New York City’s economy is in serious trouble, but its public officials are rejecting projects that would produce thousands of jobs. Late last month, Council Member Carlos Menchaca announced his opposition to rezoning and redeveloping Industry City, a commercial and light-industrial complex in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. His opposition will likely kill the project.
According to the unwritten rules of aldermanic privilege, the council will defer to Menchaca because the rezoning falls within his district, regardless of the project’s potential in aiding the city’s recovery from a devastating recession. If Menchaca feels that the Industry City developers have not made enough concessions to secure his support, he can effectively veto the project—and the thousands of jobs that would have come with it.
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