Spring/Summer 2017 Newsletter
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THE ANTHEMION SPRING/SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER Fight for University Place, there are no real development sites in the development would only have been about half neighborhood, that new developments of that height, and could have contained over Broadway, 3rd & 4th Avenues 300 ft. in height or more fit in with the 20,000 sq. ft. of affordable housing. In fact, Reaches Boiling Point neighborhood, and that our rezoning plan would we estimate our rezoning plan could create create no affordable housing. The Mayor has or preserve more than 200,000 sq. ft. of GVSHP Leads Charge to Condition espoused these falsehoods to avoid admitting affordable housing in the area. Approvals for Mayor’s ‘Tech Hub’ on that he opposes rezoning plans that go against Overdue Neighborhood Protections developers’ wishes to limit height on new A block away, at 827-31 Broadway/47 East 12th Street, three beautiful 1866 cast-iron buildings The area between 5th and 3rd Avenues, developments, even at the expense of forgoing which the Mayor refused to landmark are slated Union Square and Astor Place, is facing an the creation or preservation of affordable to be replaced by a nearly 300 ft. tall office unprecedented overdevelopment threat. Right housing. tower. At 799 Broadway/80 East 12th Street, now, multiple plans for towers up to 300 ft. tall Case in point: when we met with the Mayor’s the former St. Denis Hotel was bought for or greater are underway in the area, and many City Planning staff to discuss our rezoning plan, $101 million, with plans being considered for are for office buildings or hotels. The Mayor we provided them with a map showing over a developing a giant Tech/office tower on the site. has not only opposed efforts to curtail such dozen potential development sites in the area. And further east at 112-120 East 11th Street, development here, but has actually proposed They claimed virtually none of these sites could a new project which would accelerate the rate continued on page 6 ever be developed. Just of overdevelopment. Ironically, however, the two years later, nearly Mayor’s plan may unintentionally present us half are being developed. with our last and best opportunity to protect this area. Further, our rezoning proposal was in GVSHP has long been aware of the threat response to plans for of potential overdevelopment in this part of the nearly 300 ft. tall the Village and East Village, and nearly three tower now rising on years ago proposed zoning changes that would University Place and limit the height of new developments, reinforce 12th Street, where the residential character of the area, and Bowlmor Lanes once provide incentives for preserving or creating stood. That tower will affordable housing, which the Mayor claims is be more than double the his top priority. Yet the Mayor has adamantly height of nearly every opposed our rezoning plan, in spite of broad adjacent building, and support from the local community and elected will only contain luxury officials. condos. Under our Hundreds turned out despite the rain for a rally with GVSHP and City Worse, he has dishonestly claimed that rezoning plan, the new Councilmember Rosie Mendez. 1 West Village Bears Brunt of more at home on Rodeo Drive or an upscale are available. Miami shopping street than in the West Lax Landmarks Oversight Village. In spite of vociferous objections from Previously Unimaginable Plans GVSHP and many others, the LPC approved Approved in Historic Districts this proposal as presented at the first hearing. In recent months, the West Village has seen some shocking plans approved by Keller Hotel, 150 Barrow Street — We the Landmarks Preservation Commission were more optimistic when the LPC told an (LPC) in its historic districts, as the current applicant seeking to add a rather large and administration’s disinclination towards visible rooftop addition to this individual preservation, combined with an increasingly landmark on West Street that no such hot real estate market, has allowed totally addition, other than for a modest amount out of character developments to move of necessary mechanical space, would be ahead. allowed at this highly-visible location for this 11 Jane Street unique historic structure. But to our shock, 11 Jane Street — In February, the LPC when the applicant returned in April with a approved plans for a new 6-story building proposal for a slightly reduced but still highly- replacing the 2-story garage on this visible rooftop addition, the LPC went back on quintessential Village block between their prior statements and approved it. Greenwich and 8th Avenues. GVSHP and many neighbors pushed back hard on the These approvals, along with other recent proposed building’s height and design. The ones by the LPC on Gansevoort Street, LPC did bring down the height slightly, but among other locations, represent a disturbing certainly not to that of the site’s 4-story trend by the Commission under the current neighbors, as GVSHP called for. The design administration to greenlight proposed started off looking like an office block, but changes in landmarked districts and to then under pressure from the Commission individually landmarked buildings that seem 145 Perry Street to make changes, morphed into something to fly in the face of the purpose of landmark more akin to a Motel 6. To our shock and designations. In response, GVSHP wrote an surprise, the LPC then accepted this design op-ed, “What’s Wrong With the Landmarks with only minor adjustments, sparking an Preservation Commission?,” looking at the outraged response from the Society and LPC’s history in regulating our neighborhood neighbors. and the disturbing trend of their increasingly lax oversight. 145 Perry Street — Also in February, the LPC approved plans for a large single-family As we go to press, an application has been mansion and connected 6-story apartment filed with the LPC for approval for a new building for the owner’s children. Here the 7-story building on a lot which formerly size of the proposed buildings was not an contained a gas station at 538 Hudson Street issue, as they were actually slightly smaller (at Charles Street) in the Greenwich Village than previously-approved plans for a different Historic District. Design plans have not yet development on the site. But the mega- been made public, but GVSHP will be closely mansion, occupying most of the site, looked monitoring the application and informing the like a marble-clad fortress that would be public as soon as plans and hearing times Keller Hotel 2 East Village justify their request by claiming that the taller dangerous, and tried to fill it with what he towers of Stuyvesant Town across 14th Street calls “dormitories.” An actual dorm would Preservation Progress were appropriate “context” within which fit the definition of a ‘community facility,’ Variance Defeated, ‘Fake Dorm’ to view any development here, rather than to which use of this site is limited by deed Dormant, 19th c. House Safe For Now the adjacent East Village buildings. GVSHP restriction. pushed back strongly on these claims. 432 E. 14th/435 E. 13th Street Zoning But his version of a ‘dorm’ has consistently Variance Defeated — GVSHP was proud With the support of neighbors, elected skirted the legal requirements for such to spearhead the successful campaign to officials, and unions who opposed the facilities. His latest scheme called for renting defeat a baseless zoning variance for a developer’s labor practices, we made a out 80% of the beds to someone other than new development on this site between 1st powerful case before the Board of Standards the ‘school’ named in the lease, violating Avenue and Avenue A. It would have skirted and Appeals. To avoid embarrassment, in clear requirements. Meanwhile the school contextual zoning limits for the area and March the developer suddenly withdrew their listed on the lease actually claimed not to be allowed a new development to climb 50% application once it became clear they would a school in city paperwork filed for a different higher and be 25% larger than local zoning lose. More at gvshp.org/432e14. building. allowed. ‘Fake Dorm’ Still on Hold at Old P.S. 64 GVSHP and coalition partners held a rally and In this case, a developer claimed that due — Plans to turn the former P.S. 64/CHARAS- press conference on City Hall steps, pointing to underground water and unstable soil El Bohio Cultural Center at 605 E. 9th Street out the similarity of this case to the recent conditions, he could not make a reasonable into a ‘fake dorm’ remain on hold in the scandalous lifting of ‘community facility’ return developing this property under the face of staunch opposition from GVSHP, deed restrictions at nearby Rivington House. terms of the existing zoning, and thus community groups, elected officials and GVSHP also circulated a petition calling for qualified under the law for a zoning variance. neighbors. For more than 20 years, the the City not to approve the fake dorm plans, But as GVSHP pointed out, neighboring sites developer/owner of the now-landmarked and to work with the community to see the had the exact same underground conditions, building has sought to demolish it, stripped it building returned to a true community use. and yet were developed under the existing of architectural ornament, allowed it to decay, Not long after, the City appeared to back away zoning restrictions without requiring a left it open to the elements, let the sidewalk from its prior willingness to grant approvals. variance. The developer further tried to shed around the building become dark and See gvshp.org/charas for more info.