Since its early association as a gateway to the city, the areas that we know of today as the East Village and Lower East Side have retained a vitality all their own. These neighborhoods evoke for residents and visitors alike a sense of their richly layered history: of community, diversity, creativity, endurance and independence.
In recent years, more than 1,000 housing units have been constructed or permitted in these two neighborhoods. While many developments have been modestly scaled and represent positive re-investment, market pressures for housing within these increasingly desirable neighborhoods have resulted in out-of-scale tower developments, threatening to erode the established built character.
Following three years of engaged dialogue with the Community Board, residents, local elected officials and civic organizations, and the completion of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, on May 5th, 2008, the Department of City Planning began the formal public review process for its proposal to rezone over 110 blocks in the East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods in Manhattan Community District 3. The proposal seeks to:
- Preserve the established neighborhood scale and character by establishing contextual zoning districts with height limits, and
- Provide modest opportunities for residential growth and incentives for affordable housing along the area’s widest streets well served by bus or subway lines.
The proposal fosters Mayor Bloomberg’s sustainable planning goals by promoting the preservation of neighborhoods with special character while also providing opportunities for modest growth and affordable housing along wide corridors well served by mass transit.
North side of East 2nd Street, between Avenue A and Avenue B
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Orchard Street, to the south, at Stanton Street
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Southeast corner of East 13th Street and First Avenue |
Overview
| Existing Context and Zoning | Proposed Zoning | Environmental Review | Public Review
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