Lexington Gardens II. Image Credit: Manhattan Community Board 11

UPDATE: On November 29, 2016, the City Council voted 49-0 to approve the Lexington Gardens II project. The approval will allow Tahl Propp Equities and L+M Development Partners to proceed with the proposed development which will provide 400 new affordable units. One quarter of the affordable units will be permanently affordable under the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing law, and the remainder will be affordable for 40 years under a regulatory agreement with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. “The Lexington Gardens development will advance the goals of the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan by making sure that hundreds of existing local community members can benefit from affordable units,” said City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito in a statement. (more…)

St. Joseph of the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan. Image Credit: LPC

Two Catholic churches designated over archdiocese opposition. On June 28, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate four Manhattan properties as individual City landmarks. Three of the items had been added to Landmarks calendar before 2010 and were addressed as part of the Commission’s backlog initiative. (more…)

Landmarks Preservation Commission. Credit: LPC.

The proposed designation of the former Yuengling Brewery Site in East Harlem proved contentious, dividing preservationists and those who wished to see site developed.  On November 12, 2015 the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the final of four special hearings organized to address the backlog of items added to the Commission’s calendar before 2001, but never brought to a vote on designation.  The final hearing consisted of items in Manhattan, occupying Community Boards six through twelve.  Landmarks is expected to make determinations on the items in early 2016.

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Map of Approved Central Harlem Rezoning. Image Credit: CPC.

Rezoning approved for project that will restore historic church building and provide thirty percent affordable housing to Harlem residents. On June 17, 2014, the City Council Land Use Subcommittee for Zoning and Franchises heard an application submitted by 117th Street Equities, LLC (Artimus) for a zoning map amendment to facilitate a mixed-use development in Central Harlem, Manhattan. The map amendment would rezone an existing R7A to an R8A zoning district on a block bounded by West 117th and West 118th streets, St. Nicholas Avenue and Fredrick Douglass Boulevard. The development is comprised of four buildings that consist of approximately 151 dwelling units and 12,201 square feet of community facility use. (more…)

Julie Menin, former Chairperson of Manhattan Community Board 1

For Manhattan to remain the vibrant center it is today we need a smart plan for long-term growth. The current land use process leaves communities fearful of being overrun by development that is poorly planned, harmful to communities, and undermines the character of our borough. This is why I have proposed a “Master Plan” for Manhattan to ensure that we grow our borough sensibly.

Cities across the United States are implementing Masters Plans, from booming west coast cities like San Francisco and Seattle to neighboring Newark. A Master Plan is a comprehensive document that outlines long-term neighborhood needs. Downtown Manhattan, for example, is short nearly 1,000 classroom seats, while East Harlem has only 0.3 acres of active open space per 1,000 residents and many of Manhattan’s neighborhoods are almost completely bereft of affordable housing.

Under a Master Plan, developers looking to build in these neighborhoods would be apprised of the community’s needs, bringing more certainty to a convoluted system and ensuring a community’s concerns are accounted for. (more…)