GVSHP and other neighborhood groups have long been pushing to change the zoning for Hudson Square, the area west of Sixth Avenue from roughly Houston to Spring Streets, where Donald Trump plans to build his 45-story ‘condo-hotel.’ The City’s recent decision to allow condo-hotel development in manufacturing zones like these makes the need for a rezoning all the more urgent, and GVSHP had been told that the City was willing to consider a rezoning of the area to prohibit further out-of-scale development. GVSHP and scores of our members have written to the City urging that a rezoning take place as soon as possible, and other community groups have also been pushing for the same.

That is why a recent letter from City Planning Chair Amanda Burden stating that she believes that the current zoning for the area allowing 45-story towers “reflects the consensus of the community board, local civic groups, and elected officials,” and indicating that the City has no interest in changing the zoning, was so disturbing and perplexing. GVSHP immediately responded by telling Planning Chair Burden that zoning which allows this type of development does not reflect the consensus of the community, and certainly not of GVSHP, and that we want the zoning changed as soon as possible. We have also urged our elected officials to do the same.

The Department of City Planning needs to hear loud and clear that more ‘Trump’-style development in this area is totally unacceptable, and the zoning must be changed right away.

HOW TO HELP:
* WRITE TO CITY PLANNING CHAIR AMANDA BURDEN AND URGE HER TO CHANGE THE ZONING WHICH ALLOWS 45-STORY TOWERS IN HUDSON SQUARE RIGHT AWAY — click here for a sample letter you can use

“A 26-story dorm is being built at 120 East 12th Street for NYU. The developer of the dorm purchased air rights from the neighboring Post Office with the intention of increasing the size of the planned development by about 65%. While air rights transfers from neighboring properties are legal under New York City zoning regulations, this case is special. The air rights come from the Post Office, a federal agency which is NOT subject to NYC zoning regulations or NYC law. Therefore GVSHP and neighbors argue the air rights transfer should NOT be authorized by the City, because the City has no power to enforce its terms. The Post Office could “sell” their air rights and then build on their site again in the future using the air rights they have supposedly sold off, and the City would have no power to stop them. The Post Office, NYU, and the developer would profit, but neighbors would have no recourse against this kind of “super”-over-development in their neighborhood.

HEARING ON NYU-MEGA DORM AIR RIGHTS APRIL 17: The legal challenge by neighbors to the air rights transfer for the planned 262 ft. tall NYU mega-dorm at 120 East 12th Street will be heard at the Board of Standards and Appeals on Tuesday, April 17th, at approximately 10:30 am. ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT OVERDEVELOPMENT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND ENFORCEMENT OF ZONING PROTECTIONS IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THIS HEARING AND WRITE TO THE BSA ABOUT THIS CRITICAL, PRECEDENT-SETTING CASE.See www.gvshp.org/NYUdorm.htm for more background and information.”

Via GVSHP

Here’s a blurb about their 2005 accomplishments:

We brought the long-held dream of preserving the Greenwich Village waterfront one giant step closer to reality, securing the first-ever downzoning of the Far West Village, and securing a commitment by the City to extend landmark district protections to the area for the first time ever! We got landmark status for two more federal-era (1790-1835) houses, helped beat back a plan for a giant ‘trojan’ dorm in the East Village, and exposed plans by the Post Office to sell off their air rights for high-rise development throughout Manhattan without going through appropriate historic preservation review. And our educational programs for children and adults continued to expand their breadth and range, reaching more people and covering more topics than ever before.

Thank you Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation for everything you’ve done to help us preserve our neighborhood!

Please call 212.475.9585 x 34 for reservations and meeting place.

The Ghosts of Greenwich Village: An Enlighteningly Creepy Walking Tour with Marilyn Stults

Sunday, October 30 @ 2:00 pm – Tour is approximately 2 1/2 hours

GVSHP members $10; All others $15

Space is limited. Reservations Required.

Celebrate Halloween with some of the finest ghosts you’ll ever meet.
Visit the haunts of such departed New Yorkers as Aaron Burr, Mark Twain, Edgar
Allan Poe, Clement Clarke Moore and Dylan Thomas, along with haunted taverns, restaurants, houses, and even a haunted church. Stroll down narrow and mysterious Charles Lane, learn the Village’s connection to the Titanic disaster, and walk the block where you just might meet the ghost of Alexander Hamilton. The tour ends at a historic Greenwich Village tavern.

Marilyn Stults of Street Smarts N.Y. Walking Tours is a preservationist and member of GVSHP. She is delighted to be conducting this tour for the benefit of the Society.

LOCATION SET FOR FAR WEST VILLAGE DOWNZONING MEETING ON JUNE 9, BUT GVSHP FEARS CITY MAY BE HEDGING ON COMMITMENT TO PROTECT NEIGHBORHOOD

The first public briefing on the City’s plan to downzone the Far West Village has been set for Thursday, June 9, at 6:30 pm, at the NYU Silver Bldg., 32 Waverly Place (east of Washington Square), Rm. 703. GVSHP STRONGLY URGES YOU TO ATTEND THIS HEARING.

GVSHP IS VERY CONCERNED THAT THE CITY MAY BE HEDGING ON ITS COMMITMENT TO TRULY PROTECT THE FAR WEST VILLAGE THROUGH DOWNZONING AND LANDMARKING MEASURES. In spite of public promises by Mayor Bloomberg, City Planning Chair Amanda Burden, and Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Robert Tierney, recent information indicates that the City’s downzoning and landmarking plans may have large gaps and carve-outs for developers (see Villarger Article 1 and Villager Article 2).

Let the City know that we expect COMPREHENSIVE DOWNZONING AND LANDMARKING PROTECTIONS for the Far West Village, TRULY PROTECTING THE HISTORY, SCALE, AND CHARACTER OF THIS ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD RIGHT AWAY — AND THAT WE’LL SETTLE FOR NOTHING LESS!

For more info (and a cute printable flyer), click here.