MCB7 Visioning Project Final Report

During the summer of 2025, our former board member Ava Stryker-Robbins worked with members of the community and the board to create a report on future vision of MCB7. View the report here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ElfWZFCi0mL1Rv4OgcuH9EKh87a7MMBV/view?usp=sharing

This is Ava's vision.

Executive Summary

Manhattan Community Board 7 (MCB7), 1 of 12 Manhattan community boards, represents the approximately 225,000 residents that live between West 59th Street and West 110th Street between Central and Riverside Park.

The board is tasked with playing a key role in aiming to improve the quality of life for its constituents by advising city agencies and elected officials on Land Use and Zoning Matters and where to allocate money from the city budget in order to address any neighborhood issue.

This report identifies key areas through which Manhattan Community Board 7 could be improved to more efficiently and effectively serve all of its constituents. This report then provides recommendations and implementation strategies in order to address and improve the board in key areas raised as concerns by stakeholders. The recommendations in this report are based on a series of interviews, survey results, and document review.

Issues MCB7’s Constituency Cares About (as identified in survey)

Theme Specific Issues Raised

Transportation and Land Use

- Anti-car policies (street closures, bike lanes, dining sheds, etc.)

- E-bike and delivery bike violations (riding on sidewalks, speeding)

- Dangerous intersections and traffic flow issues

- Excessive parade and movie shoot disruptions

- Lack of bus service, especially for elderly/infirm

- Curb usage (Zipcars, hybrid-only spots, loading zones)

- Double parking, delivery congestion

- Bike racks crowding sidewalks and tree guards

- Daylighting, boulders, benches in street space

- Street/sidewalk repair needs

- Increased motorized vehicles (e.g., Amazon carts, scooters)

- Demand for pedestrian-focused street design

Housing & Affordability

- Lack of affordable and moderate-income housing

- Soaring rents without building improvements

- Supertalls and overdevelopment (ABC site, 66th St, 700 Amsterdam)

- Displacement risk for working families

- Property taxes too high

- Tenants need stronger protections

- Mixed opinions: support for both affordable and market-rate housing

- Buildings evading quality and legal standards

- Preserve neighborhood character and scale

Public Safety & Quality of Life

- Unsafe conditions from untreated mental illness and homelessness

- Shelter mismanagement (e.g., WSFSH, 79th St station)

- Public disorder, including harassment, loitering, and drug use

- Car theft and insufficient street lighting

- Rat infestation and trash accumulation

- Noise pollution (horns, barking, food carts)

- Scaffolding used as shelter or left up indefinitely

- Emergency vehicle noise

- Calls for stronger law enforcement and rule compliance

Public Space, Parks, &Amenities

- Lack of benches, shade, and rest areas for seniors and kids

- Overcrowded and unsafe outdoor dining spaces

- Need for more community gardens and picnic space

- Maintenance issues in parks and medians

- Playground upgrades (e.g., Hippo Park shade)

- Requests for recreational courts (tennis, basketball)

- Sanitation in shared public spaces

- Restrict motorized vehicles in parks

- Improve programming/events in parks (e.g., Riverside)

Social Needs & Services

- More youth activities (sports, arts, STEM, recreation)

- Poor oversight of shelters and supportive housing

- Mobile mental health/outreach vans underperforming

- Inadequate services for vulnerable individuals (e.g., seniors, unhoused)

- More inclusive amenities for children and families

Governance & Representation

- CB7 perceived as unrepresentative or manipulated by outsiders

- Accusations of greed/profiteering masked as advocacy

- Mistrust in elected officials and local agencies

- Lack of transparency and accountability

- Community feels ignored or overwhelmed by conflicting interests

- Perception that "too much input" stalls action

Local Economy & Commerce

- Empty storefronts and lack of diverse retail (e.g., no hardware stores)

- COVID's negative impact on small businesses

- Need for a BID (especially Broadway)

- Desire to support independent stores over chains

- Sidewalk cleanliness and business accountability

Stakeholder Concerns and Situation Analysis:

There is broad consensus, as identified in the survey and stakeholder interviews, that the community board is not as efficient and effective in addressing community needs as it should or could be. Community members and other stakeholders do not feel as though the board fully engages with or respects issues that are most important to them, feel that the board spends large amounts of time attempting to address issues that go far beyond the scope of what the board has the ability to impact, find the board to be reactive and not proactive, feel the board lacks forward thinking, and find board meetings to be chaotic, inaccessible, dismissive, etc. Stakeholders did feel that the board had some strengths, including that members are willing to debate cordially and that CB7’s staff has been effective, but still believed that change was necessary and could be beneficial to the board.

Vision:

This report offers recommendations to help the board become more proactive in identifying and addressing pressing community needs rather than reactive and transactional by:

❖ Engaging more extensively with the entire community (not exclusively those who directly bring their concerns to board meetings) in order to identify and agree upon which issues to focus on addressing.

❖ Creating strategies for having an impact that may go beyond passing a resolution

❖ Increasing engagement with other city community boards

❖ More strategic agenda planning focused around annual goals and plan

❖ Addressing board member disillusionment and turnover

❖ Restructuring committees and meetings to achieve specific goals

Recommendations for Achieving Vision:

Committee Focus and Structure

❖ Overview:

➢ Refocus committees so that their main goal is working to achieve high-level board priorities.

■ Establishment of “Research” and a “Communications” committee.

➢ Ensure committees are serving as inclusive forums that encourage input from all community

members, especially those most needing support.

➢ Develop an annual strategy focused on achieving real change related to a pressing issue instead

of each committee exclusively focusing on different issues brought to its attention each month.

Engaging Board Members and Fostering Good Conduct During Meetings

❖ Overview:

➢ Address board member disillusionment and turnover.

➢ Find ways to incentivize or motivate more active participation beyond board meetings.

➢ Increase engagement of less vocal board members.

➢ Foster an environment with more decorum.

➢ Address lack of preparation before full board meetings.

Increased Engagement with MCB7’s Constituency

❖ Overview:

➢ Find ways to spread more awareness about issues CB7 is seeking to address, what CB7 is

accomplishing during board meetings, etc.

➢ Find ways to more directly hear from and engage with community members that do not have

time or the ability to attend meetings.

➢ Increase visibility for the board and ensure more community members know what community

boards are.

Better Utilizing the District Needs Statement to Create Neighborhood Change

❖ Overview:

➢ Be bolder and more specific when creating the District Needs Statement.

➢ Proactively engage the entire board in the process.

Succession Planning and Leadership Development

❖ Overview:

➢ Identify ways in which the board can best prepare for changes in leadership that balance

democratic elections with intentional leadership readiness and training.

➢ Find ways for the board chair to delegate more responsibilities to the rest of the executive

committee.