A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from June 12, 2005
Land Use (“It is much easier to defeat something in New York City than to build something”—Donald T
Land Use is, by far, the most serious issue in this election. It's what the Manhattan borough president and the community boards must tackle, and the general philosophy of the borough president is crucial.

I believe that whoever buys a parcel of land should use it basically as he or she (or "it," if it's a corporation) wants to use it. That's what America is all about. Free markets and free choice.

Some good buildings will get built and some bad buildings will get built. But we should regulate a person's building preference no more than we should regulate a person's beliefs.

That's not to say that we should trash all the zoning laws and all the landmark laws. Some of them are good. But clearly, they've expanded too far. And they discourage investment in New York City.

The June 12, 2005 New York Times invited the opinions of prominent New Yorkers. Has New York lost its chutzpah? Is the Big Apple turning into a crab apple?

Developer Donald J. Trump wrote a classic essay, "O.K., Let's Give Up," that was sharp and to the point. "It is much easier to defeat something in New York than to build something," he wrote. So where is Trump investing now? In Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles!

Trump spoke about "the community boards, which like to make things close to impossible." Trump concluded with: "Let's give other cities a chance; let's keep thinking small. Or, if we want to think big, let's just start thinking. Believe me, the answers for New York are not very complicated."

Zing!

That's EXACTLY why you shouldn't elect any of the Democratic candidates who are running for Manhattan Borough President!

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/opinion/12intro.html
Op-Ed Contributors
How New York Can Get Its Groove Back

Published: June 12, 2005
HAVE New Yorkers lost their chutzpah? The demise of the proposed Jets stadium on the Far West Side (and the attendant blow to the city's 2012 Olympic hopes), along with the politically induced inertia at the World Trade Center site, has led to speculation that the Big Apple is turning into a crab apple. So the Op-Ed Page approached several prominent New Yorkers with a question: If the city wants to start thinking big again, where should it start? Their suggestions follow.

O.K., Let's Give Up
By DONALD J. TRUMP

IT is much easier to defeat something in New York City than to build something. With that in mind, we should consider whether we want the easy way out or if we can accept a challenge. New Yorkers have been known for their energy, their strength and, especially in the past few years, for their courage. Maybe we're just worn out after pulling together so well after Sept. 11, 2001. It's been a haul. So maybe we just want to sit back and let things take care of themselves - elsewhere.

The process in New York is very tough, and that's why I am building major projects in cities like Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Have you heard the term "contextual zoning" yet? It's a biggie in New York. So are the community boards, which like to make things close to impossible.
(...)
Let's give other cities a chance; let's keep thinking small.

Posted by Barry Popik
Manhattan Borough President (2005 election) • Sunday, June 12, 2005 • Permalink


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