As we have been reporting, Community Board 3 meets tonight to vote on the Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Plan. Board members will be asked to approve the city’s land use proposal for the large site near the Williamsburg Bridge, before the proposal goes to the Borough President.
Late yesterday, CB3 posted on its web site the draft resolution that will be considered this evening. It approves the Seward Park Plan, but lays out a number of “conditions.” Last week, the land use committee voted 13-9 (with one member not voting) in support of the proposed resolution.
Here are some of the key conditions detailed in the document:
- A requirement that the affording housing built on the parcels remain affordable forever, as opposed to 60 years as the city has proposed.
- A provision requiring developers to include housing, including 50% affordable housing, in each phase of construction.
- The creation of a task force made up of up to seven community board members, representatives of local City Council members, a representative of the Borough President and two representatives of two local “stakeholder groups.” The advisory task force would have a role in drafting selection criteria for developers and would review development proposals.
- A requirement that the project must include multiple developers rather than a single developer.
- The removal of language in the land use document allowing “big box” stores.
- A requirement that the city/developers pay relocation expenses for Essex Street Market vendors and that rents be maintained more-or-less at their current levels. The resolution indicates that CB3 approves of the city’s plan to demolish the current market and relocate it on the south side of Delancey Street in a new building.
- A “preference” for at least 50% local hiring during construction and by businesses leasing space in the Seward Park project.
- The inclusion in the land use plan of a new public school.
You can read the entire 15 page document here. CB3 meets in Henry Street Settlement’s gym, 301 Henry Street, at 6:30 p.m.
I’m sorry to say this, but the many of your conditions are Job killers and just plain stupid, but this one I copy and pasted below takes the cake. That is why this area has been desolate and run down for almost 50 years and we all know the goal of the few are to hold up this project until you saturate Manhattan with low income housing and no revenue to pay for it.
Want want want, well someone has to pay. Christ almighty this city is being bled dry and some people never stop asking without giving. It;s disgusting and depressing following this,but in the end I hope the job killers will not prevail.
The creation of a task force made up of up to seven community board members, representatives of local City Council members, a representative of the Borough President and two representatives of two local “stakeholder groups.” The advisory task force would have a role in drafting selection criteria for developers and would review development proposals.
It’s shameful, but obviously par for the course in this process, that CB3 failed to protect the Essex Street Market.
Such a shame that the community board voted to ignore all contextual zoning guidelines that it put into place a few years ago in order to keep the buildings lower height and maintain the tenement feel. Instead city officials opted to build more low income housing in a area which already houses the largest public housing project in the country. This city is broke and without free market enterprise and free market rental rates, this area will remain run down. Good luck in paying for all of this with government entitlements.
I believe the Lower East Side Rezoing does not cover SPURA.
I believe the Lower East Side Rezoing does not cover SPURA.