Group to Try One More Time to Derail East Village Downzoning
At 6 tonight, the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side plans to rally against what now appears to be the inevitable rezoning of the East Village just to the north.
The group has labeled the rezoning a "racist" plan to limit building heights and essentially abolish the community benefits incentive in 110 blocks of the East Village and Lower East Side. Last week, the Department of City Planning certified the proposal, giving Community Board 3 60 days to review it before it goes to the borough president and the City Council. The Coalition wants to send the rezoning plan back to the drawing board to include the area south of Delancey Street and East of Avenue D.
The Coalition fears that, as it stands now, the rezoning will displace low-income residents of Chinatown and the Lower East Side, and "actively lure developers to Chrystie, Delancey, Ave. D with height bonuses and tax breaks," said a press release. "In effect, this plan will create a wall of luxury high-rises around Chinatown and the Lower East Side, dividing both communities in half and pitting one community against another."
Almost a dozen community groups that claim they have been excluded from the public process surrounding the rezoning are part of the coalition. Organizers expect thousands to turn out at P.S. 20 on Essex Street tonight.
Since the Department of City Planning has the endorsement of CB3, however, the odds are not in Coalition's favor.
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The racism is stopping the re-zoning at third avenue, so that the only streets anywhere in the East or West Village not subject to contextual zoning are 8th - 14th streets between THird and Fourth Avenues. Also known as NYU-ism
"East of Avenue D"? From the Con Ed plant at 14th st south to Houston, it's all NYC Housing Authority hi-rise projects. Even across Houston, where it's Columbia St... all NYCHA towers.
Soon the EV/LES will like midtown. Lame.
The protestors woud not listen to the presentation, even when it was translated for them into Chinese. Therefore, they fail to undestand that the main benefit will be the height caps placed on buildings where there are none now. Very tall buildings like Blue will not happen again if this plan is passed. Even the highest buildings at 12 stories will have to include 20% affordable housing.
I live outside the 110 square blocks covered by this remarkable plan. Rather than trying to defeat a plan that is the result of yeas of work, I shall work t extend the same type of zoning to the remainder of the Lower East Side and Chinatown.
By the way, the most endangered area not included in theplan is the Bowery.
A balanced summary here
http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_262/editorial.html