Report: City drops plan for hotel special permit requirement south of Union Square

The de Blasio Administration has reportedly withdrawn its proposal to require special permits for new hotels in the area south of Union Square.

As The Real Deal reported on Nov. 20, "the city quietly withdrew an application to establish a 25-block area where any new hotel construction requires a special permit. The decision came at the urging of the City Council."

The City Planning Commission had approved the application prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ouncilmember Francisco Moya, who chairs the body’s zoning subcommittee, said in a letter to Marisa Lago, the director of the Department of City Planning. “As we all know, the policy landscape has changed profoundly in the last seven months, and we believe it’s important to evaluate our efforts in a citywide context with respect to the regulation of hotels.”

The Hotel Special Permit plan was seen by elected officials as a way to provide protections for the surrounding neighborhood as a component of passing the upzoning for the tech hub (now Zero Irving pictured above on Saturday) on 14th Street at Irving Place back in 2018.

Critics of the plan had argued that the requirement of a special permit for hotels from Third Avenue to University Place would have little to no effect on the potential development that the tech hub might expedite.

Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, which led the opposition to the plan, released this statement last week:

"Though presented as such, this plan would never have provided any meaningful protections to the area of Greenwich Village and the East Village south of Union Square, where historic and residential buildings are being destroyed to make way for soulless high-rises. Now that this deeply unpopular plan has been shelved, we urge Mayor de Blasio and Councilmember Carlina Rivera to truly address the need to protect this neighborhood, its history, and its character."

According to The Real Deal,  despite the withdrawal of this particular plan, the city remains committed to studying whether such a mandate would work citywide.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The conversation continues on the now-approved tech hub for 14th Street

Speaking out against a 'Silicon Alley' in this neighborhood

A coalition of community groups and preservationists hosted a rally last evening titled "Don't Turn Our Neighborhood Into Silicon Alley" on on Third Avenue outside 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star ... and across the street from where a 7-story office building is in the works for the northeast corner of the Avenue at St. Mark's Place...



An estimated 50-75 residents turned out... as well as several elected local officials, such as State Sen. Brad Hoylman.
EVG contributor Peter Brownscombe shared these photos... Curbed has a recap of the rally here, which the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) organized ...

It’s the latest new development that’s destroying the fabric of these neighborhoods, local residents argued at the rally on Wednesday. While Greenwich and East Villagers, along with their outgoing City Council member, Rosie Mendez, have been demanding protections for this area for years, this latest push for rezoning was prompted by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement of a new tech hub at the old P.C. Richard & Son on East 14th Street.

And...

GVSHP is encouraging the mayor to create height restrictions in the area, that would limit building heights to between 80 to 145 feet, and would have incentives for creating affordable housing. [GVSHP Executive Director Andrew] Berman said he wasn’t opposed to the tech hub per se, but was unable to get behind it without all the other neighborhood protections in place. The tech hub can only be approved through a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), and will ultimately come before the City Council for final approval. The incoming City Council member from the area, Carlina Rivera, also backs the zoning protections, so it remains to be seen how the Mayor’s project will fare.

Bedford + Bowery has coverage here.

State Assembly member Deborah Glick said preserving the residential, mixed-use character of the neighborhood was important to maintaining the vibrancy of the East Village and that she was disappointed in the proposed developments. “Seeing New York homogenized during the Bloomberg administration – we thought it would come to an end but it’s only getting worse,” she said. “I want to say to Bill de Blasio: Don’t turn yourself into Bloomberg 2.0. We deserve to keep our open skies, air and light – don’t suffocate us just for a quick buck from developer.”

Hear about the rezoning of 3rd and 4th Avenues to limit large-scale commercial development

On Wednesday night, CB3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee will hear an informational presentation by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) on rezoning Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Here's more info via GVSHP:

GVSHP will be presenting its proposal (PDF here) for rezoning the 3rd and 4th Avenue corridors to prevent oversized commercial development in this area, such as the 300 room, 13-story hotel under construction at 112-120 E. 11th St.

GVSHP is proposing and seeking zoning protections for the area between 5th and 3rd Avenues, Union Square and Astor Place, which is unique within the Village and East Village for its lack of adequate zoning and landmark protections. Community Board 3 ONLY covers the area east of 4th Avenue, so Wednesday's meeting is solely focused on 3rd and 4th Avenues (Community Board 2 covers west of 4th Avenue, and is already on record in support of our proposed zoning protections for Broadway and University Place).

If you oppose overdevelopment in this area, it is vital that you attend. We must get these zoning protections to prevent further oversized development in the area, especially hotels and office buildings. Such development is proliferating in the area in part due to the expanding tech industry, and the Mayor’s planned 14th Street “Tech Hub.”

Find more info here.

The meeting is at the Rutgers Community Center, 200 Madison St. between Rutgers and Pike. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.; this is item No. 4.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Look at the former Bowlmor Lanes now

Behold Civic Hall, the high-tech future of Union Square — and NYC

Developers pitching the city tomorrow for 4 more floors at former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

[Rendering on the plywood on 14th Street]

As we first reported last May, reps for the new development at 432-438 E. 14th St. are lobbying to receive a zoning variance for a 12-story building — four more floors than the area's zoning allows.

Last summer, Community Board 3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee issued a denial to the developers (Benenson Capital Partners in association with the Mack Real Estate Group).

They'll make their case tomorrow afternoon before the city's Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) to allow their planned development to be more than 50 percent taller than the zoning for the site allows. (Community Boards only have an advisory vote.)

Per previous reports, the site of the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office between Avenue A and First Avenue "is burdened by a combination of unique conditions that result in practical difficulties in complying with the applicable zoning regulations." (Groundwater has been an issue at other nearby development sites, such as 500 and 524 E. 14th St. Those developers did not seek a variance.)

Crews have been in the pit in recent months dewatering the foundation...





There is opposition to the expanded building from CB3 members, residents and community groups. Here's a statement via the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation:

Like local Community Board #3 and many residents, GVSHP opposes the proposal for the building as woefully out of context for this East Village site. We also believe that the arguments for the variance, claiming a “hardship” based upon “unique circumstances,” are bogus, and would open the floodgates to a slew of oversized developments on sites throughout our neighborhoods with similar conditions.

GVSHP reps will be attending the meeting, and have distributed flyers with information about the hearing (find more details here)...



The current approved plans show an 8-story building with 114 residences (23 affordable, 91 market rate) and ground-floor retail. The 12-story version would feature 155 units, with 31 marked as "affordable." The residential entrance to the building will be on East 13th Street... while access to the storefronts will be on East 14th Street.



According to public records, the developers paid the powerful lobbying group Kasirer $80,000 last year to work on their behalf with city officials...


[Click for detail]


[Click for detail]

Reps for the developers gave this statement to Town & Village:

“We have been a part of the Lower East Side community for decades,” the statement read. “Very early in this BSA process, we met extensively with the community, heard their issues and in some instances made changes based on their comments and recommendations. We look forward to the BSA hearing and the opportunity to be heard on the merits of our application and remaining a part of this community for many decades to come.”

The Peter Stuyvesant Post Office, which had operated since 1953, shut down in February 2014. (Berenson has been the longtime landlord at the address.) The USPS is currently leasing the former Duane Reade at 333 E. 14th St. for retail services.

Updated 1/25

DNAinfo has a report from the meeting here. The developer's reps will be returning to the BSA to answer more questions on March 22. The BSA did not vote on the variance.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

New residential building at former 14th Street PO will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room

A look at the new building coming to the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office property

Report: CB3 wants alternatives for a larger 438 E. 14th St.

City Council approves the East Village Rezoning this afternoon

From the inbox via the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation...

The East Village Rezoning (also known as the Third and Fourth Avenue Corridors Rezoning) covers eight blocks between Third and Fourth Avenues, 9th and 13th Streets. The new zoning will for the first time impose height caps of approximately 12 stories and eliminate the current zoning bonus for dorms and hotels in the predominantly residential area, thus prohibiting the construction in the area of more of the types of mega-dorms we have seen from NYU in recent years.

You can learn more about GVSHP’s efforts to preserve the East Village through landmark designation at our program “Landmarking the East Village” tonight from 5:30 to 7pm at the Tompkins Square Library, 331 East 10th Street (btw. Avenues A and B), which will begin with a brief account and summary of today’s critical rezoning victory. RSVP by calling (212) 475-9585 ext. 35.

East Village rezoning receives key approval

This arrived in the inbox from the The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP):

The City Planning Commission voted to approve rezonings in the Far West Village (Washington and Greenwich Streets) and the East Village (3rd and 4th Avenue corridors) ...

Each of these rezonings will go a long way towards protecting and reinforcing the residential character of these neighborhoods, and preventing inappropriate development.

Please note, however, that approval of these rezonings is NOT yet final, and does not yet take effect. They must still be approved by the City Council, which will consider and vote on them in the next few weeks. Once approved at the Council, their provisions will take effect.

The 3rd/4th Avenue rezoning will never again allow buildings like the 26-story NYU dorm on East 12th Street to be built...

Reminder tonight: Meeting for a plan to preserve the Bowery

Click on the image below to read the Bowery Alliance of Neighbor's plan to preserve the east side of the Bowery from Ninth Street to Canal. There's a meeting to discuss the plan tonight.



I originally posted this June 6. Sure, some people think this is all a little late... but as East Village History Project said in the comments: "If it brings attention to the Bowery's historic significance, it won't be in vain."