Lower Manhattan Arcades Modification Text Amendment. Image: Courtesy of NYC Department of City Planning.

Planning seeks to enliven privately owned public spaces along the Water Street by allowing tables and seating.

On May 4, 2011, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved the Department of City Planning’s proposal to permit public and cafe seating within arcades along the Water Street corridor in Lower Manhattan. Arcades are privately owned, publicly accessible covered areas along the perimeter of commercial buildings that were developed in exchange for a floor area bonus. The arcades were intended to provide pedestrian shelter from inclement weather and relief from congested sidewalks. The Special Lower Manhattan District currently requires that the arcades remain free of obstructions.

According to Planning, the arcades have not functioned as originally intended and have negatively impacted the corridor. Planning proposed the zoning text amendment to enliven the underutilized arcades by permitting publicly accessible tables and chairs in these areas. The proposal would apply to 23 blocks along and nearby Water Street between Fulton and Whitehall Streets. Seventeen buildings in the area feature arcades. (more…)