Preservation League responds to NYC Mayor de Blasio’s proposed SoHo/NoHo neighborhood upzoning
The following letter (click here for the PDF version) was sent to Mayor de Blasio, Marisa Lago (Chair, NYC Department of City Planning), Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and City Councilmembers Corey Johnson (NYC City Council Speaker), Margaret Chin (District 1), Carlina Rivera (District 2), Rafael Salamanca Jr. (Chair, NYC Council Land Use Committee), Francisco Moya (Chair, NYC Council Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee), and Adrienne Adams (Chair, Landmarks, Public Sitings, and Dispositions).
I write on behalf of the Preservation League of New York State, New York’s only statewide historic preservation nonprofit organization, regarding your proposed rezoning of the SoHo and NoHo historic neighborhoods. The Preservation League invests in people and projects that champion the essential role of preservation in community revitalization, sustainable economic growth and the protection of our historic buildings and landscapes. We lead advocacy, economic development and education programs across the state and partner with local preservation organizations throughout New York. The Preservation League stands with our New York City-based preservation colleagues in calling on the city’s administration to reconsider the proposed SoHo/NoHo upzoning.
As demonstrated in a recently-released report by Village Preservation, experience has shown that upzoning neighborhoods consistently does not meet the city’s projected number of new affordable housing units. Village Preservation’s analysis projects that the proposed upzoning in SoHo and NoHo would disproportionately displace the neighborhoods’ Chinese and Chinese-American residents while creating a more socio-economically homogeneous neighborhood. While the millionaires who own their buildings are not at risk of displacement, owners of affordable four to six-story apartment buildings will have a tremendous incentive to sell their property for high-rise development.
We do support the neighborhood’s Community Alternative Rezoning Plan for SoHo and NoHo, which would establish more robust financial incentives for creating affordable housing, using open lots or underdeveloped sites. This plan preserves the current affordable housing within SoHo and NoHo, while supporting the creation of additional affordable housing units. It would also slow the development of ultra-luxury residential units that would inevitably result from the current rezoning proposal, and which we have seen explode throughout New York City under increased upzoning.
Far from being obstructionists, preservation organizations in New York City wish to maintain income diversity and grow affordable housing throughout New York’s neighborhoods. Unlike the real estate development community, preservationists wish to see this happen in a thoughtful evolution that truly answers the need for increased affordable housing units, not merely catering to luxury high-rise developers.
Please reconsider this upzoning proposal and instead look to the Community Alternative as a way to increase affordability in SoHo and NoHo. New York’s diverse neighborhoods and local businesses make it great and have led to its success. This proposal would forever change one of New York’s most iconic and historic neighborhoods.
Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Jay DiLorenzo
President