Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Ruth Fellowship Ministries, there will be an "urgent" meeting on the future of Liberty Village, a 96-unit subsidized housing complex in the Fourth Ward.
At issue is an impending sale of the complex to a buyer who needs City Council approval to continue a "payment in lieu of taxes" (PILOT) agreement that dates back to 1982. The buyer will increase the percentage of the rent roll paid to the city from 6.28 percent to 10 percent and will make numerous improvements at the site. Deciders on the actual sale will be other authorities.
This is not a City Council meeting. Only three council members will take part: Council President Bridget Rivers, who represents the Fourth Ward; Councilwoman Vera Greaves, who holds the First & Fourth Ward at-large seat; and Councilwoman Tracey Brown, the Citywide at-large representative. No votes can be taken.
Those expected to attend to answer questions are Deputy City Administrator for Economic Development Carlos Sanchez, Housing Authority of Plainfield Executive Director Randall Wood, principals of Liberty Village Estates Urban Renewal LLC and their attorney, William Eaton; and possibly someone from HUD, according to Rivers.
Sanchez and Eaton have already explained the situation at two council meetings. Plaintalker reported on those meetings on April 8 and April 16 . Eaton has stated a May 1 deadline sought by the buyer, as the Section 8 contract for the current owner expires on May 6. However, as indicated at the two meetings, speakers have said the council should hold out for more concessions and Rivers said she believes the council has until May 31 to render a decision.
For the April 15 council meeting, the prospective buyer was observing Passover and was not present, although Eaton again answered questions and stressed the need for the PILOT agreement to continue.
"I think all the information has been provided," he said.
But Rivers called the process a "rush, rush, rush" and said the council had until May 31 to act. She alluded to things she was told by unnamed outside sources regarding the deal.
Brown attempted to review the facts as already presented.
Greaves told Eaton on April 15, " I wasn't here last week and I have no idea what this project is about.," and added, "I actually need to figure out what is going on."
She later reacted emotionally to a resident's comments on the matter by saying, "She's getting on my nerves, honest to God."
No action can be taken Monday as it is not a legal council meeting. If the three get their questions answered to their satisfaction, a special meeting can be called at which the full council may act. But Gloria Taylor and William Reid also questioned the deal and there is no guarantee that it will pass unless a majority feels comfortable in approving the PILOT. Stay tuned ...
--Bernice
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It's funny that Rivers has been involved in this for a year. Greaves is an airhead who needs years to understand anything. Who picked these people to run?
ReplyDeleteThere you go again Bob, calling people names. Reminds me of when I was in the school house yard.
DeleteYou give the new dems a bad name, and you just help the people who run against them. Thanks Bob.
The facts stand for themselves when you watch the actions of some council people and I do not retract my statement. I could never have or give as bad a name to anyone that is worse than many members of this City Council. They would rather the people of LIberty Village live in slum like conditions than listen to reason. I am tired of their games and most of the voters I speak to can't understand the reasoning of many of City Council members. Maybe I should belittle a member of the public when they come to speak before me as happened last week. I'm not getting paid to do that, so I guess I'm very underpaid to do what's best for Plainfield. Let the Council people keeping Plainfield from moving forward start working for the common good, then I will have nice things to say. I speak for myself no other organization or club.
DeleteVera Greaves has been on the City Council for nearly 2 1/2 years now. Voters should expect their representatives to be more attuned to what is going on. That's obviously not the case with her, and casual observation suggests she's out of sync with a great deal of what's happening. Maybe more concessions can be squeezed from this particular deal, such as a portion of the payments going to the school district, but it generally looks like the obstruction is more a primary election ploy, or a means to finagle profiteering opportunities via Housing Authority involvement, than it is concern for the residents who live there 24/7/365. Like that other autonomous Authority, the PMUA, HAP is in need of a shakeup.
ReplyDeleteThe Dunns are speaking out against it. So everyone should pay attention. I would think they would want the housing authority to buy it so they can assist Cecil Sanders and get some contracts and get some $$$. Otherwise why would they care? Both father and wordy son are against it. Take note Plainfield.
DeleteHappy Easter to all!
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that a Town Hall is scheduled so members of the City Council can hear from their constituents if they should vote for a Pilot to keep Liberty Village affordable housing.
Pilots are typical in these deals so the owner can afford to accept lower rent and keep the units affordable. Why are our elected officials not welcoming a new owner and 20 more years of affordable housing? The alternative is market taxes and then an investor cannot keep the property affordable. Sure the City gets a little more real estate tax, but they also lose affordable housing that is not easily replaced. Does the City Council want to be responsible for evicting 100 families?
Lets not scare away new investment in our community and help preserve much needed affordable housing.
James
All housing is affordable in relation to ones income. Trecey Brown is councillor at large but she only seems to care about those in the ward that her church is in.
DeleteMaybe the council isn't for affordable housing, but instead see this as an opportunity for gentrification.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad they are having a town hall meeting despite all the people whom are trying to stop them from having one. Someone is defiantely getting paid from this deal.
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with keeping all the citizens of Plainfield informed and not just a select few. The residents of liberty village VOTE just like the residents of the 2nd ward.
ReplyDeletePeople stop it now
I'm lost why are people so upset with getting the correct information to the public???
ReplyDeleteWho's upset at getting the correct information to the public? But you've got to wonder why Liberty Village's three Council representatives didn't voice anything pro or con until now, although this deal has been in the works since the middle of last year. Makes you think this is just another election season stunt.
DeleteThe politics of misinformation, denial, and obfuscation on the part of some of the councilors have resulted in a mess. The future of the residents at Liberty Village lies with those who would rather see them remain in abject living conditions versus those who believe that all Plainfielders deserve a good quality of life.
ReplyDeleteI am hopeful that the councilors who voted NO on this project (Greaves, Reid, Rivers, and Taylor) will respond to community pressure--it's clear that they don't respond to common sense.
Given the unbelievable and embarrassing animosity that Councilwoman Rivers displayed toward me for merely suggesting that Mr. Abdul-Haqq had a 1st Amendment right to speak during public comment, as well as the disgusting display of Councilwoman Greaves (who says that she doesn't get paid enough) yelling at a constituent who had the temerity to suggest that she (Greaves) is paid to read and analyze the information in her council packet, I am hopeful that my colleague, Councilwoman Brown, who (along with Councilman Storch and me) supports the proposal to continue the PILOT with the prospective buyers, will be able to convince them--along with Taylor and Reid (who also voted NO for no reason I can ascertain) to vote in favor of the prospective buyers, who have agreed to the terms to improve the lives of the residents at Liberty Village.
I will be at the meeting as well. I hope it is productive, and not simply another effort to obstruct progress in our city by playing politics with the lives of our residents for the gain of profiteers. When that happens (as is happening all too often), the residents suffer.
No matter what happens, though, the council will still get its $9,000--even though Councilors Greaves and Reid don't think it's enough for the "work" they do on the council.
Rebecca
To 8:26 AM,
ReplyDeleteI don't know who could be trying to stop a town hall meeting to let the residents of Liberty Village know what is going on with regard to the property. How could anyone stop it?? Who would stop it??
I know that administration officials will be there--I will be there as well. Councilwoman Brown voted in favor of the proposal (she will be there), as did I and Councilman Storch.
I hope that the others who voted NO to this proposal--appointed Councilwoman Taylor and outgoing underpaid Councilman Reid--will be there and will listen to reason.
Given that this meeting was so hastily called at the last minute, I hope that Liberty Village residents are aware of it. I have been in contact with some--I hope they can make it.
Rebecca
ANONYMOUS 9;24pm, Rev. Brown has a heart for all the people of Plainfield. Her Church reaches far beyond the fourth ward.They have a feeding program for all seniors in plainfield, feed the guest at the ymca, they have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day for all the residents of Park Hotel, they feed over 400 hundred families during thanksgiving from all wards, this is just a few things. What do you do?
ReplyDelete