CB9's Meetings. Ongoing coverage and commentary: Feb 4th, 11th, 24th, March 16 and March 24th

What kind of amazes me is that there has not been more conversation about Bedford, between EP and Empire.

If the site of the former gas station at the SW corner of Bedford and EP was zoned residential and not C8-2, we would likely get a very nice apartment building there.
http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/38184/the-gulf-stationdunkin-donuts-at-ep-and-bedford-1550-bedford 

Likewise, if we were to "gift" the MTA building located across from the armory with the ability to become residential, the MTA would probably close it and sell it. Lovely factory coversion lofts anyone?
http://goo.gl/maps/CrOLZ

The corner of Empire and Bedford has already been cleared for a mid rises with subsidized units:
http://goo.gl/maps/qzUJU

I think each could happen by 2020....

Do you think those that are being displaced, vote and donate to the same degree as those whom will replace them?

...the problem largely stems from the lack of definition over what is "affordable".

Without such a definition, DeBlasio can claim he met his affordable housing goals and the majority of the public can believe he is a caring liberal shaping an all powerful government.

ssshhhh, don't ruin the illusion.

With voting, it comes down to who's being displaced.  For middle class/working class people like me, I think so (I vote in every primary/general election).  Though obviously the lower you go down the income scale the less people turn out to vote (though an argument can be made that making the day where everyone votes a national holiday would improve voter turnout, as the lowest paid workers are often required to work the longest hours as well, making it much more difficult for those people to vote). 

And as far as donations, I think that's the problem right there.  How much someone does or doesn't contribute to political campaigns should have no bearing on the quality of the representation they receive.  That, more than anything, is what continues to corrode our democracy, leading to the (accurate) belief that the amount of money you contribute to campaigns is more important than whether or not you vote--which may also explain why poorer people don't tend to vote--they know the system is rigged and voting has subsequently been reduced to an empty ritual wherein all you can do is vote for one of two candidates who have already been bought off by their campaign contributors (see: the wealthy).  In spite of seemingly universal recognition that this is a problem (it really is one of the few issues progressives and conservatives seemingly agree upon), there's far too little incentive for those in positions of authority to do anything about the problem when it serves their own self interest far more effectively than reform would.