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Land Use, Housing & Zoning
Scoping for Proposed Zoning Text Amendment in M1 districts for hotels special permit
The Department of City Planning (DCP) proposes a citywide zoning text amendment to introduce a special permit under the jurisdiction of the City Planning Commission (CPC) for new hotels in light manufacturing (M1) districts (the Proposed Action). Hotel use is currently permitted as-of-right. Under the Proposed Action, such uses in M1 districts would require a special permit. CB5 has a large number of blocks that are zoned M1 and therefore will be significantly impacted by the proposed zoning text amendment.
The stated purpose and goal of the proposal is to support the Mayor's Housing New York plan, released in 2014, that emphasizes the demand for additional housing to meet the needs of a growing population. According to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS) #18DCP042Y, Manufacturing (M) districts present an area of opportunity to accommodate increasing growth.
The DCP is now beginning an Environmental Impact Statement on the zoning text amendment proposal to be used citywide and is seeking input from the community.
Community Board Five notes that M1 districts prohibit residential development and questions the goals and purpose of the zoning text amendment. Community Board Five wishes to fully understand the mechanisms under which the DCP and the current administration expect to fulfill these stated goals and purposes. Community Board Five is concerned that any residential development will place an undue burden to our district, including our school system as well as our transit system.
Community Board Five requests that the following items and issues be added to the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement:
- Study the unintended consequences of the proposed citywide zoning text amendment to BSA variance issuance from zoned use in M1 districts: Currently the hotel as-of-right use has been an important factor when we recommend denial of BSA variances to allow residential development; if a hotel use is no longer as-of-right, hardship cases may be easier to get approved, dangerously depriving the community of an opportunity to mitigate impact of residential development.
- Study the impact of zoning text amendment on C zoning districts within CB5
- Study impact on schools given that the school district (Manhattan School District 2) serving CB5 is already catastrophically overcrowded
- Study impact to an already overburdened transit system
- Specifically study the impact to the Garment District that is in large part in an M1 zone
- Study the impact to urban design and more specifically to the neighborhood character, as well as street activation (setback rules, retail)
- Study the impact to the Flower District
- Study and anticipate the type of development (manufacturing, commercial, class B, C office space…) that M1 district will most likely see with the proposed zoning text amendment
- Study the impact to jobs, in terms of quantity but also quality, when hotels do get approved for development
We understand that the proposed text amendment is a citywide initiative but we nonetheless strongly urge DCP to study the impacts specific to our district. We look forward to working with DCP on this important proposal and we look forward to being briefed on the findings of the upcoming DEIS.