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Februar y 26 - March 11, 2014
CCBA Contemplates Borders, Meters, Boards MUNI METERS
In the 2013 Progress Report of Chelsea Now, we mentioned our support of a request by small business owners on the south side of the 100 block of West 17th Street, who wanted to change some of the Muni Meter parking regulations from only allowing commercial parking to regular parking — which would allow parking for passenger vehicles. The store owners felt that the changes would be helpful to their businesses, as it would allow shoppers to park by their stores. CB4 approved the request and forwarded it to the Department of Transportation whose Bureau of Parking did a land use and occupancy survey and they also approved the request. The new signs were installed in March of 2013 to the delight of the store owners who requested the change.
Continued from page 1 But before we begin to tell you about the work we do, some introductions are in order. Currently, 15 block associations covering 28 blocks in Chelsea are associated with the CCBA (the ones with an asterisk are in the process of being formed). They are: the 100/200 and the 300 West 15th Street, 100 & 200 West 16th Street, 100 West 17th Street, 300 West 18th/19th Street, 100 West 19th/20th/21st/22nd Street*, 200 West 19th/20th/21st/22nd/23rd Street [south side], 500 West 19th Street, the 300 and the 400 West 20th Street, 300 West 21st/22nd/23rd Street [south side], 400 West 21st/22nd/23rd Street [south side], 100 West 25th Street* and 100 West 26th Street.
COTERMINALITY
In December of 2012, we were notified that Police Commissioner Kelly had rejected our request to make police services coterminous with our community board catchment area. The affected area: West 14th Street to West 26th Street, Sixth to Seventh Avenue from the 13th Precinct to the 10th Precinct. The Commissioner cited some recent Precinct changes they made in Downtown Brooklyn and the so-called difficulties they encountered in doing so. The CCBA was, and still is, very disappointed with the decision that was made, especially because our requested change would align our boundaries with Community Board 4 (CB4) and make for a much better delivery of police services to the area. With the recent elections, we trust that our new city administration will be more progressive in dealing with, and responding to, our community issues and concerns. The CCBA will be coordinating additional outreach for the purpose of adding more names to those that have already voiced support of the effort to change the police precinct coverage boundaries. We have requested a meeting with Gale Brewer (our new Manhattan Borough President) and the police precinct issue is very high on our agenda of matters we feel are of mutual concern to discuss with her. Outreach has also been made to our new District 3 City Councilmember Corey Johnson, our State Senator Brad Hoylman, our longtime State Assemblymember Dick Gottfried and our new CB4 Chair, Christine Berthet. It should be noted that State Senator Hoylman announced, at February full board meeting of CB4, that that a letter signed by him and our other local electeds was sent to our new Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, raising the issue of our longstanding request.
Photos by Scott Stiffler
Muni Meter parking spaces remain the exclusive domain of commercial vehicles, on the north side of W. 17th St.’s 100 block.
POSSIBLE CLOSING OF OLD CHELSEA STATION POST OFFICE
Last year, Chelsea was faced with the prospect of having our Old Chelsea Station Post Office, located at 217 West 18th Street, closed. Needless to say, CCBA — along with CB4, many residents of our community and other groups, as well as our elected officials and their staff — became galvanized by this issue and worked together by making calls, sending e-mails, signing petitions, arranging for meetings and lobbying the appropriate people. As a result of this combined, coordinated effort, the decision to close the facility has been taken off the burner (at least for the moment). We will continue to monitor the situation.
COOPERATION AMONG COMMUNITY BOARDS
With the election of a new Manhattan Borough President, achieving better cooperation among community boards with regard to matters of mutual concern is something the CCBA would like to see. In the past, for example, there had been a joint CB2 and CB4 14th Street Committee that addressed issues affecting both sides of West 14th Street. It is relevant to note that at a recent CB4 meeting dealing with the selling of air rights by the Hudson River Park Trust, CB2’s Chairperson was in attendance and he suggested that it would be helpful if a joint committee of both community boards was formed. At the time, CB4 felt that it was premature to act on the request, but said that it was something that they could consider and discuss in the future. Another example of activity crossing community board boundary lines is the current effort to form a new Business Improvement District (BID) — which would combine the current activities of the Meatpacking District Improvement
Small business owners hope public access to Muni Meter spaces, on the south side of W. 17th St., will make the block more appealing to shoppers.
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