City Planning’s proposal challenged by issues related to affordable housing and protecting Chinatown. On August 13, 2008, the City Planning Commission heard extensive testimony on a plan to rezone 111 blocks in the East Village and Lower East Side of Manhattan. The Department of City Planning began the public review process for the original proposal in May 2008, 5 CityLand 72 (June 15, 2008), and then later filed modifications after reviewing Community Board 3’s recommendations. The modifications apply the Inclusionary Housing Program to certain proposed R7A areas, replace a portion of a C6-2A zoning district with a C6-3A district along Chrystie Street, and eliminate a text change designed to encourage non-conforming commercial uses in the mid-block areas of proposed R8B districts.

At the hearing, Council Member Rosie Mendez testified that a plan was needed to stem over-development and stop the loss of affordable housing in her district. Mendez believes that the current plan, with some modifications and additions, can achieve the right balance of “development, preservation, and tenant protection.” David McWater, Susan Stetzer, and Dominic Pisciotta, all from Community Board 3, stressed the need to include the anti-harassment and anti-demolition restrictions that govern the Special Clinton District, and also requested that the City commit to ensuring that 30 percent of housing built under the new zoning be permanently affordable to households earning less than 80 percent of the area medium income. (more…)

City seeks 111-block rezoning for contextual districts with height limits. On May 5, 2008, the Department of City Planning certified its proposal to rezone 111 blocks in the East Village and Lower East Side sections of Manhattan. The proposal covers an area bounded by East 13th Street to the north, Avenue D to the east, Delancey Street to the south, and Third Avenue to the west. Once considered the densest concentration of people in the world, the two neighborhoods are generally comprised of four- to seven-story, 19th and 20th century tenement-style buildings with a variety of ground-floor commercial uses.

Manhattan Community Board 3, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and local officials worked with City Planning to devise a strategy that would preserve the existing scale and character of the area, with an eye towards providing affordable housing opportunities. In an effort to halt the recent construction of towers built away from the street line, the proposed rezoning would include streetwall requirements throughout most of the area. Of the six proposed zoning districts, the largest is a 59-residential-block area above East Houston Street, which would be rezoned to R8B for a FAR of 4.0 and a height limit of 75 feet. Over 28 percent of the lots within this area would not be in compliance with the proposed rezoning. (more…)

Plan covers East River waterfront from the Battery to the Lower East Side. The Planning Commission approved two linked applications that will implement an East River Waterfront Concept Plan that was developed in 2005 though a planning effort that included 70 public meetings and intensive input from the community. The plan calls for revitalization of two miles of the East River waterfront, stretching from the Battery Maritime Building to Pier 42, located just south of the Williamsburg Bridge. This first phase will be funded in part by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which has set aside $150 million as part of its efforts to redevelop lower Manhattan.

The two applications approved by the Planning Commission on July 25, 2007 will facilitate the construction of five commercial pavilions and improvements to four piers. The applications allow the sale of City-owned property under the FDR Drive and on Piers 15 and 35 to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and site selection for property located on Piers 35, 36, and 42 and under the FDR Drive.

The pavilions, to be built under the FDR Drive, include 27,000 sq.ft. of space for cultural, recreational, and retail uses. EDC will select the specific operators for the pavilions through a request for proposals after the transfer. On the sites selected on Piers 35, 36, and 42, the plan calls for new open space, including kayak and small boat docking, picnicking areas, and possibly a beach complete with sand and a floating pool. The plan also calls for open space under the FDR Drive, including indoor recreation facilities, bicycle rental/storage space, cafes and restaurants, performance space for dance or martial arts, and gallery and exhibition space. On a portion of Pier 15, the proposal includes an educational facility focused on maritime or environmental issues. (more…)

Landmarking process begins for P.S. 64, a former school,now facing renovation. On May 16, 2006, Landmarks heard emotional testimony regarding the potential designation of P. S. 64 at 605 East 9th Street in the East Village.

P.S. 64 was built in 1903-04 by C. B. J. Snyder, then superintendent of school buildings for the City. The school is in the French Renaissance Revival style, and built in Snyder’s signature H-plan to maximize light and air at the mid-block site. Several schools designed by Snyder have already been designated landmarks, including Stuyvesant High School and Flushing High School. One of P.S. 64’s innovative features is an auditorium that is directly accessible from the street. When the school was closed in the 1970s, the building morphed into the Charas/ El Bohio community center.

In 1998, a private owner, Gregg Singer, purchased the building and planned to transform it into a dormitory. Buildings denied Singer’s dorm permit application when he failed to show any connection to a New York City school. Singer appealed to BSA, which upheld Buildings’ denial. 2 CityLand 152 (Nov. 15, 2005). (more…)

Lower Manhattan parking lot to be replaced with 815,000-squarefoot residential/retail project. The Planning Commission approved a proposal of the Economic Development Corporation and the project developer, Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Inc., to replace a City-owned surface parking lot in Lower Manhattan with an 815,000-square-foot mixed-use project. Located on a 95,565-square-foot site bounded by West, Warren, Greenwich and Murray Streets, the proposal includes 402 condominium and rental units, a 400-space parking garage and 165,000 sq.ft. of retail space featuring a ground floor supermarket to be occupied by Whole Foods.

A two-story base building will cover the entire site and house the Whole Foods, other retail and the residential lobbies. Above the base, a 388-foot, 32-story tower containing the project’s condo units will front West Street and a second smaller rental residential tower will front the eastern part of the site along Greenwich and Warren Streets. Access to parking and loading would be gained from Murray Street, the only two-way access street adjoining the site. Directly across Warren Street from the site, a 29-story, mixed-use project at 200 Chambers Street is under construction based on a September 2004 City approval. 1 CityLand 1 (Oct. 15, 2004). (more…)