Manhattan Councilmember Erik Bottcher on the New York Metropolis Council Land Use Committees Vote on East Midtown Rezoning.
Picture: John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
The Metropolis Council Committee on Land Use authorized an enormous rezoning plan to construct over 9,500 houses in Midtown South on Wednesday, clearing the way in which for a full Council vote amid growing public assist.
The Midtown South Combined-Use (MSMX) plan would redesignate 42 blocks between West twenty third and fortieth Streets and Fifth and Eighth Avenues for housing improvement, permitting the town to repurpose workplace areas. The ultimate plan additionally included approval for a car-free busway on thirty fourth Avenue, a proposal that had lately stalled, and a $122 million fund to assist Garment District companies.
Manhattan Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents a part of Midtown South, mentioned the plan will assist deal with the town’s housing disaster whereas defending the neighborhood.
“We’re tackling New York’s housing crisis head-on by unlocking over 9,500 new homes in one of the most transit-rich, high-opportunity areas of the city — helping to bring down rents not just in Midtown, but citywide,” Bottcher mentioned in a press release. “At the same time, we’re protecting good-paying jobs, preserving the heart of our fashion industry, and reimagining Midtown South as a place where more families can live, thrive, and build lasting community.”
The plan would come with over 2,800 rent-regulated reasonably priced items via Obligatory Inclusionary Housing, a metropolis program requiring builders to incorporate reasonably priced housing in rezoned areas.
Logan Phares, the political director of housing group Open New York, mentioned the MSMX plan is vital to responding to New York Metropolis’s housing disaster.
“This plan is a major step toward a more affordable Manhattan — helping to lower rents, keeping New Yorkers close to jobs and transit, and bringing more customers to local businesses,” Phares mentioned in a press release.
The Metropolis Council plan included barely fewer houses than the unique proposal to guard some Garment District manufacturing amenities, small companies and employees, alongside the $122 million fund. The deal additionally will present $340 million to road upgrades, parks, subway stations and native healthcare companies.
A spokesperson for the Defend the Garment District coalition — a gaggle that had opposed the MSMX plan as lately as final week, alleging it might destroy small companies — praised the ultimate proposal, thanking Bottcher and Councilmember Keith Powers, who additionally represents a part of Midtown South, for his or her assist.
“We are ecstatic that critical manufacturing space in the Garment District has been protected and that New York City’s government has made renewed commitments to the future development of the garment industry,” the spokesperson wrote to New York News. “These spaces are and will continue to serve as essential resources for the fashion and entertainment industries, as well as for the garment workers that are the lifeblood of the district.”
The deal additionally included shock approval for a thirty fourth Avenue busway, modeled after the 14th Avenue program that restricted vehicles to scale back site visitors and enhance public transit. The plan — which has the assist of Bottcher, Powers and a coalition of elected officers — had stalled in current weeks.
“With a dedicated, car-free 34th Street busway, and fully pedestrianized Broadway, this plan prioritizes safe, sustainable, and accessible ways to get around — making Midtown a model for people-first design,” mentioned Ben Furnas, govt director of Transportation Options, a pedestrian and public transit advocacy group.
Powers mentioned the neighborhood investments have been a part of the plan’s dedication to enhancing the neighborhood.
“We are transforming Midtown South into a vibrant live-work neighborhood, alongside historic community investments in schools, transit, parks, and more,” Powers mentioned in a press release. “I look forward to the full Council approving this rezoning and bringing housing to Midtown.”
The rezoning plan was the primary time the town used the Adams administration’s new “City of Yes” land-use initiative, which Metropolis Council authorized final December to permit high-density districts with bigger residential buildings in a bid to reply to the town’s housing disaster.
Mayor Eric Adams has been touting his housing report in his bid for reelection amid rising political concern over the town’s affordability disaster.
“With today’s vote, we’re taking another step forward in helping to create a more dynamic Midtown South where New Yorkers of all income levels can live, work, and play,” Adams mentioned in a press release. “Not only will this plan deliver thousands of new homes for this central neighborhood, but it also represents a down payment on our vision of 100,000 new homes across all of Manhattan over the next decade.”
The plan appears to be like more likely to move Metropolis Council in a full vote; it has the assist of Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who mentioned the plan is a essential a part of the Council’s mission to handle New York’s reasonably priced housing disaster.
“To confront the citywide housing and affordability crisis, our city must build more homes and invest in housing solutions that allow generations of New Yorkers to remain in this city,” Speaker Adams mentioned in a press release. “The Council is proud to advance the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan that will deliver more new homes than any residential rezoning in 20 years, while investing to preserve and support our city’s Garment District industries and invest in the needs of the surrounding communities.”
