Upzoning SoHo and NoHo

The city has released a proposal to rezone SoHo and NoHo, claiming it will make these neighborhoods more diverse and affordable, as well as allow new development that is in scale and character for the neighborhood. In fact it will do just the opposite, allowing wildly out-of-scale new structures, encouraging the demolition of older ones, and encouraging the proliferation of big-box chain stores. Research by Village Preservation has also shown the plan would make these neighborhoods wealthier, less diverse, and more expensive, and would generate far fewer units of affordable housing than had been promised. It would also have a disproportionate impact on Asian-American and lower-income residents who will be forced out as their homes are replaced by new, bigger, more expensive buildings.

In March 2021, Village Preservation issued its report, Upzoning SoHo and NoHo: Why the City’s Rezoning Plan Will Decrease Socio-Economic Diversity and Reduce Net Affordable Housing; two months later, we released another study for this campaign, The Many Ways de Blasio’s SoHo/NoHo Plan Encourages Developers to Build Without ANY Affordable Housing. We will continue to fight for equitable, diverse, affordable neighborhoods that respect and preserve history and neighborhood character. You can help:

The SoHo/NoHo Rezoning: Tenants in the Crosshairs

Read our series of profiles about the low- and moderate-income rent-regulated tenants in the rezoning area that the de Blasio rezoning puts at risk of displacement. If you have a similar story that you would like to present, please contact us at info@gvshp.org.