Yesterday the City Planning Commission approved the proposed SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning Plan, doubling down on their lies about what the plan will accomplish — new affordable housing, retail vitality, appropriately scaled new construction — and their denial about what it will do: destroy rent-regulated affordable housing; displace lower-income, senior, artist, and Asian American residents; replace independent and arts-related businesses with giant chain stores; and replace historic buildings with oversized office, hotel, and luxury condo developments.

The plan now goes to the City Council, the final leg of its public review and approval process, which has the power to approve, reject, or change the plan. Our three local Councilmembers, Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera (who represent the area) and Corey Johnson (the Speaker whose district borders the rezoning) will have an outsized role in deciding what happens.

The City Planning Commission made window-dressing changes to the plan that amount to less than nothing in addressing how it strongly incentivizes oversized development with little or no affordable housing — see our site-by-site analysis that shows how meaningless the changes are — and how strongly the plan encourages building without affordable housing. Read coverage in The Village Sun, Patch, amNY, The Commercial Observer, Real Estate Weekly, The Real Deal, Gothamist, and CrainsNY. 

There will likely be only one hearing in the City Council, which may be scheduled with very little notice. The Council must vote on the plan before the end of the year.

TO HELP:

For more information on the true impacts of the proposed rezoning and opposition to it, click here.