the public hearing is a big indicator there are strings being pulled by someone high up that needs this buried.
Numero uno
Noam Bramson.
Without a doubt or reservation the most uncious person to hold public office I’ve ever experienced.
Can’t wait to see him sneering at us from White Plains.
Does that mean he is a
Does that mean he is a jackass?
Ned Rauch of JN was there
The Journal News had a reporter at the meeting.
Given their deadlines and the late night it is possible that Ned Rauch did not file his story in time to run on Wednesday. Of course, it’s Friday and there is still no story so it would appear they did not bother to run whatever Ned filed, if he filed at all.
I have no doubt whatsoever that the Journal News is 100% behind Bramson. You can expect that to manifest itself in many ways (glowing praise for Bramson, covering whatever Noam wants covered, ignoring bad news for New Rochelle or anything that reflects badly on Noam and, of course, saying anything bad about Noam’s opponent that can be said whether true or not).
Is there any doubt that the Echo Bay meetings at the East End Civic and the FEIS hearings were two of the biggest news events on the days they occurred? Yet all we hear is crickets chirping over at the JN.
And this, folks, is why their paper’s readership has shriveled to less than 5,000 people in New Rochelle, according to Noam’s own GreeNR report.
Ned Rauch is waiting for the Editing from the City First
I happened to be sitting near Ned as he was chasing down as many Pro project people as he can you can be sure when he is done filling his story that the meeting will look like 50% of the people were for this project.
I kind of feel sorry for the guy he winds up being a lackey for the City and Spins it to their tune just to keep the pressure off.
Maybe the Police Commissioner is rewriting his story for him.
Ken,
I think you ticked the
Ken,
I think you ticked the Mayor off the other night.
The Mayor has been ticking me
The Mayor has been ticking me off for almost 17 years. He is upset that I brought up his body of his college work on Student Council back @ Harvard.
I guess swallowing Goldfish is passe
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1989/11/3/activist-groups-to-hold-anti-rotc-meeting
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/5/20/condom-machines-to-be-installed-in/
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1989/11/3/activist-groups-to-hold-anti-http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/4/6/arrival-of-condom-machines-to-be/rotc-meeting/
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/10/1/new-condom-machines-are-ready-for/
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1987/12/7/more-houses-approve-condom-machines-pby/
Bramson just got endorsed by
Bramson just got endorsed by the CSEA because he has an “open door policy” and has done “so much for New Rochelle.” Wait to they see what a BS artist he is.
Forest City Echo Bay
“Well, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
The citizens of New Rochelle have been shown the door one too many time.
Yeah, he has an “open door
Yeah, he has an “open door policy.” He holds the door open while he is kicking you out.
Journal News Article
It looks like the Journal News finally published their article: “Critics at Hearing: Echo Bay Project a Disaster”
http://www.lohud.com/article/20130724/NEWS/307240105/Critics-hearings-Echo-Bay-project-disaster-
Good article, actually
I searched the home page, the archive and the “New Rochelle” community section and could not find this article but I go back to what I said, the light night appears to have meant the story did not get filed that night. I think their deadline is 9 pm.
I would also say this is a very well done article which served to get Shari, Ivar and Jared, along with Abe, on the record.
That said, does anyone believe that Jared is considering anything other than doing what Noam wants?
As far as Abe goes, what law would prevent Monroe from leasing out apartments at Echo Bay? Once the building is up, Monroe can simply say “we will take all available units” — could the brokers leasing the apartments say no?
Who is most likely in NR to want to rent studio and 1 BR apartments at that location?
Monroe holds classes just a couple blocks down the street.
More to the point, Monroe has centered all of its athletics programs around two points – New Roc City and City Park.
I can easily envision a large number, if not all, of the units being taken by student athletes from Monroe.
The football team has 100 players, there are about 185 soccer players, there are about 60 baseball players — all of whom practice and play at City Field. Right there that is 345 student athletes looking for a dorm room/apartment.
Indoors, there about 25 volleyball, 30 basketball and 50 track/cross country so another 105 students.
All in that is 450 students that would fit neatly into
a dorm— oops, I mean a waterfront luxury apartment building.About the apartments as student housing, Abe Naperstak of Forest City says “Absolutely not. We’re in it for the long haul. It’s not going to be student housing. (That’s) not our business.”
Avalon 1 was not going to be student housing and yet Monroe and Iona have loads of students living there.
Avalon 2 was not going to be student housing and yet Monroe and Iona have loads of students living there.
The Lofts at New Roc was not going to be student housing and yet Monroe and has loads of students living there.
The Marriott Residence Inn was not going to be student housing and yet Monroe and has loads of students living there.
Anyone who has seen the Iona vans tooling around downtown knows there are so many such students that they provide shuttle service to/from campus.
At the end of the day, Forest City will rent to people with money willing to pay. And one there are enough students living in the Echo Bay apartments who will want to deal with the loud noise, drunken parties, drugs, violence and garbage that Monroe and Iona students are well-known for already in New Rochelle.
In short, even with the best intentions, once the number of Monroe students reaches a tipping point, there will be an exodus of non-student tenants with the result the rest of the units fill up with more Monroe students.
As for denials from a developer — they are not worth the paper they are printed on. In Forest City’s case, they are especially worthless.
Even if there was some agreement in writing today between the City, Forest City and Monroe College it would not mean anything because Forest City would just come back once the building is completed and cry about how “market conditions” require they rent to students.
There is no reason in the world to trust: (a) Forest City; (b) Monroe College; (c) New Rochelle City officials.
In the end, this deal may well result in tens of millions in debt for NR taxpayers, a new Monroe dorm across from Stephenson Boulevard providing easy access to City Park and a level of student-caused disruption all-too-familiar to residents around Iona College.
Still, don’t believe it?
Look at the plans presented by Forest City — most units face either the interior courtyard, Main Street, the side of the Armory, the Honda Used Cars lot, or the County Waste Treatment Plant. There are less than 10 units than have anything you could remotely call a “water front view”.
Now, ask yourself how attractive those units would be to you?
If you are a Monroe Student, you may live there for 1-2 semesters and 4 at the most so what do you care about waterfront views or the Waste treatment plant?
It makes no sense that these
It makes no sense that these are going to “luxury” apartments with this wonderful 5 acre park. Once this building is up, there will be no view of the waterfront and even if there were, there is no waterfront to view–just mudflats. There are no spectacular vies from these apartments. Cramped quarters, limited retail, and inadequate parking.
On the other hand, Monroe students wouldn’t care about any of those things and it makes perfect sense that Forest City is seizing the free land and the opportunity to build dorms disguised as luxury rentals. East End residents are well aware of the nightlife that will come if these become dorm. Noise, drinking, and littering. We have been putting up with it for many years. Between the bars that used to be on Huguenot St,and Mcdonalds, there has been no shortage of loud radios and rowdy behavior.
It also explains why FC was looking for a cabaret license. If students will be there, a couple bars with live music would do well in this new development. Seems like we are in for a screwing.
Now I know why Forest City
Now I know why Forest City had their mouthpiece there. Let’s see Noam weasel out of this one.
Bwaaaahahahaa
An unexpected gift from Forest City/Ratner — a little honesty, for once!
Finally, a True Statement From Bramson Cronie
You gotta love the expression on the stenographer’s face. Its like “dude I can’t believe you just said that”. Mr Tung (ironic aint it?)Thank you for acknowledging the forest city payoff to mayor Bramson. When we reported it it couldn’t have been true, but since it came from their side, it is now officially gospel. Like willy wonka says “so goes a good deed in a weary world” or as we here at TOS like to say, consider the source…….
The Lord works in Mysterious way:)
The Lord works in Mysterious ways:)
I am curious as to the reason for a stenographer this time compared to all the other Public Hearings. I guess they want to get all the information correct so they may respond to all of the questions from the voters. There are still a lot of questions. A very good one that a person asked was why would a multi-billionaire developer of Barclays, Ridge Hill, likely Nassau Coliseum and others, be interested in a mudflat in New Rochelle. Maybe they will get some lucrative housing projects and other developments in the future in other parts of the county. This must have been the sign of some of the guilty consciences out there.
Some Other Project in the County Hmmm…
Can you say Playland? Theres a nice chunk of development waiting to happen. You could fit a lot of high end housing AND surround it with a nice passive park. The locals would love to shut down the amusement rides. How much do you think Forest City would
bribecontribute politically for that one?This is one to follow.
That’s Hysterical
If the repercussions weren’t so devastating to our city it might actually be funny.