Scrap Sliced-Up Upper East Side District Maps, Councilwoman Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side lawmaker called on the city to scrap its proposal to divide the neighborhood between three different City Council districts, becoming the highest-profile official so far to come out against the new maps.

City Councilmember Julie Menin wrote to the city's districting commission on Friday to lay out her objections to the revised districts, which were first unveiled a month ago to reflect population changes in the 2020 Census.

Her criticisms, like those leveled by others in the neighborhood, centered on the commission's proposal to shift more than 50 blocks — and roughly 50,000 residents in Roosevelt Island, Sutton Place and the Upper East Side — from her existing District 5 into a district based mostly in Queens.

"Residents throughout these communities have contacted my office expressing their concerns that the new district lines separate communities of interest," Menin wrote.

Three elementary schools — P.S. 158, 183 and 217 — would be absorbed by the majority-Queens Council District 26, despite remaining a part of the Upper East Side's school district, Menin noted.

The proposal also "separates key transportation networks and decimates significant parkland" from Menin's current district, she argued — noting that the Roosevelt Island Tram would become split between two districts, while green spaces like Sutton Place Park, John Jay Park and a chunk of the East River Esplanade would be shifted to District 26.

The new maps are still preliminary, as the districting commission plans to hold five more public hearings to receive public feedback. The group will then submit a revised plan to the Council later this year before voting on a final plan to take effect by February 2023.

In drawing the new maps, members of the 15-person commission were required to give each district a roughly equivalent population, try to avoid splitting existing neighborhoods and communities, and not dilute the voting power of racial and linguistic minorities.

Fellow Upper East Side City Councilmember Keith Powers would see his territory in the neighborhood narrowed by the new maps, shrinking to just a three-block-wide slice east of Central Park. Though his response to the proposal had previously been muted, Powers told Patch in a statement Monday that "the current maps for the Upper East Side are very concerning."

"As this process continues, I’ll be fighting alongside Council Member Menin to ensure the needs of the East Side are met in City Hall," Powers said.

Criticism is coming from across the East River, too. Morry Galonoy, chair of the Queens community board that largely overlaps with the 26th Council District, told Patch that the proposed maps would split up more "communities of interest" in Northwest Queens, including Nepalese residents around the Woodside neighborhood.

"That disenfranchises folks — it takes away their empowerment as a voting group," Galonoy said. "Our district is not compact anymore."

The Manhattan blocks that would be absorbed by the Queens district run between East 54th and 79th streets, east of Second avenues.

Besides attending one of the districting commission's upcoming hearings in-person or virtually, members of the public can also share comment by email at publictestimony@redistricting.nyc.gov, or by mail at 235 Broadway, NY, NY 10007.

Related coverage:

• Divided-Up Upper East Side Council Districts Face Mounting Criticism
• Upper East Side Sliced Up In Newly Redrawn Council District Maps