How Many ‘Bucks = One Black Life?
Starbucks, Rettner Realty, City of New Rochelle Continue Supporting Environmental Racism
Despite community objections voiced to the City of New Rochelle and Starbucks, Rettner Building Management Corporation continues construction of a Starbucks drive-thru at the corner of Huguenot St. and Echo Ave. Environmental racism is at the center of community concerns about the drive-thru, which will be located just feet away from the New Rochelle Municipal Housing Authority’s Bracey Houses and Westhab’s supportive housing at 21 Fountain Place. Bracey houses 100 families. Leased from Palladium Management, with a contract from Westchester County to Westhab, 21 Fountain Place has 52 apartments.
Is Starbucks going to provide real full time jobs with benefits at this location or are they going to keep people rotating in part-time shifts? New Rochelle gov’t should have insisted FT with benefits as a contractual obligation. Any city council member who doesn’t understand this shouldn’t be on the council. Regardless of giving away the right to pollute.
This is such an outrage! So useless and totally dismissive of the community and its people! Who on earth wants a stupid drive-up Starbucks. I think we’ll have a lot of work ahead boycotting and picketing this Ridiculous establishment!
Pedestrian safety is a serious problem at this location. Approval for additional curb cuts was given, or not given and Starbucks construction proceeds without official approval, without regard for how pedestrian safety may be undermined. Who takes on potential liability in situations such as this?
Yadira Ramos-Herbert the now City Council for District 3, which is where this Starbucks and Bracey housing is located, and now the Democratic Party Sponsored, $60,000, preferred Mayoral Candidate, led the city council yes vote to change the zoning from residential to commercial to allow this drive thru to happen. When I asked Ivar and Tarantino, who at least pushed back a little, why did they cave and vote yes? They responded, that’s Yadira’s district and if she’s not voting no, we’re not going to vote no against her yes vote, to approve the rezoning, in order to allow a drive thru. We need her votes on other more important votes in our areas later. Now their answer is weak as…, but it gave everyone an out and she leads, sets the tone for what happens in district 3. She further supports this vote, by saying that she did a lot of research and it wouldn’t be financially viable for Starbucks to come without a drive thru, even though they came in all the other New Ro locations that vote the drive thru option down. She continued to show her slip of representing corporation while spewing fake support for the people rhetoric by saying: “There was just a shooting at Bracey, she had many constituents that asked for a strong partner at this location, not a liquor store.” As if, the only thing that location could attract beside Starbucks is a liquor store and that the Union busting Starbucks would provide great paying jobs, which a drive thru, I’d argue needs less employees, but I’m sure they would argue differently. Except Starbucks is on record, at the planning board, reducing parking spaces, forcing people to use the drive-thru, at a current drive thru in the name of to accommodate the high drive thru demands, because of new consumer Covid practices, that the equally inept Planning Board just lapped up and applauded that Starbucks is including in this new Starbuck Drive-thru design.
In addition, yes the betrayal of the people has no end, for the full yes vote, meaning Bracey, “The Residents” , The People” , The Public” saying yes please come in, continue to choke us and kill our children in their sleep, Starbucks would give Bracey funding, $100K-200K, for new playground, $2,000/resident,…you name it, we can get something, if we support this drive thru. When the NRMHA Board came out as a No vote and some residents, community showed up in full force against this rezoning/ drive thru Starbucks deal, the Starbucks Strong Partner money discussion evaporated, except for maybe $60,000 for Mayoral Candidate. The community heard how foolishly we were for not supporting, we got nothing and Starbucks still got what they wanted and is probably when the NRMHA Board sealed their fate for a New Year’s Eve annihilation by outgoing City Manager, Chuck Strome, in full support and silence of incoming City Mgr, Kathleen Gill, Mayor and full City Council, led by our District 3 City Council Woman Yadira Ramos-Herbert.
This is who the Democratic Party holds up to us as The Mayoral Candidate of choice , no wonder we suffered for 24 yrs under Noam, Increased property tax, less to no services, lost all our public land and domain, just gifted to crooked developers, bringing all kinds of high level crime to our city, that’s rivaled only by their high poorly placed, poorly built buildings, ruining our beautiful skyline, views and fabric of this town.
Thankfully we have a choice, we have another Mayoral candidate in Damon, that has always stood with the people. Unfortunately her Brown V, did nothing for her poor policy choices and representation. Truly sad.