PlanNYC: Lower East Side Rezoning News

CPC Rezonings Hearing Draws Protests

2008-08-13 00:00:00

At a hearing on the rezoning of Willets Point, the Lower East Side (LES) and south Hunters Point, many in opposition to the rezoning of Willets Point protested. Council Member Hiram Monserrate, who led the opposition protest, has garnered the support of more than thirty of his colleagues in the City Council who say they will not support the rezoning until changes are made, especially regarding affordable housing and the use of eminent domain. At the hearing, 14 of the 54 people who testified oppose the Willets Point Plan. The City Planning Commission will make a recommendation on the plan next month before the City Council votes. Opponents of the LES rezoning also protested outside the hearing.

Community Supporters for LES Rezoning Emerge

2008-08-07 00:00:00

A group of community organizations have come together in support for the city�s plan to rezone parts of the Lower East Side (LES) including the Good Ole Lower East Side, Asian Americans for Equality, Cooper Square Committee, University Settlement and Lower East Side�s People Mutual Housing Association. Opponents of the current rezoning have suggested adding Chinatown to the plan. But the group of proponents has said that including Chinatown will only slow down the process of this rezoning and Chinatown should be its own rezoning. The groups in favor of the rezoning have made some suggestions to the plan including more environmentally friendly building requirements and increase incentives for developers to build affordable housing.

Community Groups Protest Lower Eastside Rezoning Plan

2008-07-16 00:00:00

The Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side protested the City's rezoning plan yesterday after submitting a petition against the plan, which some feel is exclusionary, to the Manhattan Borough President's office. The rezoning plan has already passed Community Board 3 and Scott Stringer, the Manhattan Borough President must make a decision by August 11. Community groups are calling for a more comprehensive rezoning involving a larger portion of the neighborhood and to have more affordable housing components incorporated.

Borough President Receives Petition Against LES Rezoning

2008-07-16 00:00:00

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer received a petition of 10,000 signatures against the proposed Lower East Side rezoning. The petition was presented by the Coalition of Chinatown and Lowest East Side Residents. The group is concerned that the rezoning is not �inclusive� and will encourage development in minority neighborhoods.

Burden: East Side Rezoning Designed to Prevent �Out-of-Scale Dorms�

2008-06-09 00:00:00

The rezoning plan proposed by the Department of City Planning is designed to protect two neighborhoods under threat of overdevelopment, the Lower East Side and the East Village, according to City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden. Of particular concern to some preservationists is the threat of high-rise dormitories, especially as NYU has announced its need for an additional 6 million square feet to accommodate growth. President of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Andrew Berman says that while the rezoning should successfully protect the areas from high-rise development, the rezoned area should have been larger. The rezoning plan is currently undergoing community review.

Chinatown Residents Claim City's Rezoning Plan is Discriminatory; More Affordable Housing Requested

2008-05-14 00:00:00

At a rowdy public hearing on the city's plan to rezone parts of the Lower East Side and East Village, some residents of Chinatown claimed that the plans were discriminatory because areas of LES were left out of the plan. Another concern is affordable housing. The community has asked for 30% inclusionary zoning while the proposal only has 20% currently.

LES Rezoning Draws Protest

2008-05-13 00:00:00

Opponents of the City's plan to rezone parts of the Lower East Side protested both inside and outside a Community Board hearing on the plans on Monday. The plan will rezone 111 blocks and place building height limitations on new structures. Some believe that the height limitations exclude new developments in predominantly poor and minority neighborhoods and claim that the City is trying to push out minorities and lower-income residents. Some opponents claim that the City left them out of the rezoning process until it was too late to make any changes. The City denies these claims. If the plan goes through, the LES rezoning could be the third largest rezoning the City has undertaken.

Lower East Side Rezoning Proposal Goes to Community Board

2008-05-12 00:00:00

In order to restrict out of scale development in the Lower East Side neighborhood, the City is proposing a rezoning to limit height to 8 stories throughout the majority of the area. As of now no restrictions are in place and developers are able to buy adjacent building lots' air rights allowing for larger scale development. The rezoning has reached the community board and if passed will go on to the borough president's office.

Public Review Process to Start for LES and East Village Rezoning

2008-05-06 00:00:00

The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) will begin for plans to rezone 110 blocks in the Lower East Side and the East Village. The rezoning, bounded by E. 13th Street, Avenue D, Grand and Delancey Streets, and Third Avenue and the Bowery, will lower height limits, require all building to line up to the street, and provide incentives for affordable housing and other residential projects. City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden said that such a rezoning �respects and preserves these vitally important neighborhoods.� Community Board 3 has 60 days to review the rezoning.

Chinatown Residents Protest �Unfair� LES Rezoning

2008-04-09 00:00:00

Residents of Chinatown spoke up at a recent Community Board 3 meeting about what they see as an unfair plan to rezone 114 blocks in the East Village, the Lower East Side and a small part of Chinatown to limit high rise development. Residents, many of whom spoke through a Chinese translator, called the plan �racist� saying that by not including Chinatown in the down-zoning, it would push high rise luxury development into their neighborhood, making it unaffordable to them. They complained that they had not been included in the planning process and that the rezoning had been planned �away from public scrutiny.� CB 3 members responded by urging residents to get more involved in the planning process.

Protest Over Cooper Square Hotel and Rezoning the Bowery

2007-12-16 00:00:00

Community members are protesting the construction of the Cooper Square Hotel and new developments along the Bowery. Recently, bars and restaurants serving a late night crowd have located along Bowery which many believe is disrupting the quality of the neighborhood. On a bigger scale, however, some are concerned that the Bowery was not included in proposals to rezone 114 blocks in the East Village and Lower East Side to protect the low-rise character of the neighborhood. The City Planning Commission has said that since Bowery is a large street, a different approach must be used to protect its character than what is being used on smaller, narrower streets.

Lower East Site Residents Seek Development

2007-11-05 00:00:00

At a rally on Sunday, members of the Seward Park Area Renewal Coalition urged the city to build a mix of low and middle income housing along with cultural amenities on the vacant lots that make up the area known as the Steward Park Urban Renewal Project. The site, roughly 5 acres, was cleared of residents roughly 40 years ago to make way for affordable housing. Yet, today most of the lots remain vacant aside from parked cars. Neighborhood residents are mixed in what they think should be built on the site. The city last tried to develop a plan for the area in 2003.

Final Scope of Work Expected for Lower East Side Rezoning

2007-10-24 00:00:00

After the public scoping meeting in June the city continues to review comments from the community before releasing its final scope of work. Community Board 3, local business owners, and members of the business improvement district (BID) all submitted comments for consideration of the existing plan. The community board is advocating increases in affordable housing while local businesses focus on growth restraints of zoning as well as building restrictions associated with possible landmark status. The ULURP process will begin once the results are compiled.

LES/East Village Rezoning Proposal To Be Presented

2007-06-22 00:00:00

The Department of City Planning will be presenting its proposal for the Lower East Side and East Village rezoning on Monday, June 25th. Residents will be given 10 days after the meeting to submit any public comment on the proposal. The rezoning calls for allowing taller buildings on East Houston and other wide streets, and allows for additional height based on the inclusion of affordable housing. On other narrower streets building heights will be capped at lower levels than what is required under current zoning laws.

The EDC Looks for New Uses of Essex Street Market

2007-06-04 00:00:00

The Economic Development Corporation is considering potential uses for the current Essex Street Market, including identifying a food retailer and possibly office space or light manufacturing. The director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District believes that the area could be a center of creative activity, and one where business can take advantage of special state tax incentives as they are part of an Empire Zone. Some in the community are worried, however, that one of the buildings at the site may be turned into luxury apartments, although that has not yet been proposed by the EDC.