Expanding parks is not supposed to be this difficult.

“This is the worst situation I’ve ever encountered in terms of [dealings with] the community,” said Carol Greitzer, a former councilwoman from the West Village who helped start a group called 250+ Friends of New York Parks. It opposes many of the Bloomberg administration’s park plans. “They come up with a plan. Maybe—maybe—if you’re lucky, you can tweak it slightly, but that’s about all you can do.”  read more »

We may be seeing the limits to public-private partnerships in park development.

The plan to use funds from the development of the West Side waterfront to finance new park construction and maintenance seems to be collapsing. While this doesn’t mean an end to these partnerships, it is a signal that public amenities still require public investment. There really is no such thing as a free lunch.

The latest episode in the Pier 40 saga took place on March 28, when Hudson River Park officials rejected a plan by Related Companies to build a $625 million performing arts complex on Pier 40, located at West Houston Street.  read more »

So, the latest Siena poll not only shows Eliot Spitzer’s approval plummeting further, but shows voters overwhelmingly opposed to raising taxes.

Here's what that combination of data says to Democratic state Senator Diane Savino: “The public is finally starting to realize, they’re paying and paying and paying and they’re not getting the results that they want,” she explained.
“On one hand, you may have the governor who is trying to stand up for the overtaxed and over-burdened New Yorkers and saying no to the legislature, and the legislature--it may put them [all] in a position they don’t know how to get out of," she said. "They can’t advocate for increased taxes, right?”

(Note: Some legislators, like Assemblywoman Deborah Glick of Manhattan, have spoken favorably about raising taxes, at least on the state’s top wage-earners.)

I just got off the phone with Manhattan-based Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, a members of the Ways and Means Committee, about the possible need to raise taxes in the next budget. (Eliot Spitzer already backed off one such revenue-generating idea.)

Glick said she’s unsure if the state budget is in that much trouble, but indicated that if it's determined that there is a need, raising taxes on the wealthier taxpayers would be her preferred option.

“I can’t envision, in this incoming budget, a significant raise in any taxes, although there is probably enough money in the top tier.

More after the jump.  read more »

Now that Eliot Spitzer has made his initial push for same-sex marriage, the next logical step would seem to be for him to begin lobbying Democrats in the legislature to get on board. Interestingly, there is little expectation among even the most fervent supporters of a gay marriage bill that he's going to do so anytime soon.

“This is not something he’s primarily focused on, and he’s made that clear,” Assemblywoman Deborah Glick told me for a piece in this week's Observer.

Not that the governor's help isn't wanted. The bill’s prime sponsor in the Assembly, Danny O’Donnell, thinks a kinder, softer Spitzer can actually help the bill pass the house.

“I would say that he is much more effective when he asks people to do things than when he tries to tell them to do things,” he said. “And when he asks, he can be very effective."

More from the story here.

Not that anyone really expected Eliot Spitzer's same-sex marriage proposal to succeed anytime soon, but just days after its introduction, both sides of the legislature are talking about passage in purely academic terms.

As I noted earlier, the plan to legalize same-sex marriage is premised on the notion that it can pass the Assembly, thereby compelling the Senate take action one way or the other.

For now, the Republican-led Senate seems perfectly happy to wait.

"We can’t speculate until they do that," said Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's spokeswoman, Lisa Black, referring to passing gay marriage in the Assembly. "And it’s never been done before. They say they have 60 and they still need 20 more. They’re not going to shame upstate Republicans. It’s not going to help their constituency."

Pro-gay marriage Democrats in the Assembly don't necessarily disagree.

On the prospect of getting enough votes to pass the bill through the 150-member Assembly, Deborah Glick predicted that it would be tricky to get enough Democrats to line up for it if there were any chance that it would actually pass.

"Nobody wants to be the 76 or 77th vote," she said.

Also, unrelatedly, tonight is a mock session for Assembly interns. Maybe they'll think of a way to break the deadlock.

The Web site's honored peers include State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick ("Friend in High Places Award") and the illustrious Broadway-Flushing Homeowners Assocation.

Since its launch in May 2004, the website Curbed.com has established itself as the center of the virtual conservation about real estate in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and beyond. Constantly updated with the latest breaking news, Curbed has shown a great interest in covering preservation issues. Numerous stories about landmarks and potential landmarks have graced the pages of Curbed and helped to expose a huge new audience to the preservation efforts of organization sand individuals across New York City.

Mazel tov, gents!

Ms. Glick also spoke about changing the 421A developer tax-abatement scheme so that instead of the current 20% affordable housing requirement, it'll require 30% affordable housing on site.
And she had words for Mayor Bloomberg's disinterest in the sale of Stuy Town: "It's not in my opinion that Stuy Town was a private matter--it's public policy," adding that the Mayor's hands-off approach to the sale of the famous working-class enclave was disappointing.

Deborah Glick hosts a breakfast before petitioning at the Village Independent Democrats' clubhouse.

The new design.

The area where the greenmarket currently is will be even greener: Trees will be planted around the northern gateway plaza, and it will be resurfaced and an electrical and plumbing infrastruture will be constructed to provide services to the greenmarket venders.  read more »