Fiesta Fiesta Fiesta with WSNA on Nov. 7th!

Los invitamos a nuestra tercera anual Fiesta Comunitaria a comer, bailar, y escuchar música latina… y todo es ¡gratis!

Será el sábado, noviembre 7, en la escuela PS 111 localizada calle 53 entre 9na y 10ma avenida desde 1:00pm hasta 4:00pm.

Venga el día 7 y goce con sus vecinos y trabajar juntos para defender y mejorar nuestra comunidad.

Vamos a tener rico platos de comida latina donado por varios restaurantes de nuestra comunidad. Si usted quiere demostrar su buen talento con su sazón puede traer sus platos favoritos para compartir con sus vecinos.

Por favor llame a Ivette al 212-716-1663 / inunez@hcc-nyc.org para reservar su asiento.

Haz clic aqui por el boletin en Español para repartir a sus amigos, familia y vecinos.

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You’re invited to our third annual Fiesta Comunitaria, to eat delicious food and dance to live latin music with other Spanish-speakers in the neighborhood… and it’s all free!

That’s Saturday, November 7th, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at PS 111 (53rd St. between 9th and 10th Aves). The event will be held entirely in Spanish, but everyone is invited.

We’ll have lots of food generously denoted from various local restaurants. But if you want to show off your talents in the kitchen, you are welcome to bring a dish to share.

Please contact Ivette at 212-716-1663 / inunez@hcc-nyc.org to reserve your spot.

Click here for the Fiesta flyer to put up in your building, on your block and to pass around to your friends, family and neighbors.

Sept. 26th: 5th Annual West Side Tenants’ Conference

CONFERENCE PROGRAM AVAILABLE HERE (subject to minor changes, room assignments TBA).

All out for the biggest, most informative, and most empowering tenant event of the year!

The West Side Neighborhood Alliance will also be taking the lead on a number of workshops this time around.  Our Illegal Hotels Committee are hosting one, our Clean Air Campaign will educate tenants on how to keep their homes asthma-free, and WSNA en Español will be hosting a workshop in Spanish on how to organize in your building.  Join us!

DATE: SATURDAY SEPT. 26th  10AM-4PM

LOCATION: FORDHAM UNIVERSITY AT LINCOLN CENTER

Lowenstein Building – 113 WEST 60TH ST. at COLUMBUS AVE.

TRAIN: A,B,C,D,1   BUS: M11,5,7,10,20,37,57,104

Keynote speaker: U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler

WORKSHOP TOPICS INCLUDE:

• How to find affordable housing
• Saving $$$ on energy bills
• Stopping illegal hotels
• Update on laws for tenants
• The Rent Guidelines Board
• NYCHA housing
• Organizing in your building
• How to get repairs done
• Navigating DHCR
• The economic crisis and housing
• Housing benefits for seniors
• Asthma-free homes
• Getting help with rent arrears
• Section 8 & Mitchell-Lama
• How Housing Court works

Free breakfast and lunch for all participants!  Free child care!

CONFERENCE IS FREE – MORE INFO/RSVP TO 212-541-5996 x24 or events@hcc-nyc.org

SPONSORED BY: Housing Conservation Coordinators * Fordham University Law School Housing Advocacy Project * Housing Court Answers * The Legal Aid Society * Legal Services for New York City–Manhattan Office * MFY Legal Services * New York Immigration Coalition * Tenants & Neighbors * West Side Neighborhood Alliance * West Side SRO Law Project * U.S. Rep Jerrold Nadler * Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer * State Senator Tom Duane * Assembly Member Richard Gottfried * State Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal * City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn * Council Member Gale Brewer

Click here for a conference flyer to put up in your building, on your block and to pass around to your friends, family and neighbors.

Haz clic aqui por el boletin en Español para repartir a sus amigos, familia y vecinos.

WSNA 3rd Annual Summer Potluck Party!

Celebrate the West Side at the 3rd Annual West Side Neighborhood Alliance SUMMER POTLUCK PARTY!

It’s that time again!  Come party, feast, and play games with other West Siders who care about keeping our neighborhood diverse, affordable and livable for all its residents.  And it is a potluck—please bring something scrumptious to share with your neighbors.  We will supply juice, soda and ice—and we expect you to whip up your finest dish or snack to show off!

WHO:    Your family, friends, and neighbors

WHERE: Ramon Aponte Park, West 47th St. between 8th and 9th Aves.

WHEN:   SATURDAY, JULY 18th, 3-6pm

Rain date: Saturday, July 25th, 3-6pm

HOME- COOKED FOOD * LIVE MUSIC * RAFFLE AND PRIZES * WEST SIDE TRIVIA * FAMILY FUN

Help us spread the word by downloading and posting the potluck flyer.  Click here for the English version, and here for Spanish.

To RSVP/for more info, contact Lucas at Housing Conservation Coordinators 212-716-1664 or LShapiro@hcc-nyc.org

WSNA elections and all-membership meeting!

Ten members answered the call to run as candidates for the WSNA Steering Committee!

Click here to view their candidate statements.

We hope to see you on Tuesday, June 23rd… to meet other WSNA members, help elect our new Steering Committee and get updates on our campaigns and our exciting plans for the future.  The all-membership meeting and elections will start at 6:30pm on the 23rd, located at Hartley House – 413 W. 46th St. between 9th/10th Ave.

Have a friend or neighbor that might want to check us out?  Bring ‘em on down!  There will be membership forms at the meeting.

COME MEET THE CANDIDATES AND CAST YOUR VOTE!

Any individual whose annual membership lapsed at any point during the year leading up to the election shall be qualified to vote so long as they renew their membership at or before the election forum.

CAN’T ATTEND THE JUNE 23 ELECTION FORUM, BUT STILL WANT TO VOTE?

Members unable to attend the election forum may submit an absentee ballot.  Absentee ballots shall be filed with Lucas before noon on June 23rd at HCC’s office (777 10th Ave, between 52/53 St.).  Click here for the absentee ballot and for full instructions.

June 23rd all-membership meeting and election flyer here.

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El boletin para la reunion el dia 23 de Junio aquí.

Haz clic aquí para saber quienes componen el  Comité Directivo, quien es elegible para postularse como candidato,  Quién puede votar en nuestras elecciones y cómo se llevan a cabo dichas elecciones.

Western Rail Yards Forum on June 10th

Public Forum on the Western Rail Yards Rezoning

Wed., June 10th – 6:30-8:30pm (sign-in starts at 6pm)

Fulton Center Auditorium – 119 Ninth Ave (btwn 17th/18th Sts)

It’s back!  The development of the Rail Yards is moving forward and now’s our time to ensure that our longstanding concerns about large-scale buildings and a lack of affordable housing are addressed.

The Western Rail Yards ULURP application has been formally certified by the Department of City Planning.  Those of you who attended WSNA’s zoning trainings will know that certification means that it’s now our time to weigh in.  The application rezones the Western portion of the Rail Yards (between 30th to 33rd St. between 11th/12th Avenues).  Part of the rezoning negotiations includes the development of affordable housing offsite (meaning not on the Rail Yards themselves). Two public sites at 54th/Ninth and 48th/Tenth maybe designated for affordable housing.

The public review process will start with a public forum on Wednesday, June 10th. The plan for the site will be presented, and West Siders will be able to voice their concerns and ask questions.

Join us to ensure our community priorities are heard loud and clear!

These two sites in Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen are under consideration for developing permanently affordable housing as part of the larger project.

Come out on June 10th for details and to hear the hopes and concerns that block associations and WSNA members have about them.

For more info & to RSVP for the June 10th forum, contact Lucas at: 212-716-1664 or LShapiro@hcc-nyc.org.

Click here for the event flyer.

May 21st: Illegal Hotels Community Forum

ILLEGAL HOTELS COMMUNITY FORUM

Thursday, May 21st 6:30-8:30pm

Hartley House – 413 West 46th St (btwn 9th/10th Aves)

All over the city, landlords are evicting tenants and illegally renting apartments to tourists to increase their profits.  To protect the city’s affordable housing stock and the safety of our homes, tenants are advocating for changes that keep hotels out of residential buildings and that penalize landlords who break the law!

At the Community Forum, we will:

• Release a new report detailing the staggering amount of uncollected fines and housing code violations on these hotels in residential buildings
• Hear what our elected officials are doing to pass vital legislation to crack down on illegal hotels
• Learn what tenants can do to organize and fight back!

Invited/Attending Elected Officials:

State Senators: Tom Duane; Liz Krueger; Daniel Squadron

Assembly Members: Jonathan Bing; Deborah Glick; Richard Gottfried; Micah Kellner; Linda Rosenthal

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn

City Council Members: Gale Brewer; Daniel Garodnick; Jessica Lappin; David Yassky

For more info & to RSVP, contact Jackie at: (212) 541-5996 ext. 28 o jdelvalle@hcc-nyc.org.

Click here for the Illegal Hotels Community Forum flyer.

Haz clic aqui por el boletin en Español.

West Side Clean Air Campaign to launch on Monday, May 11th!

Join your neighbors, school teachers, parents, kids, health advocates, people who suffer from asthma and elected officials for the launch of the West Side Clean Air Campaign!

The West Side Neighborhood Alliance, the Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Pedestrian Safety Coalition, Housing Conservation Coordinators, and area schools are launching an exciting new campaign to improve air quality on the West Side… and we want you to join us for our kick-off event!

To reduce the effects of air pollution in our neighborhood, we are fighting charter buses and car service vehicles idling near our children’s schools, and are working on green initiatives to minimize air pollution from traffic and to ensure our homes are healthy and energy efficient. Over the coming months we’ll tackle other critical clean air issues beyond idling.

MONDAY, MAY 11 – the day the new idling law goes into effect (1 min. limit near schools)

RALLY AT 3PM SHARP

P.S. 111 playground – on 52nd St. btwn 9th & 10th Ave.

After the rally we’ll get drivers who idle in front of schools on 52nd St. to sign pledges to stop idling.

To RSVP/MORE INFO, contact Lucas at HCC: 212-716-1664 or LShapiro@hcc-nyc.org

Click here for the May 11^th rally flyer.

Haz clic aqui por el boletin en Español.

For our kids…

For our health…

For the environment…

For a greener West Side!

WSNA workshop: How to shape development in our community

Have you ever wondered exactly why we have all these public hearings and community board meetings about development projects in our neighborhood? Well, there’s this funny thing called ULURP that all of us need to learn more about!

The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) is a public process that gives community boards, elected officials, planning agencies and people like you the power to participate in decision making about development and zoning changes that shape our neighborhoods.

Why do some government bodies have the power to make decisions during ULURP while others can only make recommendations?  How can West Siders use ULURP to ensure development serves our community needs?

WSNA is hosting an interactive, bilingual workshop on Thursday, March 26th to answer these questions and more!

This workshop training is especially recommended for anyone involved in WSNA’s P.S. 51 and 11th Ave Rezoning campaigns.  We want to empower P.S. 51 parents, staff and all community members to fully participate in the upcoming ULURP processes

What: WSNA workshop on shaping community development

When: Thursday, March 26th from 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Where: 300 West 46th St. (southwest corner of 8th Ave)

The workshop is free, but you must RSVP (space is limited).  Contact Lucas at: LShapiro@hcc-nyc.org or 212-716-1664.

Click here for the event flier in English.

Haz clic aqui por el boletin en Español.

Wednesday, January 14: P.S. 51 affordable housing site on Community Board 4 agenda!

Community Board 4’s land use committee will see a revised design proposal for the P.S. 51 Affordable Housing Site, on 44^th/45^th Streets between 10^th and 11^th Avenues at its meeting next week.  After much delay, this project is moving forward quicker than ever before.

WSNA has long campaigned to get what we need on that site: the 600 affordable apartments we were promised, and a new school for the P.S. 51 students, at a reasonable density that fits in our community.

This Wednesday, join P.S. 51 parents, staff, and concerned neighborhood residents to find out what the developer is proposing.  Come with us to the land use committee meeting, and don’t be afraid to speak up for the community’s priorities on the P.S. 51 site.

The P.S. 51 site public presentation is on Wednesday, January 14^th, at the Red Cross building: 520 West 49^th Street, between 10^th and 11^th Avenues.

We’re also having a phonebanking pizza party on Monday, Jan. 12^th to invite our neighbors to attend the meeting next Wednesday. Can you help us make calls and share a slice of cheese (or two or three) with us?  That will be at HCC from 6-8:30pm this coming Monday: 777 10^th Ave between 52^nd and 53^rd St.

Please RSVP to Lucas at HCC if you can come: LShapiro@hcc-nyc.org or 212-716-1664.

Click here for the event flier in English.

Haz clic aqui por el boletin en Español.

Save the date: WSNA New Year’s Party Jan. 22nd

We’ve been hearing a lot about 2009 being a year of “change” and can feel the winds of change blowing through the West Side!  We have ambitious (but very much winnable) goals for the New Year: repealing vacancy decontrol and protecting rent-regulated housing; stopping illegal hotels once and for all; implementing a community-friendly rezoning of 11^th Ave; and the list goes on.

What better way to celebrate WSNA’s achievements and our ongoing efforts than by having a party?!

WSNA NEW YEAR’S PARTY

Thursday, January 22^nd

6:30-8:30pm @ Hartley House

413 West 46th St. (btw. 9th/10th Aves)

* FOOD * DRINKS * MUSIC *

Feel free to bring a dish to share. Friends and neighbors that want to join WSNA are welcome too!  We’ll have membership forms available at the party.

To RSVP or for more information, please contact Lucas at LShapiro@hcc-nyc.org or 212-716-1664.

Click here for the party flier in English.

Haz clic aqui por el boletin en Español.