We want to draw tour attention to a few changes made in today’s post regarding the Seward Park redevelopment plan, In the original story we referred to a proposal unveiled at last night’s Community Board 3 meeting as a “plan.” A short time ago, we received an email message from CB3 Chair Dominic Pisciotta about our report.

Pisciotta wanted to make sure our readers understand that what was presented were “guidelines to come up with a plan,” rather than a plan itself. From his perspective, a plan contains a lot of design details, it lays out what types of buildings, green space etc. would be constructed on each lot.

Pisciotta said he hoped the committee would have been further along by now but “that is not where we are.”  He also indicated a desire to pass the proposed guidelines at next month’s committee meeting. At that point, the guidelines would be made public – and the full board would hold a vote in late December, or at January’s meeting.

Last night, Community Board 3 accomplished something naysayers said was impossible — they presented a (draft) proposal for the redevelopment of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA).  And they suggested the full board could vote on a version of the detailed guidelines as early as next month. It’s important to note that some members of CB3′s SPURA task force have major problems with some of the provisions — and more contentious discussions surely lay ahead. But as one city official in attendance said, “the fact that you’ve gotten this far is huge.”

The guidelines, sketched out by CB3 leaders, are based on the task force’s deliberations in the past 2-and-a-half years. They amount to a set of detailed principles for developing the 7-acre site next to the Williamsburg Bridge, a parcel that has languished for 43 years. Continue reading CB3 Presents Draft SPURA Guidelines