Controversial East Village/Lower East Side Historic District Approved by Council

Support and opposition to landmarking reiterated at City Council level. On January 31, 2013, the City Council’s Land Use Committee voted to approve the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District in Manhattan. The district includes approximately 325 buildings, and is composed of two distinct sections on each side of First Avenue. On October 9, 2012, Landmarks approved the designation after modifying the boundaries of the proposal initially presented to … <Read More>


Landmarks Approved East Village/Lower East Side Historic District With Modified Boundaries

Six buildings along First Avenue that connected two sections of proposed district were removed because they lacked significance. On October 9, 2012, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to create the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. The district, divided into two sections, includes approximately 325 buildings primarily along Second Avenue and its side streets between St. Marks Place and East 2nd Street. A smaller section of buildings are located along East 6th and East … <Read More>


BSA grandfathers 16-story Lower East Side hotel

Hotel developer admits its foundation work damaged adjacent building. Developer D.A.B. Group LLC received a foundation permit on September 29, 2008 for its planned 16-story Lower East Side hotel at Rivington and Orchard Streets. Excavation work began one week after the City Planning Commission voted to downzone the area. D.A.B. then obtained a full building permit at 2:21 p.m. on the day that the City Council voted to approve the East Village/Lower East Side rezoning. … <Read More>


Lower East Side rezoning plan fiercely debated

Rezoning of East Village/LES. Proposed Zoning Map used with permission of the New York City Dept. of Planning. All rights reserved.

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 … <Read More>


Council Subcommittee Approves Phased Construction Plan for East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

Despite the project’s phased construction schedule, concerns with the project still exist among elected officials and community members. On November 4, 2019, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting, and Dispositions approved two land use applications for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, the City’s flood protection plan for Lower Manhattan. The Project will include a system of floodgates and walls along the project area, sewage improvements, and will elevate East River Park … <Read More>


Proposed Chinatown BID nears approval

Image: courtesy of Chinatown Partnership LDC.

Group of Chinatown property owners cited concerns about the BID’s assessment formula. On May 26, 2011, the City Council’s Finance Committee held a hearing on the Department of Small Business Services’ plan to create the Chinatown Business Improvement District encompassing more than 6,000 commercial businesses in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The BID would comprise 50 blocks generally bounded by Broome Street to the north, Worth and Madison Streets to the … <Read More>