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Paul Kerzner, Clip 4: Rosemary Gunning New York State Legislation Pertaining to Vacant Properties

Collection: Queens Memory Project Collection at Queens College Libraries' Department of Special Collections and Archives: Paul Kerzner
Date: Time Period: 1975.0; 2013-05-24; Interview recorded: May 24 2013 Material: Digital audio recording made using Zoom H2 digital audio recorder digital recorder and Adobe Soundbooth. Dimension: Total running time: 0:01:12
Creator: Paul Kerzner interviewed by Grace Sullivan and Chia-Yin Leslie Tu Identifier: aql:26255 kerzner-paul-clip4

Description: Ridgewood resident, Paul Kerzner, along with Rosemary Gunning started the Greater Restoration Corporation in April 1975. The city took over 1714 Palmetto Street, a vacant building, for back taxes. The city did not have a mechanism to transfer a vacant property to a non-profit housing group. New York City had over 70,000 vacant units of housing at the time. This motivated Paul to figure out how to make the transfer of a vacant property to a local group. He asked Rosemary Gunning, a New York State assembly member, to sponsor legislation that would give Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) the authorization to enter a negotiated sale for $100 a unit. Rosemary Gunning got the legislation passed and convinced the city to do the negotiation. Ridgewood was to be a test case.

Collection : aql:16085; aql:20455

Creator : Paul Kerzner interviewed by Grace Sullivan and Chia-Yin Leslie Tu

Date : Time Period: 1975.0; 2013-05-24; Interview recorded: May 24 2013

Summary/Description : Ridgewood resident, Paul Kerzner, along with Rosemary Gunning started the Greater Restoration Corporation in April 1975. The city took over 1714 Palmetto Street, a vacant building, for back taxes. The city did not have a mechanism to transfer a vacant property to a non-profit housing group. New York City had over 70,000 vacant units of housing at the time. This motivated Paul to figure out how to make the transfer of a vacant property to a local group. He asked Rosemary Gunning, a New York State assembly member, to sponsor legislation that would give Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) the authorization to enter a negotiated sale for $100 a unit. Rosemary Gunning got the legislation passed and convinced the city to do the negotiation. Ridgewood was to be a test case.

Subject : Housing rehabilitation; Legislation; Gunning, Rosemary

Rights : Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.

Coverage : Locations discussed: Ridgewood, Queens, NY Ridgewood (New York, N.Y.) Queens (New York, N.Y.)

Type : Oral history

Format : Digital audio recording made using Zoom H2 digital audio recorder digital recorder and Adobe Soundbooth.; Total running time: 0:01:12

Identifier : aql:26255 kerzner-paul-clip4

Related Items

Subject:
Housing rehabilitation; Legislation; Gunning, Rosemary

Audio Clip

Rights Notice
Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.


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