The city’s plans announced last Wednesday to demolish the historic landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, and to either eliminate affordable housing at the planned 388 Hudson Street development to accommodate a new recreation center or make the planned oversized development even larger, has drawn a huge backlash from across the neighborhood and city. Nearly 5,000 letters have been sent to city officials and the local community board pushing back on these plans, and calling for preserving rather than demolishing the center. 

Village Preservation has since written to the Mayor, city agencies in charge of these projects, elected officials who will play a major role in determining the outcome of this plan, and the local community board outlining our deep concerns, our adamant opposition to any plan to demolish the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, and our call for ensuring the 388 Hudson Street project is appropriately scaled and designed with the guaranteed permanent affordable housing the city continues to refuse to ensure — read it here.

We are calling for:

• Repairing and expanding (if needed) the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. 
• Ensuring that the center and its land are ONLY used for public service purposes.
• Considering new supplemental public recreation facilities in the new 388 Hudson Street development — only in parts of the building that CANNOT be used for affordable housing, such as below-ground space, and the modest (if any) amounts of interior space at the wider base of the building that is too far from windows to serve as housing (at the meeting, the city discussed giving over the lower three above-ground floors to a new rec center, thereby either eliminating considerable housing or increasing the size of the development by more than three floors in the narrower upper section). 
• Attaching a restrictive declaration or deed to the entire 388 Hudson Street development to ensure all housing there is required to remain affordable in perpetuity, which Village Preservation has long called for, and the city continues to refuse to do. 
• Bringing down the height of the proposed 388 Hudson Street development (currently envisioned as up to 355 ft. tall — the tallest ever built in Greenwich Village), especially now that the city has agreed to our call to reduce unneeded setbacks on three sides of the building that were making the design unnecessarily tall. 
• Integrating staggered setbacks into the design on the north side facing JJ Walker Park and the Greenwich Village Historic District, to minimize shadows and visual impact. 

We also have had conversations with Councilmember Erik Bottcher regarding our concerns about this plan, and he has offered this statement regarding his position (Councilmember Bottcher was not personally at last week’s meeting, but rather was represented by staff): “I support recreational facilities at 388 Hudson, but it remains to be seen what percentage of Dapolito’s services should be replicated there. Despite what the Parks Department and HPD [the city agencies in charge of these projects] may suggest, no decisions have been made regarding the future of the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center or what facilities may be built at 388 Hudson Street. I look forward to working with Community Board 2 and other stakeholders to determine a path forward.”

It’s critical that we continue to push back on the city’s plans, and demand preservation of the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center and a right-sizing of the 388 Hudson Street development contingent upon guaranteed 100% permanent affordable housing.

TO HELP:

Note: If after clicking the above button you receive a message that incorrectly says you’ve already signed the letter, please click on the “Wrong Information” link and enter your details.

If you have already written, please ask friends, family, and neighbors to do so.

Thank you!