Manhattan Borough President Brewer, Public Advocate James, and Council Members Chin and Kallos speaking on the initiative outside of City Hall. Image credit: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

Initiatives proposed in the wake of the Rivington House sale would prompt public review process and transparency. On July 19, 2016, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Margaret Chin wrote a letter to the City Planning Commission in favor of subjecting any changes made to deed restrictions throughout New York City to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. The letter is the latest development in a series of events sparked by the sale of the Rivington House, a nonprofit nursing home on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, to luxury condominium developers. For CityLand’s previous coverage on the City’s involvement in the Rivington House’s sale, click here.

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City Planning Commission hearing testimony at the June 8th hearing. Image credit: CityLand

The proposed rezoning would facilitate the development of a mixed-use building where an unoccupied, deteriorating building currently stands. On June 8th, 2016, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application to amend the City’s zoning map to facilitate the construction of a 13-story mixed-use building at 255 Houston Street, located on the Lower East Side in Manhattan.

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City Council Land Use Committee hearing held on June 7, 2016. Image credit: CityLand

The proposed system would keep track of the financial and infrastructure-related promises made by the Mayor’s office to neighborhoods being rezoned.  On June 7, 2016, the City Council Committee on Land Use held a public hearing on a legislative proposal to implement a tracking system, which would monitor the status of promises made to the public by the Administration  during the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process. The proposed bill, Intro 1132, is sponsored by New York City Public Advocate Letitia James and New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

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Council member Stephen Levin. Image credit: William Alatriste/NYC Council

The modified proposal provides for a larger Brooklyn Heights library branch, the construction of a new library branch, STEM education laboratories, and additional monetary incentives.  On December 16, 2015, the City Council at its stated meeting voted to approve the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ and Brooklyn Public Library’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure application to redevelop the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.   The Council-approved version of the library redevelopment plan modifies the City Planning Commission-approved plan from November 2, 2015. (See previous CityLand coverage here.)

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Carl Weisbrod, Chairman of the City Planning Commission. Image credit: CityLand

The program would amend generation-old zoning regulations to encourage construction of efficient mixed-use buildings and affordable senior housing.  On September 21, 2015, the City Planning Commission issued a press release revealing two of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan.  The programs, which are currently making their way through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process, are the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program and the Zoning for Quality and Affordability Program.  The latter proposes zoning text amendments that relax Inclusionary Housing building regulations and parking requirements to enable the construction of high-quality mixed-use buildings that utilize the full amount of buildable residential space and to encourage the construction of a diverse range of affordable senior housing and long-term care facilities.

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Carl Weisbrod, Chairman of the City Planning Commission. Image credit: CityLand

The program would be the strongest inclusionary housing requirement in the nation.  On September 18, 2015, the City Planning Commission initiated public review of the Department of City Planning’s application for the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program, which is one of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan.  The Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program would require, rather than incentivize, residential developers to reserve a portion of newly-created housing units as permanently affordable.  The program seeks to help the fifty-five percent of New York City residential-renters who are “rent burdened,” which has increased by eleven percent since 2000.

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