Big SoHo-NoHo Rezoning Meetings Next Wed. 4/10 & Thurs. 4/11

Village Preservation (GVSHP) and allied NoHo, SoHo, and preservation organizations continue to push back against efforts to loosen zoning regulations in these two historic neighborhoods that could allow larger development, even bigger retail, and more university expansion.  Currently the Mayor’s City Planning Commission, Borough President Gale Brewer, and City Council Member Margaret Chin are leading a ‘public engagement’ process meant to examine the area’s zoning and consider changes.  But forces from big real estate and big institutions have expressed a strong interest in seeing the zoning change in ways that would benefit them but, we would argue, not these neighborhoods.  And the public engagement process has had some serious flaws, including the exclusion of Village Preservation, and any certified artists, from the advisory board formed to oversee the process (the Real Estate Board of NY and NYU were both given seats on the board).

Village Preservation and our allies who have formed the Save SoHo-NoHo Coalition have enumerated the following principles which we believe should guide any planning for these neighborhoods:

• Preserve the existing rights and protections for residents, esp. artists/those in JLWQA (Joint Living-Work Quarters for Artists)
• Maintain the existing allowable FAR (size/density of new development)
• Uphold existing limits on the maximum allowable size of retail
• Keep public review for developments or uses not currently allowed
• Limit types of university uses to those allowable under existing zoning
• Keep the creative character of SoHo and NoHo

• Community Board #2 Land Use Committee meeting Wed., April 10 at 6:30 pm at P.S. 130, 143 Baxter Street
• SoHo/NoHo Potential Rezoning Public Meeting Thursday, April 11 at 6pm, Municipal Bldg. (1 Centre Street), Mezzanine North

Here’s how you can also help: