We have been working together in the fight to preserve Mitchell-Lama housing in New York City. As you may already know, Mitchell-Lama buildings were developed with state and city low-interest loans provided through a 1955 law sponsored by former Manhattan State Senator MacNeil Mitchell and former Brooklyn Assemblyman Alfred Lama.  The law helped spur the development of almost 150,000 apartments in New York City. Yet, due to a provision that allows buildings to buy out of the program after 20 years, there are fewer Mitchell-Lama units every year.  Concerns about both the depletion of this form of affordable housing and whether these former or soon-to-be former Mitchell-Lama units will continue to be covered by rent stabilization laws pervade our communities and beyond.

 Mitchell-Lama developments house many of the true pioneers of our City, who moved here at a time when no one else wanted to live in neighborhoods like the Upper West Side and other parts of Manhattan.  Current Mitchell-Lama residents stepped up to the challenge of creating safe and productive communities. Now that many Mitchell-Lamas are facing buy outs, there are serious concerns regarding the continuation of affordable housing for those who reside in these buildings.

Our strategy to preserve this incredible resource of affordable housing has been to not only advocate on the streets of our communities, but also through the legislature.  We remain committed to keeping buildings in the Mitchell Lama program by continuing to fight for future legislation and bills that have already passed in the Assembly this session, such as:

-A.459 Requiring notification for buy outs of Mitchell-Lama buildings at least six months prior to the date of dissolution;

-A.460 Extending the period of time before Mitchell-Lama buildings may dissolve from 20 to 50 years; and

-A.458 Extending rent regulation protections to New York City tenants in Mitchell-Lama buildings that buy out.

To ensure affordable housing in New York City, we must expand upon and preserve what we already have.  Alongside city officials, we will continue to work with the Mitchell-Lama community to lobby the Senate to take action on these bills. By working together, we can show a unified New York City in the battle to preserve affordable housing. We cannot allow our City to become a place for only the wealthy to live.  Those brave New Yorkers who made these neighborhoods so desirable deserve to stay in their communities. 

Since New York City has become such a desirable place to live these days, there is no mystery why the cost of housing has risen beyond the budgets of many working individuals and families. The real estate bubble that everyone says is eventually going to burst does little to comfort the people who need affordable housing now. The only way affordable housing will truly be protected and increased is by the collaborative effort of elected officials on every level, city, state and federal. With continued cuts on the federal level, the state and city governments must step up to aggressively combat the disappearance of affordable housing in this competitive market. My democratic colleagues and I will continue to fight for legislation that protects and creates affordable housing, but this is an issue that will not be solved overnight. New Yorkers as a whole need to understand that the communities they love will forever be changed if they do not hold all of their elected officials accountable on behalf of those who can no longer afford to live in their neighborhoods.

Assembly Member O’Donnell has secured Community Capital Assistance Program (CCAP) funding for the 119th Street Tennis Association, which operates under the umbrella of the Riverside Park Fund, to rehabilitate the surfaces of ten tennis courts on the northern end of Riverside Park. The free courts are a great asset to park users of all ages, since many find private tennis facilities too costly. The $50,000 CCAP commitment will ensure that the heavily used courts will continue to be available to the diverse group of neighborhood tennis players who enjoy them now.

Along with a generous contribution of $10,000 from Columbia University, the funding will address the tennis courts’ need for major surface repair. Under the direction of Project Directors Martin Appel and Anne-Marie Jannuzzo, cracks will be filled, grades will be leveled, and the courts will be resurfaced and repainted. In addition, surrounding fences will be repaired or, if necessary, replaced. The 119th Street Tennis Association is active in operating and maintaining the courts for the public’s use.

"There are not many places in the City where one can go for free to play an impromptu game of tennis. Here you usually don’t have to wait very long. Nevertheless, you can find yourself playing alongside neighborhood kids just learning the game, experienced adults just home from work, and retired regulars playing a laid-back game," said Assembly Member O’Donnell.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver appointed Assembly Member O’Donnell on May 11, 2005 to head the Codes Committee’s recently formed Subcommittee on Criminal Procedure. The Codes Committee oversees all legislative matters that involve a civil or criminal penalty or have civil or criminal implications. It handles matters that fall within the criminal justice budget and the public protection budget. The new five-member Subcommittee will review existing criminal justice legislation and make recommendations to be considered by the full Codes Committee.

Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, a persistent opponent of the West Side Stadium, worked closely with constituents and state legislators to defeat the proposed stadium. In discussions with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, he expressed his concerns that any transfer of public land should be at full market value; should occur with significant input from the affected community; and should have full disclosure and transparency of all negotiations and transactions.

As Assembly Member O’Donnell stood with colleagues at Sheldon Silver’s press conference on his decision to vote no at the Public Authority Control Board (PACB) hearing, Speaker Silver stated, "I have received letters from Assembly members representing either the area or communities near it and whether it’s Deborah Glick, Danny O’Donnell or Scott Stringer, they are all standing here with me today because they don’t believe in making this expenditure."

The PACB was created to provide a mechanism for oversight of quasi-independent state authorities’ activities, which include decisions to subsidize projects such as the West Side Stadium. The governor and each house of the legislature designate representatives to make decisions on such issues. Approval of a proposal must be unanimous.

Assembly Member O’Donnell believes the people of New York were heard. He said, "Through the dedicated work of constituents and colleagues, along with the Assembly leadership, we succeeded in protecting the quality of life in our community."

The West Side Market, a full-service, 24-hour grocery store that has been at the northeast corner of Broadway and 110th Street for over 25 years, will return to the neighborhood, Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell announced. The West Side market signed a 20-year lease for an enhanced, expanded space, which will occupy the bottom floor of the new building being constructed on the site. It is expected to reopen by mid-2006.

Assembly Member O’Donnell negotiated with the developer and other partners to bring back the grocery store, a neighborhood fixture. "The West Side Market is one of the community’s most valued businesses," said Assembly Member O’Donnell. "It’s one of the few full-service grocery stores in the neighborhood, it’s a friendly presence that people in the community know they can count on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

The new West Side Market will feature the following improvements:

* Shoppers will enjoy expanded access: there will be multiple entrances from Broadway. This is possible since the new West Side Market will feature 90 feet fronting on Broadway - more than double its previous 40 feet - as well as 90 feet bordering on 110th Street, twice the previous 45 feet.

* The store will occupy a fully renovated, expanded space.  It will lease approximately 8,200 square feet of ground floor space, along with an additional 10,200 square feet of lower level space to support its retail operations.

* The store will be part of a new 11-story building designed by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects, which will contain 57 residential units and underground parking for 190 vehicles.

Southern end of Morningside Park where lampposts will be installed)

Morningside Park has become a jewel for local residents in Morningside Heights and Central Harlem. As the popularity of the park grows, a need to increase the lighting around the southern perimeter of the park has become necessary. "We talked for a long time about the problem of the darkness by the park," says Brad Taylor, president of the Friends of Morningside Park, Inc., a community resident. "But we just didn’t have the funds to replace the 40-year-old Cobra Head-style lights, which basically only illuminate the street."

Enter Assembly Member and long-time neighborhood resident Daniel O’Donnell. After negotiating with Columbia University, who will make a substantial contribution of $140,000, and working with Friends of Morningside Park, Assembly Member O’Donnell obtained $283,000 in Community Capital Assistance Program (CCAP) funding to install adequate street lighting around the perimeter of Morningside Park. Partnering with the Department of Transportation, the agency came up with an overall plan for what would be needed and produced estimates on the installation and maintenance costs. The new lighting will consist of Type M lampposts, which have two arms that allow both the street and sidewalk areas to be illuminated. In addition, these distinctive lampposts will maintain continuity with the design of the other lampposts already installed directly south of the park on Columbus Avenue.

"Columbia University takes seriously our responsibility to be a good neighbor and is proud to join Assembly Member O’Donnell and the Friends of Morningside Park in helping to improve this valuable resource," said Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger. "I would like to thank Danny for his leadership in making our community safer and brighter." Columbia University has also agreed to assume responsibility for the annual maintenance and cost of electricity for the pedestrian portion of the lighting.

Neighborhood residents make extensive use of Morningside Park, which means there are more people in the park in the late afternoon and early evening. "We really have Assembly Member O’Donnell to thank for this lighting," says Mr. Taylor. "Getting the funding for the new lights was his initiative. He took the ball, ran with it, and made it happen."

"The Friends of Morningside Park have fought to improve the quality of the Park and the University has reached out to help. Today we have a gorgeous example of an urban park, which will soon be an even better and safer resource for the diverse neighborhoods surrounding it," says Assembly Member O’Donnell.