Vallone Introduces Bill Giving Police Veto Power Over Construction Projects
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A City Council member, Peter Vallone Jr., told The New York Sun yesterday that he will introduce legislation that will give the Police Department veto power over all proposals to construct buildings higher than seven stories in the five boroughs.
“At this day and age, the Police Department should be able to have a say in the construction of any major project,” according to Mr. Vallone, a Democrat from Astoria.
The bill would also require the Police Department to review and approve any plan for a sports arena, concert hall, or other “assembly location,” according to Mr. Vallone. Although he is the chairman of the City Council’s public safety committee, which oversees the Police Department, Mr. Vallone said that the bill would go before the Housing and Buildings Committee, which is chaired by a Democrat from the Bronx, Madeline Provenzano.
Upon first hearing of Mr. Vallone’s proposal yesterday, Ms. Provenzano said: “That would be something I would look forward to entertaining in my committee.” But while she said she would support legislation that would give police officials input on plans for high-rise buildings, “I’m not sure I’d want to give them veto power,” Ms. Provenzano said.
Mr. Vallone said that he drafted the bill after his committee held hearings this spring on delays in the construction of the Freedom Tower at ground zero. According to the text of the legislation Mr. Vallone will introduce on Wednesday, the Police Department “did not have any meaningful input into the design for the Freedom Tower.” According to Mr. Vallone, the Police Department had no avenue to express its qualms over the project except to express its concerns publicly.
Under the legislation, once a developer submits a building proposal, the police commissioner would have 40 days to reject or approve the plan. When asked if the proposal would saddle the Police Department with an added administrative burden, Mr. Vallone said, “Absolutely.”
Upon hearing of Mr. Vallone’s proposal, the president of New York Civic, Henry Stern, exclaimed: “That’s ridiculous. The police are here to keep order, not to be the Buildings Department.
“This bill is coming too late. It should have been introduced on April 1,” Mr. Stern said.
But Mr. Vallone said that “the Police Department has an expertise that the Buildings Department doesn’t have.” Specifically, he said, the Police Department is better able to assess a proposed structure’s vulnerability to an explosives attack.
