Big Hearing on Citywide Upzoning Plan Monday, November 16 @ 6pm
Please come to Borough President Gale Brewer’s public hearing on the Mayor’s plan to lift height limits and loosen zoning restrictions in residential neighborhoods throughout the city called ‘Zoning for Quality and Affordability.’ The Borough President will be voting upon the plan this fall, and it is important that she hear from residents with concerns about the detrimental impact this plan would have. Last week Community Board #2’s (Greenwich Village, NoHo, SoHo) Land Use Committee came out strongly against the plan, and Community Board #3 (East Village, Lower East Side) will hear and vote on the plan on November 18th.
The Mayor’s rezoning plan would:
- Increase by 25 feet or up to 31% the allowable height of “80/20” residential developments (80% luxury, 20% affordable) along avenues in the East Village and in the rezoning we are seeking for the University Place and Broadway corridors. The City claims that increasing the allowable height will result in more developers choosing to include 20% affordable housing (floor area bonuses are already provided as an incentive for developers to include affordable units), but there is no evidence to support this claim, and we believe such a change will result in little or no additional affordable housing built, but will make such developments significantly taller.
- For market-rate developments, increase by 5-10 feet the height limits we fought for and secured in the Far West Village, East Village (here and here), and parts of 14th Street, as well as ones we are seeking in the South Village and University Place/Broadway corridors. We believe this should be eliminated entirely.
- Throughout most of Greenwich Village, increase by up to 20 feet the height limits for new residential developments which existing zoning provides incentives for developers to abide by.
- Allow construction in rear yards under conditions where it is currently prohibited.
- Eliminate “sliver law” restrictions on overly tall, skinny developments if they set aside a fraction of their units for affordable or senior housing.
- Grant substantial bonuses in height and size for new luxury, market-rate developments with just 20% of units set aside as “senior affordable housing” for only 30 years.
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