You are here

Home

job creation

Create Opportunity through Development of the East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers Project

Testimony last updated April 12, 2007

Testimony to Manhattan Community Board 3

Mercedes Narciso, R.A.
Senior Planner, Pratt Center for Community Development
April 12, 2007

Good evening to everybody. Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony today. My name is Mercedes Narciso and I am a Senior Planner with the Pratt Center for Community Development, a university- based organization that works for a more just, equitable, and sustainable city for all New Yorkers by helping communities to plan for and realize their future. One of those communities is the Lower East Side, and in partnership with the Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), we are currently working on a community assessment and planning initiative in the area.

I am here today to express our support for East River Waterfront Esplanade and Piers Project proposed by the Department of City Planning, a project full of vision and creativity, which would provide the diverse nearby community and the city at large the opportunity to access and enjoy the waterfront.

Read more

Willets Point Redevelopment Plan

Testimony last updated May 1, 2007

Testimony Regarding Draft Scope of Work for Environmental Impact Statement

Mercedes Narciso, R.A.
Senior Planner, Pratt Center for Community Development
May 1, 2007

Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony today. The Pratt Center for Community Development is pleased to submit comments on the Draft Scope of Work for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Willets Point Development Plan. My name is Mercedes Narciso and I am a Senior Planner with the Pratt Center for Community Development, a university-based center that works for a more just, equitable, and sustainable city for all New Yorkers by helping communities to plan for and realize their future. We are also members of Queens for Affordable Housing (QFAH), a coalition of community-based organizations that was formed in 2005 to ensure that new residential development in the borough creates housing that is truly affordable to a diverse mix of Queens residents.

We believe that the Willets Point Redevelopment Plan has the potential to generate growth in an equitable manner. However, it is essential to recognize that this project -- rooted in large-scale eminent domain & the displacement of 250 businesses, estimated to provide more than 1,000 blue-collar jobs -- must have very substantial benefits for low-income, working-class, and moderate-income Queens residents. We believe the plan should incorporate the following recommendations:

Read more