Rezoning will allow Chelsea’s International Toy Center to be converted for residential use. 200 Fifth, LLC applied to rezone 200 Fifth Avenue and 1107 Broadway in Chelsea, Manhattan, to allow conversion of manufacturing/commercial buildings to residences with an expected 500 units. The buildings, located between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, along West 23rd and 25th Streets, are home to The International Toy Center and nearly 300 toy companies, many of which have been tenants since 1938. The map amendment would replace M1-6 with C5-2 on two blocks, permitting residential and commercial use without altering the FAR or height limits. 200 Fifth also applied for a special permit to construct a 54-space attended garage on the site to service the new residences.

At the February 8, 2006 Commission hearing, there were no speakers in opposition. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s representative, Anthony Borelli, advocated approval on condition that current tenants have access to the building for the February 2006 toy fair. The Toy Industry Association also spoke in favor and noted 200 Fifth’s agreement to allow tenants to remain for the toy fair and provide relocation assistance. A representative from the Economic Development Corporation spoke about its efforts to keep the toy industry in New York City by helping relocate the tenants. (more…)

HPD argued that variance would avoid demolition of 1905 school building. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development, owner of 217 West 147th Street, a 29,975-square-foot lot in Harlem, proposed to convert a vacant school into a 56-unit residential building with a community facility space in the cellar. The school, constructed in 1905 and declared obsolete by the Board of Education in 1978, is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

Conversion of the obsolete building necessitated variances for open space, setback, rear yard, base and building height, and floor area to allow an additional 16,486 square feet of residential space. In support of its application, HPD argued that the building was obsolete as a school because it failed to meet seismic code requirements, contained asbestos, and had extensive water damage and structural problems as well as outdated mechanical and electrical systems. HPD also argued that the variances should be granted because demolition of the historically significant building would be wasteful. (more…)

Rendering of High Line Elevated Structure, affected in a follow-up zoning action in West Chelsea. All images created by Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Permission to reproduce images: courtesy The City of New York, (c) 2004.

Boundaries, frontage, easement access and lot coverage modified for High Line and Special West Chelsea district. In June 2005, the City Council approved several applications related to West Chelsea including the establishment of a Special West Chelsea District to support development of the High Line elevated public space, art galleries, marketrate housing, and affordable housing. 2 CityLand 83 (July 15, 2005). Public review of the proposed text amendments identified the need for additional modifications.

On October 27, 2005, the Planning Department filed an application for a Follow-Up Corrective Action, or FUCA, proposing modifications to the text amendments. The proposal clarified the boundaries, lot coverage calculations, and access requirements for the High Line Improvement Area; reduced minimum allowable frontage for development along the High Line; and identified Parks as the agency responsible for High Line maintenance and inspection. The proposal also added anti-harassment provisions similar to those created for the neighboring Special Hudson Yards District. 3 CityLand 5 (Feb. 15, 2006).

The Commission unanimously approved, finding that the application addressed needs identified during the approval process of the prior text amendments. (more…)

Pelham Bay and Westchester Square residents concerned that developers would move in after adjacent neighborhood was down-zoned. After the City down-zoned Throgs Neck in September 2004, 1 CityLand 4 (Oct. 15, 2004), residents of Pelham Bay and Westchester Square complained that the new limits on development in Throgs Neck would send developers north and westward into their communities, spurring over-development. While both communities are predominately developed with detached housing, the current zoning permits large apartment buildings, with up to 12 stories in some cases. To eliminate this disparity, the Planning Department initiated down-zonings of both neighborhoods.

The Pelham Bay proposal calls for the rezoning of approximately 45 blocks. The majority of the area would be rezoned from R5, R6, or R7-1 to the newly created R5A district, limiting new construction to one- and two-family detached homes and setting a 35-foot height limit. The proposal also calls for reducing the depth of commercial overlays, from 150 to 100 feet, along Westchester, Crosby and portions of Buhre Avenues. (more…)

Midwood rezoned to encourage appropriate higher density development. On February 22, 2006, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning impacting 80 predominantly residential blocks of Midwood, Brooklyn. The rezoning was proposed in response to out-of-scale development permitted by the R6 district’s community facility bonuses that increased FAR from 2.43 to 4.8. Designed to preserve the character of both low-density small homes and high-density apartment buildings, the proposal down-zones portions of 56 blocks into several lower-density districts (R2, R4-1, R5, and R5B), and up-zones portions of 55 blocks into R7A districts. The down-zoned areas will curb over-development by allowing fewer community facility bonuses and by requiring street wall height limits, side yards, and off-street parking. The up-zoning, predominantly along Avenue M, Ocean Avenue, and Kings Highway, will allow medium-density contextual residential development with an FAR of 4.0 and a 60-foot street wall height. The R7A district will also require that developers provide parking for half of the units available as well as a quality housing program. Additionally, a C2-3 commercial overlay will be reduced along Avenue M, 10 blocks along Avenue J will be rezoned C4-4A, and new C2-3 commercial overlays will be created along Coney Island Avenue.

At the Commission’s January 11, 2006 public hearing, speakers included representatives of Council Member Michael C. Nelson, Community Board 14, and the Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush, along with residents; all of whom testified in favor of the proposal, saying that it was effective in both preserving character and allowing new development. Speakers in opposition included developers, property owners, and residents who argued that the neighborhood had a greater need for new housing than was permitted in the rezoning and that the changes would impede their ability to redevelop their properties. (more…)