How Much Power Does A Community Board Have?

Earlier this morning, we told you that Community Board 6, which has jurisdiction in Gowanus, rejected the request from the Summit Academy Charter School to relocate to a site in the neighborhood. The vote was 20-12, and many board members professed their vehement opposition to the idea. But read to the bottom of that story from the Courier-Life group and you’ll notice this line: “Ultimately, it is the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals who would have final say on the granting of the special permit. The community board’s vote is advisory in nature only.” Huh? Lots of Sturm und drang, and so little payoff. We hear about community boards a lot, but what can they actually do?

If you take the city at its word, not much. Pretty much everything about a community board is advisory in nature. Here’s what the city’s Web site says about what the boards cannot do: “The Community Board, its District Manager, and its office staff serve as advocates and service coordinators for the community and its residents. They cannot order any City agency or official to perform any task, but Boards are usually successful in resolving the problems they address.” Ouch. That’s not to say the boards don’t have sway, or that they don’t play a big role in addressing community concerns. But Summit Academy can breathe; the final word on their move hasn’t been written yet.

P.S. Here’s a Time article about (what else?) the EP and the Gowanus Canal.