Developers for post office-replacing project seek variance for a 12-story building

Crews have been at work at 432-438 E. 14th St., the former site of the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office that is yielding to an 8-story, 114-unit (23 affordable, 91 market rate) mixed-use building here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The renderings on the plywood could be a collector's item now, though...



Reps for the developers (Benenson Capital Partners in association with the Mack Real Estate Group) are lobbying to receive a zoning variance for a 12-story building.

On June 15, the reps will start with Community Board 3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee. Ahead of that meeting, there's a 300-plus page document (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website with background, analysis, engineering reports, etc.

For starters, the documents show that the East 13th Street portion of the proposed new building would be eight stories in height (80 feet), with a setback above the sixth floor. The East 14th Street portion of the building would rise 12 stories (124 feet) without setbacks. Retail space would occupy the first floor of the East 14th Street side of the building.

According to the documents, the site "is burdened by a combination of unique conditions that result in practical difficulties in complying with the applicable zoning regulations."

Specifically: "Unusually elevated groundwater levels and exceedingly soft and unstable soil (owing to the presence of an underground stream) ... result in extraordinary construction costs, which make a complying development with affordable housing infeasible." (An analysis of the project put the extra construction costs due to the substandard soil at $8.8 million.)

However, the developer's proposal of a larger building "would generate sufficient income to offset the cost of development and provide a reasonable return on investment."

The documents state that the proposed development "is contextual with the surrounding neighborhood" ... and will "provide 31 units of affordable housing." Overall, the new building would have 155 units.

In conclusion, the proposed larger development "is the only financially feasible project that can be constructed at the site."



The city's Board of Standard and Appeals has recognized substandard soil conditions "as a unique physical condition causing practical difficulties and unnecessary hardship in at least eight variances in the past seven years," per the developer's research.

The elevated groundwater levels and "soft and unstable soil" must be behind the ongoing foundation work at 500 and 538 E. 14th St., where Extell Development is putting up two 7-floor retail-residential buildings. (We have not heard if either building will include an affordable-housing component.) After more than a year, there still isn't any sign of the new buildings above the grade.

Updated:

The committee meeting on June 15 is open to the public. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. ... in the University Settlement at Houston Street Center — 273 Bowery.

Concern over the city's rezoning proposals, and 5 EV developments without affordable housing

[EVG file photo of The Nathaniel]

The de Blasio administration's rezoning proposals Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing have been making the rounds at the Community Board level.

The proposals have, to date, reportedly concerned some neighborhood politicians, housing activists and preservation groups.

Now the plans go before City Council tomorrow (Wednesday!) for final review.

Here's more on how these proposals could impact the East Village in the opinion of The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP):

Under the Mayor’s ZQA plan, in virtually the entire East Village, new market-rate developments would be allowed to grow five feet higher. While this seem like a modest amount, it’s a noticeable difference — in much of the East Village, existing buildings often average forty to fifty-five feet in height. A five foot difference is therefore significant.

The bigger change will come on East Village avenues and the blocks between 3rd and 4th Avenues. There new development will be able to grow by 25 feet or 31% over existing allowable height limits if they include 20% affordable housing – lifting height limits in these areas from 80 to 105 feet or 120 to 145 feet.

Some may say the height limit increase is worth it for the affordable housing produced. But all evidence points to the height limit increases not resulting in a single additional unit of affordable housing being built, and potentially only resulting in developments which would have been built anyway growing up to 25 feet or 31% taller.

Right now, East Village avenues and the blocks between 3rd and 4th Avenues have what is called “inclusionary zoning.” This means including 20% affordable housing in new developments is incentivized (but not required) by allowing developers to add additional market-rate square feet to help pay for the affordable housing they include. The new developments must currently abide by the existing height limits; currently about 50% of new developments in the East Village chose to include the affordable housing.

GVSHP investigated new developments in the East Village's affordable housing zones and found that at least five were approved by the city without requiring affordable housing, as DNAinfo reported.

The GVSHP identified these developments as: 84 Third Ave./138 E. 12th St. (The Nathaniel); 152-154 Second Ave.; 118 E. First St.; 438 E. 12th St.; and 67 Avenue C. (You can find a PDF of their letter revealing their findings to the city here.)

Andrew Berman, executive director of the GVSHP, told DNAinfo: "We are losing out on the affordable housing we should be getting. In return are buildings that are larger than they are supposed to be."

A Department of Buildings spokesperson told DNAinfo that they "will review each of the projects listed to ensure compliance with inclusionary housing requirements."

Report: CB3 committee opposes de Blasio's proposed rezoning plans

CB3 is the latest Community Board to voice opposition to Mayor de Blasio's citywide housing proposals.

As DNAinfo reports, CB3's Land Use, Zoning, Public and Private Housing Committee drafted two resolutions against the city's Zoning for Quality and Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing amendments last night.

You can read Lisha Arino'a full report at DNAinfo here.

CB3 will formally take a position on the proposed text amendments on Tuesday night (6:30) at its full board meeting at P.S. 20 Anna Silver School, 166 Essex St.

The Post reported that, as of Monday, at least 22 of the city’s 59 community boards have voted against de Blasio's affordable-housing zoning plan.

Here's a summation of the plans via Capital New York:

The first of the two proposals would require that developers who build in an area rezoned by the city reserve 25 or 30 percent of their apartments in any given project for below-market rents. The second would allow an additional five feet be added to buildings in certain areas (as long as that extra height does not create a penthouse), would limit required parking for affordable housing in some places, and enable parking lots attached to affordable senior housing developments to be torn down to make way for more residential units (based on the notion that senior citizens are less likely to drive).

When asked for reaction about the Community Board opposition this week, de Blasio said, as reported by Capital New York:

"I am never surprised when a community board raises concerns and particularly local concerns. But we're going to keep moving full speed ahead to make these reforms, because we must create a vast amount of more affordable housing. We must preserve a huge amount affordable housing or else people will not be able to live in this city. It's as simple as that."

The plan requires advisory input from Community Boards and borough presidents as well as approval from the City Council.

CB3 to hear details on de Blasio's proposed Zoning for Quality and Affordability

Earlier this year, the de Blasio administration released a citywide plan called Zoning for Quality and Affordability … which entails several zoning changes.

To date, the proposal has reportedly concerned some neighborhood politicians, housing activists and preservation groups.

Here's more from the Greenwich Village Society of Historical Preservation:

GVSHP has expressed many concerns about the plan, particularly its impact upon the East Village where, on most avenues, it would increase the maximum allowable height of new development by 25 feet or up to 31 percent.

The premise of the plan is that it will create "higher quality" developments and allow for the creation of more affordable housing units, but we believe there is little or no evidence that either is the case, while the plan will clearly roll back hard-fought-for neighborhood zoning protections and result in a greater loss of light, air and scale in our neighborhoods.

You can read the city's PDF on how this would impact zoning in Community Board 3 right here.

Reps from the Department of City Planning will present the plan (PDF) this evening before CB3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee. The meeting will take place at the Educational Alliance Manny Cantor Center, 197 E. Broadway (at Jefferson Street, one block east of Essex Street). The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., though this is the fifth item on the agenda.

The plan requires advisory input from Community Boards and borough presidents as well as approval from the City Council, per Capital New York, who has more on the proposals here.