Text change establishes clear rules on where car-sharing companies can park vehicles. On September 29, 2010, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s Car- Share Text Amendment. The zoning resolution now recognizes car-share vehicles, such as those offered by ZipCar and Connect by Hertz, and sets out which off-street parking facilities are suitable for car-share storage. The City Planning Commission modified the text amendment during its review of the proposal. 7 CityLand 123 (Sept. 15, 2010).

Car-share vehicles are available to pre-approved, registered members 24 hours a day. Car-share companies allow their members to pick up and drop off the cars through a self-service system. Carshare vehicles are permitted in high-, medium-, and low-density parking facilities that are accessory to commercial, manufacturing, or residential uses. Greater numbers of car-share vehicles are permitted in parking facilities located in higher density districts. (more…)

Commission determined that clear off-street parking rules for car-share vehicles would help alleviate traffic congestion and increase available spaces. On August 11, 2010, the City Planning Commission modified the Department of City Planning’s proposed zoning text amendment that would establish off-street parking guidelines for car-share vehicles offered by companies such as ZipCar and Connect by Hertz.

The zoning resolution’s offstreet parking regulations address where private vehicles and traditional car rentals are permitted to park, but do not address car-share vehicles. Rental vehicles are considered a commercial use and are prohibited in most public parking facilities. Planning’s proposal would define car-share vehicles and permit car-share vehicles to park in a range of public and accessory parking facilities. The amendment would establish higher maximums in public facilities and in highand medium-density residential garages, while restrictions would be tighter in low-density districts. Planning would require that all garages containing car-share vehicles provide an information plaque identifying the total number of spaces and maximum allowable number of car-share spaces.

At the Commission’s public hearing, a representative of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer and representatives from car-sharing companies and planning groups spoke in support. Stringer’s representative suggested that the Commission include signage requirements clarifying that residents with private vehicles had priority over car-share companies when attempting to secure a monthly space in residential garages. 7 CityLand 106 (Aug. 15, 2010).

The Commission approved the proposal, but made several modifications. It noted that accessory residential parking facilities outside of the Manhattan Core (Community Districts 1 – 8 ) are permitted to rent spaces to non-occupants of the building, but a space must be made available to a resident within 30 days of a written request to the landlord. The Commission extended this provision to include the Manhattan Core and modified the amendment to require the parking availability information to be included on the plaque required for facilities with car-share vehicles.

Addressing safety concerns raised by some community boards during the public review, the Commission also modified the proposal to require the residential portion of a building to be secured if the building is accessible from an accessory garage that permits car-share vehicles.

CPC: Car Share Text Amendment (Aug. 11, 2010).

Modification allows residential building to be sited at the corner of West 30th Street and Eleventh Avenue. On March 4, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved RG ERY LLC’s proposal to amend the site planning and parking regulations within Hudson Yards’ Eastern Rail Yard, also known as Subarea A1. The affected area, located within the Special Hudson Yards District, is bounded by West 33rd Street to the north, West 30th Street to the south, Tenth Avenue to the east, and Eleventh Avenue to the west.

RG, a joint venture of Related Companies and Goldman Sachs, was selected by the MTA in May 2008 to develop Subarea A1. RG submitted the application in order to facilitate construction of its proposed design, which includes hotel, residential, and ground-floor retail use at the corner of Eleventh Avenue and West 33rd Street; commercial office, residential, and retail space along Tenth Avenue; a community facility building along West 30th Street; and a residential building with groundfloor retail near the corner of Eleventh Avenue and West 30th Street. The design also allows for a maximum of 1,000 on-site accessory parking spaces, with a maximum of 350 spaces for commercial and community facility use. (more…)

Public comments focus on added construction costs and impact on affordable housing. On February 4, 2009, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on the Department of City Planning’s proposed bicycle parking text amendment. The proposal would mandate the addition of secure bicycle parking for new buildings, enlargements of 50 percent or more, and conversions to residential use. The regulations would apply to multi-family residential, community facility, and commercial uses, as well as public parking garages. The required number of spaces would differ among uses, but affected buildings would be required to provide 15 sq.ft. per bicycle parking space or as little as six sq.ft. if a more efficient layout were submitted to Buildings. The space would not count against floor area limitations, and the requirements could be waived for smaller buildings such as residential buildings with 10 units or less.

At the public hearing, a representative of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer testified that Stringer supported the proposal and believed that the amendment would promote PlaNYC 2030’s initiatives for increasing bicycle ridership and reducing traffic congestion. He also stated that more bicycle lanes and signage should be implemented to protect riders. An AIA representative expressed support for the proposal, but offered recommendations to make the regulations less burdensome on developers. Among these suggestions were expanding and simplifying the waiver process, and applying a graduated scale to cap the total number of spaces for large commercial buildings. (more…)

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: (more…)