A Rally for Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA)

Posted: November 16, 2009 at 6:36 am

Yesterday was a day of activism in the Lower East Side. For starters, dozens of neighborhood folk gathered at the southeastern corner of Delancey and Suffolk to show support for the re-development of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA), which was cleared back in November 1967. Councilmembers Rosie Mendez and Margaret Chin both spoke, throwing their collective political capital behind re-development of the area for much-needed affordable housing.

The overall message was aided by a cardboard-cutout display of a Utopian affordable neighborhood, complete with buildings and construction-paper signs of mom-and-pop type businesses (e.g. shoe repair, barber shop). SPURA remains the largest tract of undeveloped city land below 96th Street, and home to a plethora of graffiti-laden commercial trucks.

At about the same time, others organized further south at 175 Clinton Street. The purpose of this demonstration was to protest the endangered Pitt Station Post Office. Assemblyman Sheldon Silver and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney were also there. Lo-Down has some more.