Hundreds are expected at Wednesday rally against Williamsburg waterfront rezoning
Williamsburg residents and political and community leaders are set to gather at Kent Avenue and North 8th Street at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, to mark the eighth anniversary of the city’s controversial rezoning of portions of the Williamsburg waterfront to condominium developers in what was, as organizers call it, “Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s re-zoning giveaway.”
The rally, organized by Mobilzation Against Displacement (MAD), lists as its main grievances: (1) the issue that “less than one-third of the promised 3,500 affordable [housing] units have been built, probably no more than 100 being truly affordable to most residents of our communities,” and (2) that rezoning has dramatically increased the displacement of long-term, lower income residents.”
Their stated goal is to finally get affordable housing and restored funding for neighborhood-based anti-displacement enforcement of existing tenant legal protections.