Kyle Athayde, a 34-year-old Independent running for City Council in District 4 and a former chair of Community Board 6, was met with thunderous applause as he denounced the proposal during his testimony. Speaking to amNewYork afterward, he accused developers of sidelining residents from the start.

In a borough where community board leadership has historically skewed white and older, Kyle Athayde is an outlier. He’s 29, a child of Indian immigrant parents, and he has firsthand experience of some of the most urgent issues in the district.

Kyle Athayde, Chairman of Community Board 6, which includes 750 Third, said developers in the neighborhood tend to promise more affordable housing than they actually produce and he’ll be looking for better from SL Green.

Kyle Athayde, the chair of Community Board 6 in Manhattan, said his group is “very opposed” to a plan that includes a casino and entertainment and remains suspicious of the net benefits, including the housing component and green space.

The gesture may only go so far. Kyle Athayde, the chair of Community Board 6, said the board remained opposed to the project, because the community benefits would not outweigh the disruption of a casino.

“Manhattan Community Board 6 has a lengthy history advocating for our district’s parks, and Bellevue South Park in particular. CB6 helped the community shape the design of this wonderful project and has long advocated for the inclusion of an ADA-compliant dog run. We are happy to see our community’s vision made real in the completion of Bellevue South Park’s reconstruction.”

“Manhattan Community Board 6 has long been advocating for a modernization of the Brookdale site and is delighted that our leaders are heeding our calls and proceeding in a new and forward-looking way.”

“CB6 advocated for a mechanism for community input as the project progresses, so we welcome the creation of the SPARC Kips Bay Community Task Force and we look forward to leading the task force in partnership with Council Member Keith Powers. CB6 will continue to advocate for the community on the Task Force so that SPARC Kips Bay is a resource that our community can be proud of.”

“As a district that suffers from a shortage of open space, the reopening of this playground means that residents of Manhattan Community District 6 have badly needed open space once again available to us!”

“The residents of Manhattan Community District 6 have for many years not been able to access large segments of our waterfront because our waterfront esplanade has significant gaps… The East Midtown Greenway project, in creating a waterfront esplanade from East 54th to 61st Streets, brings us one step closer towards closing those gaps.”

CB6 Chairman Kyle Athayde said that the effort to make a better Third Avenue dated back to November, 2020, amid previous questions over how to make more room in an area rich with sidewalk cafes. The current proposal has managed to get support of small businesses in the area, as well as the streets-are-for-people crowd. The secret? Teamwork.

“One thing we’ve heard about this is people in the district feeling this is diluting their democratic voice,” says Athayde. “If there’s just a sliver of Manhattan....how do Manhattanites get taken into consideration?”

“People don’t feel like the situation of waste is improving,” said Athayde. “When you walk around the city and you see trash leaking and you see mounds of bags, it doesn’t make you feel motivated that we are reaching that goal by 2030. It feels like the opposite.”

“CB6 has long advocated for dog runs in our district, so we are grateful for Councilmember Powers’ leadership in finally providing this much needed amenity. This dog run will not only allow our dogs to live full, healthy lives, but it will also provide joy to their human counterparts!”