
EDC’s vision for the Seward Park redevelopment area in the Lower East Side. Credit: EDC
The City agreed to increase number of housing units from 900 to 1,000 and set aside space for on-site public school. On October 11, 2012 the City Council modified and approved the City’s Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project. The 1.65 million-square-foot project will impact nine City-owned lots on the north and south sides of Delancey Street between Ludlow and Clinton Streets in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The City envisions the development of six new mixed-use buildings, 500 underground public parking spaces, and the potential relocation of the Essex Street Market to a large space on the south side of Delancey. As initially proposed, the project would create 900 residential units, 450 of which would affordable for low-, moderate-, and middle-income tenants. The Economic Development Corporation, which is the authorized representative for the multi-agency effort, has not identified a developer, but plans to issue a formal request for proposals in January 2013.
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EDC’s vision for the Seward Park redevelopment area in the Lower East Side. Credit: EDC
City’s plan to redevelop urban renewal area in the Lower East Side would include 1.65 million sq.ft. of new development across nine City-owned sites. On August 22, 2012, the City Planning Commission approved the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s 1.65 million-square-foot, 900-unit Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The project site consists of nine City-owned lots on the north and south sides of Delancey Street between Ludlow and Clinton Streets. Three lots are north of Delancey Street and include the Essex Street Market building (Site 9) and two low-rise commercial properties (Sites 8 and 10). The remaining six lots are on the south side of Delancey Street bounded by Ludlow and Clinton Streets and make up the proposed Large-Scale General Development.
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23rd Regiment Armory in Crown Heights
Department of Homeless Services operates a 350-bed men’s shelter in head house of landmarked Armory. On August 14, 2012, the City Economic Development Corporation issued a request for proposals from developers interested in leasing and reusing a 50,000-square-foot drill hall space in the 23rd Regiment Armory at the corner Bedford and Atlantic Avenues in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The National Guard completed the Romanesque Revival-style Armory in 1895. The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as an individual landmark in 1977. Since 1982 the Department of Homeless Services has used the Armory’s five-story head house as a 350-bed homeless shelter. EDC is seeking proposals to develop “neighborhood-serving uses” in the adjacent drill hall and enhance community access to the space. The selected developer would control the drill hall space through a triple net ground lease, which would require the developer to be responsible for operating expenses, insurance, repairs, and property taxes.
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Visit EDC's website to download the RFP
City seeks proposals for industrial-use lots in parts of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. On June 25, 2012, the Economic Development Corporation issued a rolling request for proposals for the purchase or lease of four City-owned industrial parcels in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. The sites are: North Zerega in Unionport, Bronx; Chestnut-Dinsmore in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn; Moore McCormack in Sunset Park, Brooklyn; and College Point in the College Point Industrial Park section of Queens. The RFP is a part of EDC’s efforts to support the retention and growth of industrial businesses in the City, and complements the 22 industrial initiatives announced by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn in June 2011. The goals of the RFP include increasing access to affordable industrial spaces and aligning City resources with industrial businesses’ needs. All four lots are eligible for the City’s Brownfield Incentive Grant program and federal Environmental Protection Agency grants. The sites are zoned for manufacturing, which allows manufacturing, industrial, and most commercial uses.
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Site of future rooftop farm in Hunts Point
Opportunity to develop and operate a rooftop farm on a 200,000 sq.ft. building near the Halleck Industrial Development Site. On June 11, 2012, the Economic Development Corporation issued a request for proposals for the development and operation of a year-round rooftop farm on a 200,000-square-foot City-owned warehouse along the East River in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. The farm would be located on the roof of 600 Food Center Drive, which is currently occupied by Sultana Distribution and Citarella. EDC anticipates executing a lease with the chosen developer by the end of the summer of 2012, with construction beginning in the fall of 2012. The site is south of the Halleck Industrial Development Site, which is subject to a separate, and ongoing, EDC request for proposals process. (See CityLand’s coverage of the Halleck Industrial Development Site RFP here).
The warehouse’s lot is zoned M3-1, which permits heavy manufacturing uses. According to EDC, a rooftop farm or greenhouse would be permitted as-of-right on the warehouse. The warehouse is located within the boundary of the Hunts (more…)