Hearing on St. Mark’s Place Office Tower Air Rights Transfer Wed. 12/11 at 6:30pm

Please join us in OPPOSING an application to make a planned tech office tower at 3 St. Mark’s Place (at 3rd Avenue) 20% larger than zoning allows by transferring air rights from a nearby landmarked house at 4 St. Mark’s Place. The hearing will be at Community Board #3’s Land Use Committee on Wednesday, December 11th starting at 6:30pm at the Meltzer Senior Center, 94 East 1st Street between Avenue A and 1st Avenue.  This is the second stage of this application; the first stage, seeking approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, was opposed by Village Preservation, multiple community groups, Community Board 3, Borough President Gale Brewer, State Senator Brad Hoylman, and Assemblymember Deborah Glick. Because it was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, it now must be approved by the City Planning Commission and the City Council. We expect the City Planning Commission to approve it, which means approval will come down to the local City Councilmember, whom the City Council will defer to on local land use issues like these: Councilmember Carlina Rivera. We oppose the plan because we do not want to see an even larger tech-related office tower rising at this location. This project has already resulted in the demolition of a nearly 200 year old house containing residential units. The replacement of low-rise, historic, and often residential buildings in this area south of Union Square by high-rise office towers is part of the city’s plan for this area in the wake of the approval last year of the Mayor’s 14th Street “Tech Hub,” with the support of Councilmember Carlina Rivera.