Observer: Council Speaker Launches ‘Task Force’ to Save Rent-Regulated Apartments
By Will Bredderman
May 13, 2015
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced today the formation of a new, 14-member “Affordable Housing Preservation Task Force” consisting of council members whose districts have hemorrhaged rent-regulated apartments—and several of which are targeted for “upzoning” for greater development under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing plan...
“It’s going to create pressure in those neighborhoods, because it’s going to increase property values. And for buildings that are in programs that are expiring out, it’s just going to make market-rate that much more attractive,” Mr. Levine told the Observer, even as he called upzoning “the best tool we have to get more affordable housing.”
DNAinfo: $1.3 M Voted to Fund Greenhouses, Ball Courts and Trees in Hamilton Heights
By Gustavo Solis
May 11, 2015
HAMILTON HEIGHTS — The people have spoken and what they want most are more trees, a greenhouse and playground and basketball court repairs.
Although this was only the district's first year involved with participatory budgeting, the community was very active, Councilman Levine said. “It exceeded out expectations in every way from the number of volunteers that came out, the incredible diversity, originality and strength of the ideas"
The New York Times: Dr. Ruth, Visiting City Hall, Discusses Heritage, Not Sex
By Matt Flegenheimer
May 11, 2015
...on Monday evening, before a standing-room crowd that defied recent precedent, city lawmakers filed into their seats with uncommon purpose. The city’s foremost octogenarian sex therapist was holding office hours at their place of business. And she was not to be missed...
Councilman Mark Levine, addressing the crowd, noted that “a few of our visitors tonight were hoping you would do a Q. and A.”
Next City: New Yorkers Could Get More Swim Time
By Casey Tolan
May 7, 2015
For many New Yorkers, nothing symbolizes summer more than a scorching day at Coney Island or a blissful swim in McCarren Park Pool. And some are urging the city to make it easier for locals to escape the heat by extending the season of public beaches and pools beyond the typical definition of summer...
“The average New Yorker isn’t going to be able to go to the Caribbean for a vacation, or even to the Hamptons for that matter,” Levine says. “To have this wonderful, healthy venue for summer recreation that is just a subway ride away, with no admission cost for everyone, is an incredibly important feature of New York City. We want to extend and expand this wonderful resource by a few weeks.”
MNN: On the Next Represent NYC: Affordable Housing with NYC Councilman Mark Levine
By Manhattan Neighborhood Network
May 7, 2015
In the past decade, median apartment rents in New York City rose by 75 percent, compared to 44 percent in the rest of the United States. At the same time, the City is losing affordable housing units at an alarming rate.
On the next episode of "Represent NYC," NYC District 7 Councilman Mark Levine talks with Rodrigo Sanchez-Camus, Supervising Attorney at Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation; Adriene Holder, Attorney-in-Charge at The Legal Aid Society, Civil Practice; and Larry Wood a Community Organizer at Goddard Riverside Community Center about key issues that impact access to affordable housing, including the availability of civil legal services in Housing Court and succession of rent control and rent-regulated apartments.
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/07/nyregion/fewer-limbs-but-healthier-trees-as-new-yorks-parks-budget-rebounds.html?_r=0
By Lisa W. Foderaro
May 6, 2015
This year, with a budget of $5.5 million — nearly four times the amount allotted in 2012 — the pruning of London planes, Norway maples and pin oaks has picked up pace. Forestry specialists for the parks department say crews are now working on a five- to seven-year cycle, which is considered ideal for street trees in a city setting...
“Tree pruning is first and foremost about the safety of New Yorkers and also happens to be critical to the health of the tree,” City Councilman Mark D. Levine, the parks committee chairman, said. “People who think this is only about aesthetics are mistaken. This is a very small amount of money within the scope of the parks budget, let alone the broader city budget.”
The Washington Post: In the shadows of booming cities, a tension between sunlight and prosperity
By Emily Badger
May 4, 2015
“Billionaires' Row” is rising over midtown, a collection of glassy new pinnacles that promise the kind of condo views you can only get in Manhattan by building taller than everything else around...
"Parks have become the place where we go for this incredibly important experience of being in the sun," says Mark Levine, the New York councilman who introduced the bill that now awaits public hearings. "And if even parks lose the sunlight, then I think it diminishes the experience of living here."
Amsterdam News: DC 37 calls on extension of city beach/pool season on lifeguards' behalf
By Stephon Johnson
April 30, 2015
District Council 37 and City Council Parks Committee Chair Mark Levine voiced support for expansion of city beach and pool season. They want it to end the last week of September instead of Labor Day...
“This end date may have made sense in the past, but for a variety of reasons, I believe it is now anachronistic,” Levine said during his opening statement. “It’s time for an update. The tragic reality of global warming means that, like it or not, over time September is becoming ever warmed. Last year, the first week of September was one of the hottest of the year.”
CBS: Community Board Meets To Address Concerns Of Megatowers Casting Shadows On Central Park
By CBS New York
April 28, 2015
There are concerns megatowers going up in the 57th Street area could dim parts of Central Park. A community board meeting was held Tuesday night at the New York Public Library to discuss what has become a contentious issue.
As 1010 WINS’ Sonia Rincon reported, City Councilman Mark Levine, who chairs the parks committee, is proposing a bill that could stop future development and keep parks out of the dark
“Sunlight and warmth bring parks to life and we’re losing it on the southern end of Central Park, and parks all over the city are vulnerable,” he said.
El Diaro: La desigualdad también afecta a los parques de Nueva York
By Juan Garnham
April 27, 2015
Nueva York – Por las últimas cuatro décadas, Antonio Hernández ha considerado el parque Rufus King, en Jamaica, como el jardín que su departamento no tiene
“Es un buen comienzo, pero hace falta mucho más”, dijo el concejal Mark Levine, que preside la Comisión de Parques del Concejo Municipal. “Hay parques medianos, como St Mary's Park en el sur de El Bronx, que han sido realmente olvidados. Faltan decenas de millones en apoyo”.
