Petition from neighborhood: Mayor De Blasio: Return Rivington House to the LES

The neighborhood has joined forces to start a petition to save Rivington House.

Rivington House staff and residents have been members of the Sara Roosevelt Coalition since 1994. They were integral to this neighborhood. We are urging the mayor to join other electeds in working to return the building to its rightful occupation: serving this low-income communities most vulnerable members.

 

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From the Lo-Down:

“For weeks, Lower East Side activists tried to get the mayor’s attention on Rivington House. While their initial pleas were ignored, the controversy surrounding the former nursing home has now become a scandal for the mayor who pledged to bridge the divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in New York City.”

 

 

The petition:

“Rivington House was built by the public for the public to serve its low-income Lower East Side neighborhood.

The building’s deed required it to remain a not-for-profit health care facility in perpetuity, and from 1995-2014, the former public school served as an AIDS/HIV hospice, providing vital end-of-life services to our community’s sick and frail.

But after a series of questionable deals and a secret deed restriction reversal by the city, a group of investors and real estate developers bought the property with the sole intention of turning it into a high-end luxury condo building.

This neighborhood doesn’t need more investments opportunities for the wealthy; we need affordable, supportive homes for our community’s most vulnerable.

It’s time the Mayor stand up for this city’s elderly and sick and stand up to profiteering real estate developers who are tearing apart all of our communities.

Help us win Rivington House back for the community that needs it. Sign this petition and tell Mayor De Blasio to reverse the deed restriction and return Rivington House to the people of the Lower East Side.

Thank you for helping us win this vital building back. ” – Neighbors to Save Rivington House

 

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From the Lo-Down: “Brewer, Chin Push Legislation to Reform Deed Change Process”

From the Lo-Down:

“Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council member Margaret Chin [asking] …for more transparency for changes in deed restrictions.

The bill…is a direct response to the Rivington House fiasco….

…The legislation would create a searchable database of all deed restrictions imposed by the city and require the administration to provide adequate notice to local communities…”

CM’s Ben Kallos and Mark Levine, CB3 chair Gigi Li and CB10 chair Henrietta Lyle were on hand as well.

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The Uni Project in Sara Roosevelt Park “Make a Place for Learning”

The Uni Project has launched an eight week residency in Sara D. Roosevelt Park in NYC’s Chinatown.

In partnership with NYC Parks Community Parks Initiative and supported by Leaves of Grass Fund and Green Below 14. Join us at the Hester St Crossing of the park every Thursday 3:30pm-7:30pm through June. (schedule)

 

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DNAinfo: Sara D. Roosevelt Park Still in Need of Public Restrooms

DNAinfo: By Allegra Hobbs | May 25, 2016 1:47pm

“The Sara D. Roosevelt Park Coalition since 1994 has been championing efforts to have the city reactivate a Parks Department building on Stanton Street — beginning with the unused restrooms — that has sat as an otherwise derelict storage facility since the 1980s. ”

“… the department remains unmoved in the face of …demands to return the rest of the Stanton House building to community use …. staunchly supported by Community Board 3, according to board chair Gigi Li — arguing the department needs the space for storage. ”

Parks Department uses 3 of 4 Parks buildings in Sara Roosevelt Park for Borough and City-wide usage. Not quite right for this struggling park to carry the rest of the City and Borough’s storage needs?

 

 

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It’s My Park Day

The city-wide It’s My Park Day is happening in parks all over the city from this weekend through the summer. M’Finda Kalunga Garden is celebrating the day on Saturday, May 21. All are welcome for volunteering to clean up, plant, prune, eat, drink and hang out. There will also be activities for children, turtles, fish and maybe chickens.

(Click on photo to print flyer. Or pass on to friends.)

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The Lowline Lab and CouncilMember Chin will Co-Host Community Engagement Event: This Saturday April 30th- free,

The Lowline is reaching out again to insure the surrounding community is certain of its welcome to this techie experiment. Neighborhood school children and their teachers have been coming in droves to build excitement for all things science and plant!
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From the Lo-Down:

Saturday April 30th, Council member Chin will co-host a community engagement event at the Lowline Lab – visitors will learn about a new “community engagement committee”.

From noon-1:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Lowline Lab, which is located at 140 Essex St. To RSVP. FREE!!! AND…FREE cookies provided by Insomnia Cookies.

The Lowline Lab is a long-term open laboratory and technical exhibit designed to test and showcase how the Lowline will grow and sustain plants underground. Built inside an abandoned market on the Lower East Side, just two blocks from the site of the proposed future Lowline, the Lowline Lab includes a series of controlled experiments in an environment mimicking the actual Lowline site.

Location:
140 Essex Street
(between Rivington and Stanton Streets)
Lower East Side – New York City
Subway: J/M/F Essex Delancey Street

General Hours:
Saturday and Sunday
11am – 5pm
Free and Open to the Public
October 2015- March 2017

 

Read MoreThe Lowline Lab and CouncilMember Chin will Co-Host Community Engagement Event: This Saturday April 30th- free,
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