Latest news with #EconomicDevelopmentCorporation
United News of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Organise a camp for the Gabit community in Konkan: Maha Minister Save
Mumbai, May 27 (UNI) A special camp should be organised to provide the benefits of schemes like loan provision, interest refund and skill development training to maximum members of the Gabit community in Konkan, Maharashtra's Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Minister Atul Save said on Tuesday. A meeting was held in the Mantralaya (secretariat) during the day under the chairmanship of Minister Save regarding the establishment of an Economic Development Corporation for the Gabit community. The community has been pressing for the setting up of the corporation for itd overall economic upliftment. Save said the government will make positive efforts in this regard. Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane, MLA Nilesh Rane, Principal Secretary of the Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Department Vinita Ved Singal, as well as representatives of the Gabit Samaj Sanghatana were present in this meeting. The Gabit community mainly resides in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri districts of Konkan as well as in Mumbai. Minister Rane said the Gabit community is traditionally dependent on fishing and related businesses. With the changing times and modernisation, their traditional businesses are facing many challenges. It is necessary to establish the independent corporation for the social and economic benefit of the community. He said the corporation would bring the Gabit community into modern businesses, providing them with training and financial assistance. UNI VKB SSP
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
A neglected area of Staten Island will get a fresh batch of new eco-friendly housing
Staten Island's North Shore is set to host New York City's largest mass timber residential development. Mayor Eric Adams and the city's Economic Development Corporation announced their chosen developers for the mixed-income housing project on Monday. Artimus and Phoenix Realty Group will head the massive development on two vacant sites along the North Shore's Stapleton waterfront. 'With today's announcement, we are checking another key box of our North Shore checklist,' Adams said. 'We are not only building the affordable homes New Yorkers need but using sustainable materials to reduce our carbon footprint and help turn New York City's waterways into the 'Harbor of the Future.'' 5 A rendering of one of the mass timber residences. GF55 Architects 5 Developers Artimus and Phoenix Realty Group were tapped by the city to take on the 500-unit job. GF55 Architects 5 An aerial view of the proposed development at the New Stapleton Waterfront. GF55 Architects One quarter of the 500 units will be designated as affordable, or available to households earning between 40 to 80% of the area median income. This carve-out makes the project 'one of the largest mass timber residential projects with affordable housing in the entire country,' according to the city's announcement. Mass timber, according to the city, will reduce the project's carbon footprint and speed up construction time. The engineered wood, made by bonding smaller wood pieces together, is considered a sustainable alternative to other construction materials. In addition to coming from a renewable source, the mass timber also weighs less than steel or concrete. The project is a piece of the mayor's 2023 pledge to invest $400 million into the borough's neglected North Shore. In addition to monetary investment, the four-year roadmap for the 'Staten Island North Shore Action Plan: Building a Vibrant, Mixed-Use Waterfront Community,' sets out to build 2,400 homes, more than 20 acres of public space, more than 7,500 jobs and $3.8 billion in economic impact over 30 years. 5 A sign at Stapleton waterfront park. stefano giovannini 5 Adams at Stapleton Houses in Staten Island in 2021. white The New Stapleton Waterfront, in particular, is turning a former US naval base into a 38-acre mixed-use neighborhood. The city's Economic Development Corporation broke ground on the next 6 acres of open space and esplanades at the waterfront in September, including the demolition of the old naval buildings. 'For too long, Staten Island's waterfront sat undeveloped and underutilized,' said State Assemblymember Charles D. Fall. 'This project marks a new chapter — one that brings much-needed housing, creates local jobs, and embraces sustainable building to ensure the North Shore becomes a place that serves our community for generations to come.' The development is the first publicly awarded project to use mass timber at scale in the Northeast United States, according to the city. The use of mass timber plays into another one of Adams' plans. The mayor's 'Green Economy Action Plan,' sets out to, among other things, provide New Yorkers with nearly 400,000 projected 'green-collar' jobs by 2040. Construction is expected to start in 2027.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More on proposed housing study
GREENSBURG – 'We want to take a proactive approach,' Economic Development Corporation of Greensburg/Decatur County Director Bryan Robbins recently said regarding an upcoming housing study that's schedule to get underway in May and be completed by September, 'to try to to attract more builders, more developers, to add to the market and hopefully bring more people to our community.' The local EDC is partnering with the Greensburg City Council, Decatur County Commissioners, Greensburg Mayor's Office, Greensburg Redevelopment Commission and Decatur County Redevelopment Commission on a $40,000 housing study. The study will cover Greensburg and Decatur County and is being conducted by Thomas P. Miller and Associates, an Indianapolis-based consulting firm. A local housing study was conducted in 2019, according to Robbins, but it only covered Greensburg, not all of Decatur County. Robbins said he is not aware of any housing studies conducted in Greensburg or Decatur County prior to 2019, adding that it's possible there were prior studies but 'if there was one, I couldn't find it and [the EDC] was not part of it.' Robbins elaborated on the need to conduct a countywide study, noting that the 2008 recession impacted the housing market nationwide and 'when it did rebound, we found that the assumption was there were more opportunities around larger metro areas.' Robbins noted that Decatur County wasn't getting the population growth it could, 'not because we were lacking jobs – we have plenty of jobs here – we just didn't have the places for people to live,' or the capacity to build and meet the demand due to a lack of developers. 'It's not just Greensburg or Decatur County,' Robbins emphasized, 'it's across the Midwest, particularly rural areas, that are focusing on housing. The last 10 years or so, we've had jobs available, our unemployment rate has been significantly low, historically, because we didn't have the labor force to meet existing needs. We were trying to drill down why that is' and ultimately determining that one issue is housing. While a study was conducted in 2019, Robbins described that effort as 'meager,' explaining, 'we kind of got what we paid for,' as it had a smaller budget than the $40,000 allotted for the upcoming study. 'We wanted a more robust study,' this time, Robbins said. The EDC selected Thomas P. Miller and Associates after contacting multiple firms, explaining what the budget was and what they wanted from this study. The objective of the study is to assess the current housing mix and the affordability in Decatur County, then explore population and housing trends at the local, state and regional level to determine demand, existing needs, and how to meet them. The study will review how fast homes sell, what price they're sold at, and other housing-related data such as age trends and whether Decatur County's average age is trending older or younger. Once the study is complete, Robbins explained, that gives the EDC data to use when working with developers, managing goals and meeting the community's needs. This study is timely, according to Robbins, because 'we're doing this at the same time' Greensburg is working on its comprehensive plan. 'If there is a need for housing, we want to make sure we can incorporate that, in some way, into the comprehensive plan,' he said. The study's methodology will go beyond looking at data and statistics; focus groups will be assembled comprised of Realtors, builders and others who have observations about the housing market. Robbins also shared that surveys involving the general public may also be conducted as part of the study. 'I want to ask that people participate in those surveys,' he said. 'Keep an eye out for those' on the EDC, City of Greensburg or Decatur County social media platforms. Surveys of the public will most likely be conducted online, but Robbins said they will try to have hard copies available, too. 'We encourage people to take part in those and give us feedback. We hope it's going to be a strong report, one we can use for the next four to five years,' he concluded.
New York Times
11-04-2025
- General
- New York Times
New York Helicopter Crash Recalls Another. And Another.
The helicopter has been a fixture in New York City for decades. In 1945, Fiorello La Guardia, the city's favorite son, became the first American mayor to ride in one. Four years later, the city opened its first commercial heliport, with gee-whiz fascination that likened the bladed aircraft to an 'infuriated palm tree.' But for many New Yorkers, the fanfare has long since faded. On Thursday, a family of five and their pilot died when their helicopter slammed into the Hudson River. Sean Duffy, the U.S. secretary of transportation, said on social media that his department has begun an investigation into the cause of the crash. At least 32 people have died in helicopter accidents in New York City since 1977, according to The Associated Press. Thursday's crash was the deadliest since at least 2018, when a sightseeing helicopter without doors fell into the East River, flipped over, and five people drowned. An invention once synonymous with military might, then with the wonder of the city skyline, the helicopter is now regarded by many as an urban nuisance, or an outright threat. For some, the latest deadly episode is a reminder — like the fatal rooftop crash in 2019, or the crash over the East River in 2011, or a midair collision in 2009 — that there are hundreds of the crafts in the air every week, and restrictions on the industry have been limited. From 2002 to 2013, there was a helicopter accident or fatality in the New York City metropolitan region about once every other year, said Andrew Rosenthal, the board president at Stop the Chop NY-NJ, a nonprofit group started in 2014 to end nonessential helicopter traffic. 'If we had a roller coaster that killed people every two years, on average,' he said, 'how many decades would it continue to operate?' The city controls two of the three heliports in Manhattan, while the third is run by a quasi-governmental trust in Hudson River Park. Around 70,000 commercial helicopter flights take off from the New York-New Jersey metro area a year, and more than half of those crafts are carrying tourists on short joy rides around New York City, Mr. Rosenthal said. The busiest site for tourists, the Downtown Skyport, formerly known as the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, hosts about 27,000 tourist flights a year, according to the city's Economic Development Corporation, the operator. The flight on Thursday departed from that heliport, ending with the deaths of Agustín Escobar, a Spanish executive for Siemens — one of the world's largest companies — his wife, their three children and the pilot. Non-tourist helicopter flights are primarily for trips that taxi wealthy clients to regional airports and the Hamptons. Based on air travel trackers, Mr. Rosenthal estimates that less than 5 percent of helicopter traffic is for essential services, like police work and medical emergencies. The volume of traffic became more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic, when New Yorkers' scorn for the aircrafts exploded. In 2019, before the pandemic normalized working from home, there were about 3,300 helicopter noise complaints reported to 311, the city's help line. Last year, there were nearly 29,000. (Complaints peaked at nearly 60,000 in 2023, in part because critics of the industry created a short-lived application to help residents file grievances.) Public pressure has led to some changes, but often only after a deadly accident. In 1977, a helicopter that was idling atop the Pan Am Building in Midtown Manhattan malfunctioned and sent a 20-foot helicopter blade tumbling 59 stories, killing five people. The rooftop landing pad was closed. More than a decade earlier, pilots had criticized the plan to open a helipad above Midtown. In 1997, weeks after a helicopter owned by the Colgate-Palmolive company crashed into the East River, killing an executive, a surge of complaints moved Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to reduce the number of heliports in the city from four to three. In 2016, at the urging of a number of groups fed up with helicopter noise, pollution and safety concerns, Mayor Bill de Blasio banned sightseeing helicopters from taking off on Sundays, and capped the annual number of tourist flights at the busiest heliport in the city to about 30,000, down from 60,000. But tourist helicopter operators in nearby Kearny and Linden in New Jersey aren't bound by those restrictions. The latest crash has already spurred calls to improve the city's air space, which is, for the most part, controlled by the federal government. New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who represents western Manhattan, said that he is seeking a ban on sightseeing helicopters in the city. 'Manhattanites aren't caged zoo creatures, and it's offensive that we're likened to a tourist site for the wealthy,' he said. Mr. Hoylman-Sigal signed legislation last year that would force a heliport in Hudson River Park to relocate, but it may continue to operate. Supporters of the industry note that commercial helicopters contribute to the city's tourism and tax revenue. A spokesman for the Economic Development Corporation said the city's heliports employ about 175 workers and generate a 'total economic impact' of $78 million a year. Critics say they're not worth the cost, or the carbon emissions. In response to calls for tighter regulation, the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, a trade group, said in a statement that 'some well-meaning but misguided leaders are using this tragedy to exploit and push their decades-old agenda to ban all helicopters,' and that an investigation is needed before taking legislative action. But there is more that city officials could do to reduce accidents and airspace congestion, critics of the copter industry said. The city has the authority to end its license agreement with commercial helicopter operators at its two heliports, said Gale Brewer, a City Council member who has pushed to limit helicopter traffic since the Bloomberg administration. Her district includes the Upper West Side, where helicopters drone throughout the day. A number of bills that would restrict tourist and 'commuter' helicopter rides have been introduced in the Council. Melissa Elstein, the board chair at Stop the Chop, lives on the Upper West Side and said the latest accident is a wake-up call. And so was the last one. And the one before that. 'If this doesn't stop this industry,' she said, 'honestly, I don't know what will.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Benito wins appeal in election case; court finds judge interfered
Apr. 2—SAN BENITO — The 13th Court of Appeals has ruled a trial judge's decision "interfered" with San Benito's Nov. 5 special election, while city commissioners properly placed proposed City Charter amendments on the ballot. In its decision, the appeals court overturned visiting state District Judge Michael Garcia's ruling, allowing the city to adopt four City Charter amendments which voters approved in the election. "The trial court's orders represented an impermissible exercise of judicial power that interfered in the political process," the court found, referring to Garcia's ruling nullifying the election's votes. As a result of the appeals court decision, City Manager Fred Sandoval said he will live in town based on voters' rejection of a proposition that would have have allowed the city manager to live outside the city limits. While the City Charter requires the city manager to live within the city limits, Sandoval's continued living in Pharr since he was hired in October 2023. "I will reside in San Benito as per City Charter requirements and I am processing my application to become a registered voter as well," he said Wednesday. Sandoval called the appeals court ruling a "great victory for us." "I'm glad the appeals court saw it the way we saw it and ruled in our favor," Mayor Rick Guerra said in an interview. "I feel that what we did was right. The voters read what was on the ballot. They were informed." Now, Julian Rios, the former president of the city's Economic Development Corporation, said he plans to meet with his attorneys to determine if he'll take further legal action. "I don't know what victory they're celebrating because citizens voted the city manager had to live in town, which is the biggest item on the ballot that they snuck past the citizens," he said in an interview, referring to commissioners. In an Oct. 17 lawsuit, Rios argued commissioners violated the Texas Open Meetings Act, failing to give residents proper notice of the special election and its five proposed City Charter amendments while claiming they secretly placed the propositions on the ballot. As the case played out in court, the city was holding the election's early voting period. Then on Nov. 4, Garcia ruled in favor of Rios, finding commissioners failed to give residents proper notice of the election before voiding citizens' votes. During a hearing, Wayne Dolcefino, the owner of Houston-based Dolcefino Consulting who's being paid to investigate the city, testified he paid $5,000 to file the lawsuit in court, City Attorney Javier Villalobos said. On Friday, the appeals court overturned Garcia's decision, finding commissioners gave voters proper notice of the election while adding Garcia's ruling interfered with the electoral process. "We conclude that the notice adequately informed the public of the subject matter at issue," Justice Clarissa Silva wrote in the court's ruling. "The notice advised the public that the city commission would consider and potentially approve a specifically identified order." "Any readers interested in amendments to the City Charter had more than sufficient notice that the city commission would be considering action relating to it by way of a special election," she wrote. "Further, appellants were not required to provide specific details regarding each of the amendments." As part of the decision, the court found Garcia's ruling interfered with the election. "The trial court's orders improperly interfered with the elective process, once it had begun, in violation of the doctrine regarding separation of powers and the judiciary's deference to the legislative branch," the court found. "Issuing orders during the pendency of voting purporting to nullify the votes already made on the propositions and the prospective votes on those propositions inherently resulted in disruption of the election process and caused confusion to voters," the court found. "The trial court's rulings may have depressed voting on the propositions and certainly deprived those individuals who did cast votes on the propositions of their choice." In the election, residents overwhelmingly passed four of five proposed charter amendments, including one which asked voters if they wanted "all members of the city commission to reside within the city limits during their term of office." While a proposed amendment asked voters if they wanted to allow commissioners "to make appointments to the city commission in the case of a vacancy where there is less than 365 days remaining in the vacant term," another measure asked them if they wanted the charter "to provide for process and reasons for removal of municipal judges." The only proposition voters defeated asked them "to allow the city manager to reside outside the city limits." To run the special election, city officials contracted the Cameron County Elections Department at a cost of about $26,885, Elections Administrator Remi Garza said. Featured Local Savings
