Mayor's "Tech Hub" Plans Threaten Village, East Village
The Mayor’s giant planned “Tech Hub” on 14th St. is meant to anchor a “Silicon Alley” stretching from Astor Pl. to Union Sq. and beyond, threatening University Pl., Broadway, and 3rd and 4th Aves.
Right now, the blocks along University Place, Broadway, and 3rd and 4th Avenues face huge development pressure. One 300 ft. tall condo-tower is rising at University Place and 12th Street. Another 300 ft. tall office tower is planned for Broadway and 12th Street. An even bigger commercial development could go up at Broadway and 11th Street, modeled on the “Death Star” office development at 51 Astor Place. And an oversized hotel is set to replace dozens of units of housing, much of it formerly affordable, on East 11th Street off Fourth Avenue.
47 E. 12 (l.) and 827-831 Broadway (r.) are set to be replaced by a 300 ft. tall office tower.
Now the Mayor wants to build a giant “Tech Hub” nearby on 14th Street that would serve as an anchor for a “Silicon Alley” that would stretch from Astor Place to Union Square, making this bad situation even much worse, accelerating overdevelopment in the area. Read all about it in GVSHP’s op-ed in this week’s Villager newspaper here.
For over two years, GVSHP has been urging the City to move ahead with our rezoning proposal for the University Place/Broadway corridor, which would prevent this type of overdevelopment, protect the scale of this largely-residential neighborhood, and encourage the retention or creation of affordable housing. It’s endorsed by every local elected official. But the Mayor has adamantly opposed the plan.
A new owner hopes to replace 799 Broadway/80 E. 11th St. (top) with an office development similar to the “Death Star” at 51 Astor Pl. (bottom).
We have to tell the Mayor “NO TECH HUB WITHOUT PROTECTIONS FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.”
Tell him to move ahead with zoning protections for the University Place/Broadway corridor and restrict commercial development in the 3rd and 4th Avenue corridors.
And contact our local elected officials.
Thank them for supporting neighborhood zoning protections, and tell them that the Mayor’s “Tech Hub” plan should not be allowed to advance unless the adjoining neighborhoods get the zoning protections they need.
Next: 04/04/17
Previous: 12/18/2015
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