UNVEILING THE UNSUNG HEROES: DOWNTOWN ACTIVIST JO HAMILTON

 

 

 

 

I first became interested in community politics in 1995 when a friend invited me to an event hosted by the Federation to Preserve the Greenwich Village Waterfront and Great Port. They were advocating at the time for a public park on our Hudson River waterfront. It was a worthy cause, and I wanted to support them. Community Board #2 is in desperate need of parks—in terms of open space we rank near the bottom of the 59 boards in New York City. The Federation was also promoting a plan to extend the Greenwich Village Historic District. As a West Village resident, I was very interested in any effort that would preserve a neighborhood that I think is very special.

 

 

The director of the Federation at the time was Ben Green, who was also the Chair of CB2. He introduced me to many of my neighbors and I met some wonderful people. I came to realize that what I love about the Village is not just the wonderful architecture and rich history, but also the people who live here and care enough to volunteer their time and energy trying to preserve its unique character.

 

I remember that soon after I moved to New York from Los Angeles there was a little piece on the Op-Ed page of the NY Times from a man who had moved his family out of Greenwich Village to the country in order to experience the quintessential lifestyle of small town America. Within two years he was back in the Village, having decided that everything he wanted for his family was right here!!  I think most New Yorkers love their neighborhood. But in Community Board #2 we have some of the best neighborhoods in the city, and most are also popular as destinations: the Village, the Far West Village, Soho, Noho, Hudson Square, Chinatown, Little Italy, Gansevoort Market, Washington Square Park.

 

 

So many different issues impact our quality of life—landmarking, zoning, traffic, infrastructure, parks, security, bars and restaurants, just to name a few.  When I started to attend community board meetings, I learned that there was a forum for people to weigh in about what was happening in their neighborhoods.  It is a voice for bottom-up planning. The people who live in the area usually know better than city functionaries what’s best for a neighborhood. I felt empowered, and wanted to work with my neighbors to be a voice in decisions that affect our lives.

 

 

Sometimes it seems that everything is a fight. There have been so many things that I have worked on through the years, it’s hard to think of any one thing.  Maybe my first little feeling of achievement came when the Jane Street Association, which I helped to restart, was able to get a stop sign on my corner.  Unfortunately it took a few accidents before anyone would believe that the intersection was dangerous, but we persisted and finally succeeded. 

 

We also worked with the 6th precinct to bring renewed attention to the prostitution problems on our street. I learned a lot from that fight, that there are many sides to any issue. In the beginning I thought that better police enforcement was all it would take. I quickly began to understand that the issue was much more complicated and part of any successful solution has to include working with social service agencies that can offer viable alternatives to the streets.

 

My biggest political fight was probably in 2005, when Borough President Fields did not renew my appointment to the community board. I guess I wasn’t surprised because I had been outspoken on a number of issues in my neighborhood, and took positions that were unpopular with the faction that was running Community Board 2 at the time. Truthfully I was quite disappointed, but asked the new chair, Maria Derr, if I could stay on as a public member of the Landmarks Committee and she graciously accepted my application. I was very happy to be reappointed as a full board member by Scott Stringer when he took office. 

 

 

I would say that my most successful effort was working with Florent Morellet as Co-chair of the Save Gansevoort Market effort. We were asked by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation to lead an effort to advocate for landmark protection of the Meat Market. At first people thought we were misguided—they asked what we wanted to save, the blood on the streets?  But it didn’t take long to make our case that the area had a very special sense of place—with its low scale brick buildings, the wide streets with Belgian pavers, the wonderful canopies that protect the sidewalks. There is a rich history that helps to tell the story of the New York waterfront and its industrial past. We got a great reception at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and in record time they designated the Gansevoort Market Historic District in 2003.

 

At the same time, we were also able to stop a proposal for a 500 feet tall residential tower right in the middle of the district.

 

What was the most satisfying about these successes was the coalition that we were able to put together—preservationists, neighborhood people, the meat packers, and business owners. Often these groups are on opposite sides of an issue, but when it came to wanting to protect the Meat Market we were all musketeers for the cause!

 

 

I would say ‘disappointment’—and that would be an effort in 2004 to relocate a group of flower wholesalers to the western edge of Gansevoort Market.  Development pressures at their current home on 28th Street and 6th Avenue were (and are still) forcing them to look for a way to stay in New York City.  Many meatpacking businesses were moving out of our area, leaving vacant buildings. The zoning was perfect for wholesale, the proximity to the West Side Highway was perfect for deliveries, and people were excited to have a flower market at the base of the new High Line park.

 

In the end, I am sorry we couldn’t find a way to make it work. 

 

I am not working on anything right now. But last year I finished the Greater Gansevoort Urban Improvement Project. We formed in 2006 to address pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and streetscape problems in Gansevoort Market.  

 

The neighborhood has transformed rapidly, and the old traffic patterns and regulations from the days when meat industry was active (don’t apply) to today, where the street noise and congestion from nightlife patrons is making life miserable for the residents in the surrounding area. 

 

This spring the High Line park will open, which everyone is very excited about.  We wanted to be sure that visitors are safe and have a good experience in the area.

 

The project hosted a number of public meetings, a workshop and an open house, where people identified the issues and talked about possible solutions.   We hired professional planning and traffic engineering consultants who made specific proposals that were presented to the community boards and to the Department of Transportation.  

 

DOT responded enthusiastically and developed a temporary plan that they implemented in the summer of 2007 on 9th Avenue, north of 14th Street, and last spring, on 9th Avenue, south of 14th Street – both with the approval of Community Board 4 and Community Board 2. The plans are temporary and DOT is now working with the boards and with the community to make adjustments before making anything permanent.  

 

The neighbors are very pleased with the positive impact on reducing traffic congestion and noise, and with the improvements for pedestrian safety. Some nightlife owners want the project to go away because they are concerned that their clientele cannot easily be dropped off at their door, and report that business is suffering.  

 

One thing everyone does agree on, is that the aesthetics need to be immediately addressed and that a new design is needed, one that is more in keeping with the historic character of the area.

 

I am very pleased with the outcome of the Greater Gansevoort Project. We successfully brought attention to a problem, organized a broad range of stakeholders to come together and suggest possible solutions, received the support of the community boards who took the project to the appropriate agency, and that agency returned with a plan and a commitment to an open process that continues to solicit input.

 

I think this is a great example of community activism working in the right way, and I am very proud to have been part of the project.

 

 

 

When you ask why I do it—yes, I like to think that I have done some good work, but along the way I have met so many great people and have had fun in all the projects I have been involved with. I have learned so much, and keep learning. In the end, I am grateful for these experiences and hope to be able to continue to make a contribution.

 

 

I cannot comment on public attitudes toward our elected officials. I leave that to the voters, who speak for themselves every four years. So far I think they have done a good job of electing people that represent us well. I respect all of our elected officials for their hard work and dedication, and have enjoyed working with them. I know that they all care about the future of our neighborhoods as much as I do.