Districting Commission unveils preliminary plans for City Council District 11

By MIAWLING LAM

It’s a case of you win some, you lose some for City Council District 11 under preliminary draft maps released by the New York City Districting Commission.

The 15-member body unveiled redrawn boundaries for all 51 City Council districts, including eight in The Bronx, today.

The plan reveals only minor changes for City Council District 11, which encompasses Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Woodlawn and Spuyten Duyvil.

According to the draft plan, the district is set to gain parts of Woodlawn and Williamsbridge but will lose sections of Bedford Park and Kingsbridge Heights.

Districting Commission chair Benito Romano stressed the boundaries are not yet firm.

“I want to mention that this map is preliminary,” he said on Tuesday. “It does not purport to endorse any particular lines. It is a starting point.”

Romano said two rounds of public hearings would be held before the commission submits its final plan to the city clerk and Department of Justice in March 2013.

He added that the next round of hearings—one in each borough—is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 2. The locations will be announced in due course.

Districting Commission executive director Carl Hum said New Yorkers would be able to have their say on the lines when the agency’s mapping software goes live this week.

“It will allow users to adjust lines and see the effect of that on districts and adjoining districts,” he said. “It will be preloaded with 2003 lines and the proposed lines.”

Boundaries for the 51 City Council districts are redrawn every 10 years in order to reflect shifts in population and demographics.

According to the last census, City Council District 11 grew by 2,516 people, bringing the total population to 163,226.

But in an attempt to evenly distribute the population among the districts, District 11 will now cover 156,071 residents.

Cliff Stanton, a Van Cortlandt Village resident and the leader of a boycott against the Riverdale Review, is the only candidate who has declared a run for City Council District 11.

The seat, which is currently held by Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, will be vacant during the 2013 citywide elections because of term limits for Koppell.

The only other person currently registered  to run for Koppell’s seat is Ari Hoffnung, a deputy comptroller for John Liu, who mounted a campaign during the last election.

However, Hoffnung has previously indicated that he is not considering a run.

Rumors have swirled about the political aspirations of several other area residents, including Community Board 8 members Andrew Cohen, Daniel Padernacht and Robert Press.