Good morning and welcome to today's New York City Council hearing from the subcommittee on landmarks, public sightings, resiliency, and dispositions.

At this point, I'd like to remind everyone to please censor electronic devices and at no point is anyone to approach the dais.

Chair, we're ready to begin.

Good morning, everyone.

Welcome to the meeting of subcommittee on landmarks, public sightings, resiliency, and dispositions.

I am Councilmember Camila Hanks, Majority Whip, and I am the acting chair, taking uh Chair Marte's place, and I'll chair this subcommittee.

I am joined today by my colleagues, Councilmember Avilez, Councilmember Nurse, Councilmember Thomas Henry, Councilmember Ose, and Councilmember Inconcion.

Before we begin today's agenda, which consists of both hearings and votes, I will remind everyone that this meeting is being held in hybrid format for members of the public who wish to testify remotely.

We ask that you first register online.gov forward slash land use to sign up and then sign into the zoom and remain signed on until you have testified.

For any anyone here today in person wishing to testify, if you have not already done so, please see one of our sergeants to fill out a speaker's card and we will call your name at the appropriate time.

For anyone wishing to submit written testimony on the items being heard today, we ask that you please send it via email to land use testimony at council.nyc.gov.

Include the land use number and or project name in the subject subject line of your email.

Video and audio testimony will not be accepted.

I will remind members of the public that this is a government proceeding and the decorum will be observed at all times.

And as such, members of the public shall remain silent unless and until called to testify.

The witness tables is reserved for people who wish to testify.

No video recording or photography is allowed from the witness table.

Further, members of the public may not present audio or visual recordings as testimony, but may submit these transcripts as and of such recordings to the sergeant for including in the hearing record.

So on today's agenda, we have two hearings followed by several votes, and we will begin the public hearings.

I will now open the public hearing for preconsidered land use item for the application brought by the New York City School Construction Authority for an 108 high school high school seat facility and uh located at 25 Wall Street Staten Island.

In Councilmember Hanks' district, community uh school district 31.

The site is approximately for 46,000 zero ninety-six uh square feet and is currently currently being occupied by a paved parking lot.

Appearing today on this proposal is Jane Martinez Dowling, Roderick Paulton, Andrea Bender.

Again, those wishing to testify remotely must register online by visiting the council's website, council.nyc forward slash land use.

Panelists, and please ensure your microphone is on.

Council, would you please administer the affirmation?

Panelists, would you please raise your right hand and state your name for the record?

Make sure the mic.

Roderick Palton.

Jane Martinez Dowling.

Andrea Bender.

And do you affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth and your testimony before this subcommittee and in answer to all council member questions?

Yes.

You may be again.

My name is Andrea Bender, and I am the Vice President of External Affairs at the New York City School Construction Authority.

As we know, I am joined by Dr.

Paulton, community district 31 superintendent, and Jane Martinez Dowling, Chief of the Office of Student Pathways at New York City Public Schools.

Next slide, please.

I am pleased to present a proposed new approximately 801 seat high school with a D 75 program as an annex to Curtis High School at 25 Wall Street between Academy Place and Stuyvesant Place in the St.

George neighborhood of Staten Island.

The site, as council member Hanks noted, is currently occupied by a paved parking lot.

Next slide, please.

This is the tax map showing the borough block and lot.

Next slide, please.

And a closer aerial of the current site showing that parking lot.

Next slide, please.

Thank you.

Pursuant to section 1731 of the New York State Public Authorities Law, the New York City School Construction Authority has undertaken the site selection process for a new approximately 801 seat high school facility located at 25 Wall Street, Block 10, Lot 1 in the borough of Staten Island.

The site is approximately 46,096 square feet, a little over an acre.

The site is located within Staten Island Community Board 1 and under the jurisdiction of the Citywide Council on High Schools.

The purpose of the proposed project is to provide additional long-term capacity to relieve overcrowding at Curtis High School.

Curtis High School has a 127% utilization rate and has the largest classroom deficit of any school on Staten Island.

The five-year capital plan for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 allocates capital funding to address existing overcrowding and forecasted changes in student enrollments and to support New York City public schools' policies regarding class size reduction.

The notice of filing of the site plan was published in the Staten Island Advance on September 30th, 2025 in AM New York on October 1st, 2025, and in the city record on October 2nd, 2025, at which time Community Education Council number 31, Staten Island Community Board No.

The Citywide Council on High Schools, and the City Planning Commission were notified of the site plan.

Community Board 1 held a public hearing on October 7, 2025, and the Citywide Council on High Schools held a public hearing on October 22nd, 2025.

All public comments received on this site were considered as part of the site selection process.

Now I'm going to take you through a couple of slides of images of the site in its current condition.

Next slide, please.

So here are some views of the site facing northeast from the intersection of Wall and Stuyvesant.

It's a little bit, it looks like there's a little bit of an elevation change here, so the site is sort of above that fence line.

Next slide, please.

And here are some more views of the site in its existing condition facing east on Wall Street.

The SCA affirms the site plan pursuant to Section 1731 of the New York State Public Authorities Law.

In accordance with Section 1732 of the Public Authorities Law, the SCA submitted the proposed site plan to the mayor and city council by letter dated July 13th, 2026.

Next slide, please.

Should SCA receive approval to acquire the property, the Curtis High School annex will be constructed and is anticipated to open in 2031.

The school is anticipated to include classrooms to serve approximately 801 high school students, in addition to special education classrooms, district 75 classrooms, a speech resource room, music room, an art room, a kitchen cafeteria, library, gymatorium, guidance and medical suites, as well as general administrative and support spaces.

It is also anticipated to include the creation of an at-grade play yard.

In addition, New York City Public Schools has separately committed to an expansion of the highly successful nursing program that the school currently offers by up to 100 seats beginning when the new capacity is ready for occupancy.

The nursing program has historically had high demand with over 150 applicants this year for approximately 90 seats.

Last slide, please.

Next.

Thank you.

We look forward to the subcommittee's favorable consideration of the proposed site plan and would be pleased to answer any questions from the committee.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for that.

I have a few questions.

In September 2022, Governor Hoko enacted chapter 556 of the laws of 2022, which requires New York City school districts to create a five-year class I reduction plan for all New York City K 12 community districts and high school.

How does this proposed school align with that plan and how will it contribute to meeting the city's class side reduction requirements?

Thank you so much, Chair, for that question.

I'll I'll start and then I'll let Dr.

Paulton expound if he would like to.

So the purpose of this annex is really, as I said, to relieve the overcrowded conditions that are currently existing at Curtis High School.

So this 801-seat annex will really take the existing population of Curtis High School and spread it over two buildings to relieve class size pressures that are currently on the existing high school space.

I think you covered it really well.

Um this building will definitely address the 28 uh overcrowded classrooms that we have at Curtis, as well as create opportunities for our students that by expanding the nursing program in the school.

Thank you.

What's the average distance students who have to travel to attend this school?

How would it impact transportation needs and accessibility?

So I've walked.

I can answer this question.

In fact, we were there a couple weeks ago.

It's pretty close.

It's about three walking uh blocks from the main building.

So it's very walkable.

And just to add, um, to answer your questions about accessibility, although I don't think this is exactly what you're asking.

The building will, of course, be fully accessible.

Um, as far as transportation, when we design any new building, we're working closely with the Office of Pupil Transport and New York City Department of Transportation to ensure safe drop-off, safe busing, safe arrival and dismissal procedures for parents.

So that's something that we work very closely with New York City Public Schools and DOT on.

Great.

I'll I'll like now to recognize Councilmember Hyanks with who has some questions.

I would like to give a statement.

Okay.

Okay, thank you, Chair.

Um every student on Staten Island deserves uh to access to high quality education and and in a learning environment that's equipped to meet their needs, and that's why I strongly support this proposed expansion of Curtis High School at 25 Wall Street, which will address long-standing overcrowding while creating new opportunities for generations of students.

We also need to be honest about the future of this property.

The privately owned site at 25 Wall Street will not remain a parking lot forever.

The question is whether the city will act now to ensure its development has a lasting public benefit.

With Curtis High School already in urgent need of additional space, we cannot afford to let this opportunity pass.

Um Curtis has a proud history of academic achievement innovation, and its nursing program has become one of the school's greatest asset and one of the greatest programs on the Eastern Seaboard.

At the time that our city is facing a growing need for nurses and other healthcare professionals, expanding this program gives students a direct pathway to these careers, is both a smart educational investment and a workforce necessity.

This expansion will allow more students to access the nursing program while giving Curtis space and resources to needed to support student success.

And I have worked closely with the New York City Public Schools to secure a commitment that the program will be expanded and the property properly supported and positioned to thrive in this new building.

And I understand the concerns surrounding density, neighborhood impacts and the potential loss of parking.

And these concerns are real and will be and must be addressed with serious planning and meaningful mitigation.

But Staten Islanders deserve a clear answers on traffic, infrastructure, parking, and quality of life as this you know project moves forward.

But we cannot lose track of what's at stake here.

Curtis High School is overcrowded today, and the young people across Staten Island who are looking for real pathways into strong in-demand careers today.

The choice is not between addressing community concerns and investing in our students.

We must do both.

At 25 Wall Street, we have the opportunity to relieve overcrowding, expand a proven nursing program, and create a direct pipeline into healthcare careers our borough depends on.

This is not simply an investment in a building, it is an investment in Staten Island students, its workforce, and its future.

And that is why I'm proud to support this project, and I hope my colleagues will also support this project.

I'd like to thank the planning and land use division.

Thanks to Amoy Barnes, a senior executive director of intergovernmental affairs, Andrea Bender, SCA VP External Affairs, and Dr.

Roger Palton, the Staten Island District 31 Superintendent.

And I want to give a shout out to my new interns who are here, Miss Libby Joy and Chase from Staten Island.

And thank you, Chair, for the indulgence.

Of course.

Does anyone else have any remarks or questions?

Okay.

Sorry, just curious.

Are there any capital needs of the current school building that are being addressed through the new build or packaged alongside?

You're gonna have a brand new building for some of the students.

So I just curious if the old building has any capital needs that would be addressed with this.

So I'll I'll try to take this one.

So this will be a ground-up new building.

Our construction will focus on the new building.

When we build an annex or an addition at a at an existing school campus, we often do an inventory of what's in the existing building to see if there's anything that needs to be done as part of that upgrade.

If that is the case and if there is funding to do so, we would do that most likely after the new building opens so that we're minimizing construction impact on the school.

Um, that's something that we will look forward to undertaking with the principal and with Dr.

Palton.

I would like to recognize uh Councilmember Hanks again.

Yeah, thank you so much, Chair.

Um, this is for uh SCA.

Uh is the principal of Curtis High School supportive of this of this expansion at the site.

As far as I know, I'll take that as a yes.

Yes.

Thank you.

Him and I have extensive conversations around it.

That's excellent.

Thank you so much.

Um, so we understand that there's a high demand for a nursing program at Curtis.

Is that right?

Yes.

Um, are you able to commit, which you've already done, providing the necessary programmatic resources uh to ensure the nursing program continues to thrive at this new facility?

Yes, we are.

Thank you.

And please describe the specific investments to ensure this program's continued success.

We um currently have 345 students in the nursing program, and we are committing to add an additional hundred students by the time of the uh the um annexes opening.

Thank you so much.

That is all, Chair.

Thank you.

This applicant panel is not excused.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Of course.

Council, are there any members of the public who wish to testify on this item?

Um we do not have any signups.

If there are any remote public participants who wish to testify and have not already done so, please please press the raise hand button now.

And if you are here with us in person, please see one of the sergeant of arms to first fill out a speaker card.

There being no other members of the public who wish to testify regarding pre-consider LU for an 801 C high school facility at 25 Wall Street, Staten Island, the public hearing is now closed.

I now open a public hearing for the pre-consider OU item for an application brought by New York City Housing Preservation and Development for East Harlem El Barrio Article 11 amendment, an amendment to a prior resolution, resolution number 946, approved in 2019 for an Article 11 tax exemption pursuant to the section 5 577 of the private housing finance law.

While the original project required the rehabilitation of approximately 36 rental units and two commercial spaces and one community facility space, the amendment version would include three community facility spaces instead of the mix of commercial and community spaces.

Otherwise, the amended project is the same as the original project.

The project is located in Councilmember Inkanas Young and Council Member Salam's district in Harlem.

Appearing today on this proposal is Justin Dolan, Anna Driscoll, and Ariel Rawlings.

Those wishing to testify remotely must register online by visiting the council website at Council.nyc.gov slash land use.

Panelists, please ensure your microphones are on.

Council, will you please administer the affirmation?

Panelists, would you please raise your right hand and state your name for the record?

Justin Domlin.

Anna Driscoll.

REL Rollins.

Do you affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth in your testimony before this subcommittee and an answer to all council member questions?

I do.

Yes.

So in reference, as the chair mentioned, to a previously approved project by the council on June 13th of 2019 for the East Harlem Alberto CLT cluster.

HBD is seeking to amend the original project.

So the project area consists of four buildings, which are on the map behind me.

So that is 53 East 110th Street, 304 East 126th Street, 201 East 120th Street, and 204 West 121st Street, located in Council Districts 8 and 9.

Two of these buildings contained areas which were previously designated as commercial space.

These were 53 East 110th Street and 201 East 120th Street.

HBD is requesting that the original project be amended to establish the area's currently designated commercial space to transition to community facility space and to include these spaces as part of the exemption area to exempt them from real property taxation pursuant to section 577 of the private housing finance law.

So the amended project includes approximately 38 rental rental units and a total of three community facility spaces, but is otherwise the same as the original project.

You're done.

Yeah, okay, awesome.

Thank you.

Um I'll like to now recognize Councilmember Encanacioung who has some questions.

I don't have questions.

I um I am in support of the change.

Right back to my questions to HPD in regards to making sure that um it was still a viable space for the CLT.

It is, so I'm good to go on this one.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Any other council members have any questions or remarks?

Alright, thank you.

This applicant panel is not an excuse.

Council, are there any members of the public who wish to testify on this item?

No.

If there are any remote public participants who wish to testify and have not already done so, please please press the raise hand button now.

And if you're here with us in person, please see one of the sergeant at arms to first fill out a speaker card.

There being no other members of the public who wish to testify regarding preconsider OU for East Harlem El Barrio Article 11 amendment, the public hearing is now closed.

We will now hold votes.

Today we're holding a vote to approve the preconsidered LU for an 801 seat high school facility at 25 Wall Street, Stan Island.

We will also vote to approve three applications by the landmark preservation commission for the dead for designating three individual landmarks.

LU 91 for the landmarking of PS 15 annex in Councilmember Wrestler's district in downtown Brooklyn.

LU92 for the landmarking of the Church of St.

Mary's in my district on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

LU93 for the landmarking of the Lithuanian Alliance in Councilmember Wilson's district in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

We will also vote to approve preconsidered LU for the 511 West 171st Street Cluster, an application by HPD for the designation of an urban development action area project and approval of the 40-year Article 11 tax exemption to facilitate the rehabilitation of three buildings with 50 units in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan and Councilmember de la Rosas District.

Finally, we will vote to approve the preconsidered application for the East Harlem El Barrio Article 11 Amendment and Councilmembers Nkanasion and Salam's district in Manhattan.

Are there any council members that want to say a statement or remarks?

I would like to read the statement on behalf of Council Member de la Rosa.

I'm proud to support the renovations and cooperative conversion of the 511 West 171st Street Cluster.

This project is an important investment in the future of Northern Manhattan because it preserves affordability while creating meaningful opportunities for home ownership for working families.

It protects existing residents, opens the door for new first-time homeowners, and ensures these buildings remain well maintained and financially sustainable for years to come.

Expanding access to affordable homeownership is one of the most effective ways we can help families build stability and generational wealth.

And I am pleased to support a project that reflects those values.

Great.

Well, now I call for a vote to approve these items I have described.

I vote aye.

Councilmember Hanks.

Aye on all.

I vote aye on all.

By a vote of six in the affirmative, zero in the negative, and zero abstentions, the items are adopted and referred to the full land use committee.

That concludes today's business.

I would like to thank the members of the public, my colleagues, subcommittee council, land use staff, and the sergeant of arms for your participation today.

This meeting is hereby adjourned.