City Council holds first-ever remote meeting

City councilmembers met via video conference Wednesday. Screenshot of Council proceedings

By David Brand

The City Council’s first meeting of the coronavirus era looked more like the opening sequence of the Brady Bunch, with 51 members, plus a clerk, appearing on screen in small boxes to vote in favor of a COVID-19 relief package.

There were some technical and manual difficulties, like Councilmember Ruben Diaz Sr. struggling to unmute his microphone, Councilmember Chaim Deustch appearing upside down and Councilmember Karen Koslowitiz getting up close and personal with the camera, but the meeting proceeded as scheduled.

The Council will continue to meet remotely in the coming weeks in order “to practice social distancing while continuing to pass legislation,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.

The city legislators also voted to create or preserve 2,000 units of affordable housing, provide some property tax exemptions and to convert a former hotel into a 500-unit supportive and affordable housing site in DUMBO.

The Council also voted to increase funding for the Downtown Flushing Transit Hub business improvement district and to designate five buildings in Manhattan’s Tin Pan Alley as landmarks.