COMMUNITY BOARD

C.B. 2: More housing in Hudson Sq. south, not north

By Albert Amateau

Community Board 2 has voted to divide its recommendation on a proposal to allow residential development in the north and south ends of the Hudson Sq. manufacturing district.

The board voted overwhelmingly on March 25 to recommend allowing residential development in the south end of Hudson Sq., bounded by Spring, Washington, Canal and Hudson Sts.

But the board also voted 25 to 15 not to recommend rezoning Hudson Square’s north end, bounded by Morton and Barrow Sts. on the north, Hudson St. on the east, Clarkson and Leroy Sts. on the south and Greenwich, Washington, and West Sts. on the west. The rezoning, proposed by the City Planning Dept., would create a special mixed-use district in the north that would allow the development of both manufacturing and residential buildings.

At the same time, the community board called on City Planning to revise the Environmental Impact Statement it had developed in connection with the two Hudson Sq. rezoning measures.

Both the E.I.S. and the rezoning proposal will be the subject of a City Planning public hearing on May 7.

The majority of C.B.2 members opposed the proposed north end rezoning because they thought that most residential development would likely come from the conversion of manufacturing space and would displace jobs. The board resolution asked the City Planning Department to assess the impact of the zoning on 5,000 jobs that might be affected.

The board resolution contends that despite allowing both residential and manufacturing use, the proposal would actually result in a headlong rush for residential conversions. West Village Houses residents said they feared they and other moderate-income residents in the neighborhood would be priced out of their homes if residential development raises property values in the area.

In addition to the West Village Houses, residents of the co-op at 111 Barrow St. also opposed the north end rezoning. The Association of Graphic Communications, a printers’ organization, and the New York Industrial Retention Network, a group that seeks to strengthen the city’s manufacturing sector, also opposed rezoning the north end.

Nevertheless, Lisa La Frieda, a partner in Pat La Frieda Meats on Washington and Leroy Sts., and one of the 15 board members who favored the north end rezoning, said she ought to have an equal opportunity to convert business property to residential use.

At the south end of Hudson Sq., residents have long been asking that residential development be allowed in a manufacturing district where lofts have become residential over the years and where variances have recently been granted to allow residential towers. If the changes became law, developers would no longer need to apply for a variance for residential conversions.

The proposed zoning in the south would allow for new residential buildings and would continue to permit existing commercial and light industrial uses. But no new light manufacturing could move into the area.

The new zoning also calls for a 40 percent decrease in the bulk of new development compared to the current zoning. Nevertheless, the zoning would allow buildings as high as 120 ft., higher than any others in the area. The Holland Tunnel vent tower is that high but it is just west of the Washington St. boundary.

The board resolution also suggested that the blocks of Charlton, Dominck, Watts and Broome Sts. be added to the area in the south to be rezoned.

The community board’s resolution calling for changes in the E.I.S., said the study was flawed. The board took issue with the E.I.S. assessment that the sewage back-up problem in the south end of Hudson Sq. does not require action because storms big enough to cause sewer back up come once in 25 years.

“This definition of no effect does not consider the cumulative effect of development in the area which would increase sewage volume and could exacerbate the problem of back-ups,” the board resolution says.

The board resolution also contends that many sites in the south end of Hudson Sq. have a history of hazardous materials use or are adjacent to such sites. The board asks City Planning to develop a health and safety plan in case those sites are ever excavated for development.

Albert@DowntownExpress.com