Follow-Up Corrective Action (FUCA) approved 17 modifications to Hudson Yards revitalization plan. In January 2005, after extended negotiations, the City Council approved ten land use actions related to the revitalization of Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. 2 CityLand 4 (Feb. 15, 2005). Public review of the proposed text amendment identified the need for certain modifications. On August 4, 2005, the Planning Department, Council Member Christine Quinn, and Manhattan Community Board 4 applied jointly to incorporate the modifications into the Hudson Yards plan. The Follow-Up Corrective Action, or FUCA, identified 18 modifications related to affordable housing, development controls, clarifications, and corrections. On December 21, 2005, the City Council approved 17 of 18 revisions to the text. The approved corrective actions:
– made housing programs consistent throughout the Hudson Yards District;
– prohibited Buildings from issuing permits and certificates of occupancy for bonus floor area without an HPD-approved low-income housing plan;
– imposed zoning-based penalties, such as denial of Buildings permits, on landlords who harass tenants;
– prohibited conversion of existing ground floor residential units to commercial space in Hell’s Kitchen;
– allowed newly constructed subway station entrances to qualify as pedestrian circulation space;
– eliminated three erroneous FAR references from the original text; and
– clarified the methodology for measurement of building height, measuring from curb level.
Other approved modifications related to low-income housing administration, insurance and loan provisions as well as parking and tower coverage requirements. One modification, related to theater bonuses in Clinton, was removed by the applicants and is undergoing further public review.
At the Council’s December 15, 2005 Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises hearing, the text amendments were approved. The full Council approved on December 21, 2005.
Review Process: The Planning Commission, as lead agency, issued a Notice of Minor Modification on August 5, 2005. Community Board 4 approved 17 of 18 proposed text changes unanimously on October 6, 2005, but recommended removal of the item related to theater bonuses. Community Board 5 and Borough President C. Virginia Fields did not comment.
At the Commission’s public hearing on November 16, 2005, community representatives and artists spoke in opposition to the proposed theater bonus, saying that it should apply only to small theaters that are in context with residential development. A revised Notice of Minor Modification was issued by the Commission on December 5, 2005 without the theater bonus. The Planning Commission approved the revised proposal on December 7, 2005.
Council: Hudson Yards FUCA (December 21, 2005); CPC: Hudson Yards FUCA (N 060046(A) ZRM – text amendment) (December 7, 2005). CITYADMIN