@AOC I develop and sell real estate in Long Island City. I work with clients who have had their LIC property for their entire life and now can’t afford to maintain it bc of rising taxes and general maintenance. The Amazon deal was so encouraging for our neighborhood.

I understand not wanting to give the richest company in the world huge tax incentives but truth is, companies owned by foreign developers (Kiska, KSK) are continuing to get government contracts to build out highways and then are granted ridiculous zoning variances +tax inventives

In the same neighborhood that Amazon wanted to develop HQ2. The only difference is, is that the developers that’re now getting tax incentives and zoning variances are NOT creating jobs. Meanwhile, LIC residents who own smaller properties are denied approval for

Variances and are fined for having an “extra apartment”. I’m sorry, but you really fucked up. What you actually accomplished was taking jobs away from this neighborhood, that desperately needed it. The same people you wanted to protect, are being pushed out of their neighborhood

Because they no longer can compete with the HUGE residential developments that should never have been approved anyway.

We had a chance to help this community and you fucked them over. Zoning variances that are only granted to people with political ties is unacceptable.