About Community Board 8
Community Board No. 8 represents North Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Weeksville. We are bounded on the North by Atlantic Avenue (even numbers), on the South by Eastern Parkway (odd numbers). On the East by Ralph Avenue (even numbers), on the West by Flatbush Avenue (odd numbers).What We Do?
Community Board 8 , like all the community boards within NYC has an important advisory role. We are responsible for monitoring the services delivered to this community by other New York City agencies and for making recommendations for improvement in those services through the budget process and many other matters relating to the welfare of this community.
What does the District Office Do?
Community Board 8 District Office has three primary functions – to process citizen’s complaints and request for services and to provide administrative support for the Community Board.
The District Manager is hired by the Community Board, establishes an office, hires staff, and implements procedures to improve the delivery of City services to the District. District Managers play many different roles. They are complaint takers, municipal managers, information sources, community organizers, mediators, advocates, and much more. The main responsibility of the District Office is to act as a liaison between their community residents, City agencies, and local elected officials. While one of the main roles of the District office is to receive and resolve complaints from community residents, their duties are further extended and they have taken on the responsibility of providing additional services.
Meetings
General Community Board meetings are held each month with the exception of July and August. At these meetings, members address items of concern to the community. In addition, there are multiple committees that meet monthly and report at the general meetings as well. All meetings, whether general or committee, are open to the public. In addition, the Board regularly conducts public hearings on the City’s budget, land use matters, and other major issues in order to give the people of the community the opportunity to express their opinions. Generally, members of the public often attend committee meetings in an effort to become more involved and have further input on issues of concern prior to the issue being brought before the Community Board for a vote at the general meeting.
How We Started
Community Boards were started in 1951 by Mayor Robert Wagner, then the Manhattan Borough President, to give the citizenry an opportunity to participate in governing the city. Twelve Community Planning Councils were established to advise the Borough President on planning and budgetary matters.
The adoption of the 1963 City Charter during Mayor Wagner’s third term extended this neighborhood concept to the other boroughs, establishing community planning boards, which became known simply as community boards.
Subsequent adoption of the City Charter in 1975, and again in 1979, gave the community boards a formal role in decisions in land use, preparation of capital and expense budgets, and monitoring of service delivery.
The 1989 adoption of the Charter basically solidified all these functions, that have been codified (put into law) and mandates that the Board must participate. There are 59 Community Districts in the City of New York – 18 of which are in Brooklyn.
Land Use and Zoning
Land Use
Community Boards must be consulted on placement of most municipal facilities in the community and on other land use issues. Before the City can acquire property for use by the City or dispose of property owned by the City the action is subjected to ULURP – Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure.
As part of the ULURP process, the matter must come before the community board at a public hearing where residents within and outside the community can present testimony. The agency applying for consideration under ULURP must also attend the hearing to respond to community concerns and/or questions.
The community board votes and makes recommendation to the Department of City Planning.
Community Boards may also initiate their own plans for the growth and well being of their community.
Zoning
Individuals wishing to construct premises contrary to the zoning regulations must apply for a variance with the Board of Standards and Appeals.
As such, all applications for a zoning variance must come before the Community Board for review at a public hearing. The Board’s recommendation will be submitted to the Board of Standards and Appeals and is considered in the final determination of all zoning applications.
Capital and Expense Budget
Community Boards are mandated by the New York City Charter to participate in the City’s budget process.
The process begins in June with consultations at the district level and moves on to consultations at the borough level. Public hearings are scheduled by the community boards, the borough president, the city council before the budget is adopted. Members of the public are encouraged to submit requests to the boards attend these hearings and to testify.
Membership
There are 59 Community Boards throughout the City, and they serve as local representative bodies. Each Board consists of up to 50 unsalaried members, half of which are appointed by the Borough President and the other half by local City Council members that represent the community district. Board members are selected from among active, involved people from the community and must either reside in, work in, or have some other form of vested interest in the community. This is done to ensure equal representation throughout the many different neighborhoods in each Community Board.
To apply to become a Community Board member, click here:http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/community-board-membership-application/
Get Involved
Limitations
The Community Board, the District Manager, and the office staff serve as advocates and service coordinators for the community and its residents. Although they cannot order any City agency or official to perform a task, they are usually successful in resolving the problems they address. So if you have municipal issues that you have not been able to solve, feel free to give the board a call.
City Budget
Community Boards evaluate the needs of their own neighborhood, meet with city agencies, and make recommendation in the City’s budget process to address them.
Other Community Concerns
Just about any complaint that involves a municipal service can be called in to the District Office. Complaints include but are not limited to:
- traffic problems
- missing or damaged signs
- malfunctioning traffic or street lights
- clogged catch basins
- reporting a pothole
- tree planting requests
- heat/hot water complaints