GVSHP | Hudson River Park

GVSHP is closely monitoring changed plans for the development of the 3-block long St. John’s Terminal site bounded by West and Washington Streets straddling Houston Street. GVSHP forcefully advocated for significant protections for the surrounding neighborhood as a condition for zoning changes here, resulting in the new Sullivan-Thompson Historic District and prohibitions on further Hudson River Park air rights transfers throughout Greenwich Village and Community Board #2.

Both of those important neighborhood protections remain unchanged. However, some significant changes to the planned design of the massive three-block complex have recently been announced, called a “hybrid scenario” in which the 2-block section south of Houston Street will be developed under the old zoning for the site, whereas the 1-block section north of Houston Street is developed as per the new zoning for the site. Under this scenario, the southern section will be smaller than previously allowed, entirely commercial rather than predominantly residential, and most of the existing building on the site will be preserved and built on top of rather than demolished. However, the planned affordable housing on the site has disappeared, as have some public amenities like indoor community space and a passageway to West Street. North of Houston Street, the planned development is almost entirely unchanged, except that the amount of market-rate residential space has decreased and senior affordable housing has commensurately increased, and the amount of retail and event space has decreased by 60%.

Overall the development will decrease by 167,000 sq. ft. as compared to what was previously planned and approved. As currently planned, the new development on the south site will be somewhat shorter than what was originally planned, though that could change. The developers also say that they currently do not envision any big box stores on site, but they are no longer prohibited from having them (the zoning change approved in 2016 increased the allowable size of the development but in exchange placed limits on the heights of new buildings and prohibited big box stores). More information can be found here and here.

GVSHP is monitoring this development closely, and has conveyed our strong desire to see big box stores remain out of the development, and for planned open spaces to remain permanently open to the public.

Monitoring Changing Plans for St. John Terminal Development, West & Houston Streets