Public testimony: Nikki Bridko, Ocean Towers resident, opposes project
Nikki Bridko, a resident of Ocean Towers, testifies that she and neighbors were not allowed to vote on the building. She calls the project a 'wolf in sheep's clothing,' alleges the landlord has let the existing building disintegrate, claims the new building will eliminate sunlight and destroy green space, and notes the local community board voted 29-1 against the proposal. She cites over half a million dollars in city fines against the landlord.
So the first panel we'll call up is Nikki Bridko and Marissa Solomon.
Nikki Bridco and Marissa Solomon.
Hello.
Good morning.
You may begin.
Hi, everybody.
Not able to get my camera to work.
Can you hear me?
Yes, we can hear you.
You may begin.
Okay.
First off, I live in the building, and I'm telling you, myself or none of my neighbors that I know were allowed to vote or asked to vote on the building.
The umbrella of affordable housing is a vast space.
While many of the initiatives are meant to be helpful for the disenfranchised and marginalized poor people in New York City, it unfortunately leaves room for corruption.
It gives opportunity for wealthy slumlords to take advantage of the tag of affordable housing for their own profit.
This is a case of the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing.
Many of you live in Manhattan, Upper or West Side.
Respectfully, you're out of range of the poverty that the citizens in places like Coney Island endure.
Our Ocean Towers building was initially a Michelama that is now a rent-stabilized building.
Our landlord, who has let our building disintegrate, is asking for special permission to build a new building that is illegally too close to our building,
that will eliminate our access to sunlight, and it will rob us of fresh airflow, and it will destroy a beautiful green space with hundreds of trees.
Why is this building so important to our community?
And how will this help improve the 350 units in the existing slum building?
His grand plan is to let our building decay, remove a
us all tear it down and eliminate our rent stabilized homes after the new building is complete.
The landlord has a history of over half a million dollars in fines to the city.
And he doesn't care about the city and he doesn't care about the people in the building.
Our local land use committee voted seven to nothing against giving him the zoning permission.
And he arrogantly told them, I don't need your vote anyway.
His privilege from his wealth allows him to speak so disrespectfully and think this way.
Our local community board voted 29 to 1 against his proposal.
Yet here he is waiting to get approval.
Time expired.
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Nikki.
You could submit the rest of your testimony to land use testimony at council.
It took me a second to get in.
Thanks for hearing the people.
No worries.
Ridiculous.
Marissa Solomon?