SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

Olivet Presbyterian Church
Broadway Entrance

Friday
June 3, 2005
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
97 Myrtle Ave, Staten Island

Due to recent plans by the New York City Housing Authority to raze 360 units of public housing on Staten Island, the need for additional units of affordable housing has come to the forefront. This hearing will examine the need for affordable housing in the borough and explore means for creating new units and preserving existing units of affordable housing on Staten Island.

Please see below for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony, and for a description of the bills which will be discussed at the hearing.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes’ duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee’s interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

1. What is the current need for affordable housing on Staten Island?

2. How can the development of more affordable housing be balanced with the need for more rationally planned development on the Island?

3. What effect will the demolition of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) project Markham Gardens have on the availability of affordable housing on Staten Island? What plan does NYCHA have for the replacement of lost units?

4. Are there a sufficient number of rental units on Staten Island to meet the current demand? What can be done to increase the number of rental units on Staten Island? What effect would an increase in rental units have on the communities of Staten Island?

5. What other services or community issues need to be addressed in response to increased affordable housing development?

6. What incentives could be provided to developers to build more affordable housing on Staten Island? What other obstacles need to be overcome to generate more affordable housing development on Staten Island?

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on The State of Affordable Housing on Staten Island are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Caryn Canfield
Legislative Associate
Assembly Committee on Housing
Room 513 - Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
Email: canfiec@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4355
Fax: (518) 455-4128

I will address my remarks to the following subjects:

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required: