Where was the “main entrance” to the Pier 57 waterfront complex, anyway? Past the Google office, I pulled open one of dozens of enormous glass doors and asked a security guard where the community board meeting was.
Down past the gummy candy couches where 20somethings splayed. Down past the food counters with diners draped in cashmere and rare textiles. A folding table held a two-page agenda delicately crimped together without staples. “PUBLIC MEETING.”
I took a seat among 11 physical audience members, facing 30 people behind tables. The woman at the podium was boosting a state bill to protect school library books with LGBTQ themes. “When parents complain, access is disrupted.” Next item!
Council Member Carl Wilson beamed as he recounted a recent oversight hearing’s trophies: clips of tech representatives being scolded. A Zoom attendee interrupted. The sound had cut out for the last ten seconds; what happened at the hearing? New York City, Wilson explained, had a duty to lead on AI, with or without Washington.
He moved on to another bill he was proud to sponsor: the PET Act, requiring veterinarians to disclose their prices for routine procedures.
The room’s most animated technical discussion concerned housing. For a Seventh Avenue co-op, the board wanted to cap owners’ resale profits for at least 80 years instead of 30. Subsidized co-ops allow sufficiently organized residents of modest incomes (but substantial assets) to live in an expensive neighborhood like Chelsea.
The threat of rezoning loomed over the meeting: a proposal to replace a TV studio at 515 West 57th Street with 400 apartments, not enough affordable. What did FAR 18 residential really mean, a member prompted? “Billionaires’ row!” came the reply.
They started taking roll call. It was already after 9 p.m. How much longer would this go on? I envied the attendees dialing in from their divans. I crossed the street into Chelsea Market and scanned for something more interesting than a bodega sandwich. Within minutes, I walked out with a ready-made box of mango sticky rice for $12.