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Land Use, Housing & Zoning
Penn Station General Project Plan
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, January 11, 2024, the following resolution passed with a vote of 32 in favor; 3 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Gov. Cuomo introduced a General Project Plan (GPP), in June 2020, to redevelop a nine-blocks area around Penn Station to develop 18 million sq/ft of office space with the goal to fund Penn Station improvements from office space development; and
WHEREAS, Soon after she took office, Gov Hochul embraced her predecessor’s plan; and
WHEREAS, The GPP encompasses 10 development sites in a one-block radius around Penn Station, including the site of former Hotel Pennsylvania, recently demolished and currently an empty lot; and
WHEREAS, The GPP is an override of the NYC Zoning Resolution, and
WHEREAS, Under the GPP, residential use is prohibited at 4 of the 10 sites; and
WHEREAS, No dwelling units are allowed on Sites 3, 5, 6 and 7 (former Hotel Pennsylvania); and
WHEREAS, under city zoning regulation, residential use is permitted as-of-right on these sites; and
WHEREAS, M-CB5 has identified affordable housing as its top priority for the past 10 years, and
WHEREAS, M-CB5 has opposed the GPP for numerous reasons since its introduction; and
WHEREAS, The policy and zoning promoted by the GPP actively prevent the creation of dwelling units, highlighting the insufficiency of the GPP; and
WHEREAS, M-CB5 notes the harsh reality that the GPP actively supports the taking by eminent domain of existing dwelling units, many of them affordable housing units occupied by senior residents; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Manhattan Community Board Five demands that Governor Hochul retires the GPP.