Three Potential Development Sites Percolating on Jane Street
Jane Street is located in the heart of the historic West Village, with a mix of 19th century rowhouses, medium-sized apartment buildings, and mostly converted loft-industrial buildings.
But three potential development sites offer questions about the street’s future; an examination of each illustrates how the process of regulating preservation and new development works in our neighborhood and our city:
- 11-19 Jane Street (Greenwich Avenue/Hudson Street) -- A year ago it was reported that the parking garage at 11-19 Jane Street was sold for $26 million to Minskoff Equities. The site is located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and thus no demolition or new construction can take place here without a public hearing and review process, and without the Landmarks Preservation Commission finding any proposed changes "appropriate" for the site and district. As of today, no demolition or new construction applications have yet been filed for the site.
 If and when such applications are filed, GVSHP will notify the public by placing information about the application on our Landmarks Application webpage, and by including it (along with all other landmarks public hearing applications) in our e-mail newsletter (see "Latest Landmarks Applications" below). If you want to be notified specifically about this application, you can sign up here. Find out more about our Landmarks Application webpage here.
Once an application has been filed, a public hearing will first be scheduled at Community Board #2, where any member of the public can testify. The Board will issue an advisory opinion. The application is then heard by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, where any member of the public can also testify, including elected officials and community and preservation groups. The Commission, a city body consisting of appointees of the Mayor, ultimately decides if the application is approved, denied, or modified.
While the zoning for the site would allow a tower of a dozen or more stories, the Commission is only obligated to approve a design they feel is appropriate for the character of the historic district. This is a subjective evaluation, and there are no specific guidelines regarding the height, scale, or design of new construction, though the Commission will typically look to other buildings in the immediate vicinity for guidance on these issues. Read more here.
 85-93 Jane Street (Pro Piano) -- More than three years ago it was reported that the two buildings at 85 and 89 Jane Street (Washington/Greenwich Streets) were sold for $32 million, indicating a likely plan to develop the site in some form. Like 11-19 Jane Street, this site is located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and thus no demolition, alteration, or new construction can take place here without a public hearing and review process, and without the Landmarks Preservation Commission finding any proposed changes "appropriate" for the site and district.
As of today, no demolition, alteration, or new construction applications have yet been filed for the site. As a result of a rezoning of the area which GVSHP fought for in 2005, the size of an allowable development on this site was reduced (however a proposed citywide rezoning change GVSHP is fighting would weaken those protections).
After the site was sold, GVSHP wrote to the Landmarks Preservation Commission documenting the history of the buildings and highlighting the significance they maintain, in spite of some alterations over the years, in order to help inform any evaluation of any future application.
As with 11-19 Jane Street, if and when any applications are filed with the Landmarks Preservation Commission for changes to the site, GVSHP will notify the public by placing information about the application on our Landmarks Application webpage, and by including it (along with all other landmarks public hearing applications) in our e-mail newsletter (see "Latest Landmarks Applications" below). If you want to be notified specifically about this application, you can sign up here. Find out more about our Landmarks Application webpage here. See above for more information about the public hearing process.
- 134-140 Jane Street (West Street) -- The parking lot which has long operated on this site has recently been closed, prompting speculation about a new development on this site. On-line city records are not yet indicating any change in ownership, nor are they showing any building permit applications being filed. Because this site is not located within a designated historic/landmark district, no special approvals or public review would be needed for development of the site in conformance with the zoning.
 Like 85-93 Jane Street, in 2005 GVSHP succeeded in securing stricter zoning regulations for this site along with much of the rest of the Far West Village (however a proposed citywide rezoning change GVSHP is fighting would weaken those protections). The zoning restrictions enacted by the City here did not go as far as we would have liked, but the new zoning does limit new development here to 60-85 feet in height along the streetwall, with a setback required for any additional height, and a maximum allowable height (not counting “permitted obstructions” such as mechanical equipment, pediments, etc.) of 120 feet (495 West Street, built in 1998 directly south of the site, is also 120 feet tall). While the zoning allows some commercial and community facility uses, in all likelihood under the zoning any new development here would be a largely or entirely residential (under the old zoning a much taller building would have been permissible, with more incentives for hotel or other commercial uses).
While a new development here would not go through the landmarks public hearing, review, and approval process, GVSHP monitors the city’s on-line records for every one of the 6,500 lots in our neighborhood for new building permit applications on a daily basis. If you would like us to share with you any information we become aware of about plans for this site, e-mail sapmann@gvshp.org with the subject “Notify me about any information you receive about plans for 134-140 Jane Street.”
Next: 12/11/2015
Previous: 01/06/2015
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