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Testimony of State Senator Liz
Krueger
Before the City Planning
Commission
Regarding the Ladies’ Mile
Rezoning
May 25, 2004 Good morning, I am State Senator
Liz Krueger and I represent the 26th Senatorial District, which
includes the northern portion of the Ladies Mile Historic District. I would
like to thank the City Planning Commission for the opportunity to testify at
today’s hearing. While I appreciate the Department
of City Planning’s stated intentions to encourage the development of housing
while solidifying the built character of the Ladies Mile Historic District, I
do not feel that this particular action is appropriate for this
neighborhood. Considering that this
action could exacerbate some of the most significant quality-of-life problems
faced by local residents, I join the Borough President and other elected
officials in recommending that the rezoning be reconsidered until certain
conditions are addressed. Firstly, a rezoning to C6-4A
would allow bars and large nightclubs that accommodate over 200 patrons to be
built as-of-right. This is a
potentially devastating component of the action that must be addressed if the
City Planning Commission is serious about fostering a mixed-use neighborhood
that is a viable place to live. The
alarming proliferation of bars and nightclubs in this direct area has
resulted in legitimate quality-of-life problems for its residents, to the
point where Community Board Five issued a moratorium on new liquor
licenses. The current special permit
requirement that is associated with the area’s status as a manufacturing
district has functioned as a safeguard against the further spread of large
clubs, and it is essential for any rezoning action to provide comparable, if
not more stringent regulation of nightlife activity. Perhaps an appropriate solution would be
to prohibit ground-floor bars and clubs in any new buildings constructed on
the affected lots, much like Zoning Resolution 74-712 accomplished for a Soho
neighborhood facing similar challenges last year. Since the subject of today’s hearing is a rezoning within a
Historic District, it can contain provisions that limit these types of uses
without applying the change to every C6-4A district in the City. The related issues of traffic and
parking must also be addressed. The
zoning application calls for the construction of public parking garages that
will not replace the parking spaces lost when the current lots are developed,
despite the fact that nearly 1,000 new residential units are expected and the
neighborhood already suffers from traffic congestion and a scarcity of
parking. This is not acceptable, as
every effort must be made to address the additional strain on the area’s
parking supply and to mitigate the impact of additional traffic, which could
have adverse impacts on the neighborhood’s noise levels and air quality. I was also disappointed that the
rezoning action does not do more to promote affordable housing. As you know, New York City is in the midst
of an affordable housing crisis. As
this administration is proposing an unprecedented set of rezoning and
redevelopment plans in all five boroughs, it is essential that zoning be
ambitiously used as a mechanism for creating housing units that are
permanently affordable for low to moderate-income New Yorkers. Because it is a voluntary program that is
relatively limited in its potential, the inclusionary zoning proposed in this
action is simply not enough. Finally, I am concerned about the
future of the manufacturing businesses that will be inevitably displaced if
the area is rezoned. According to a
New York Industrial Retention Network survey, the area contains about 40
manufacturing companies that provide over 1,000 jobs. While I agree with DCP’s determination
that the M1-6 designation is obsolete, it is important to provide relocation
assistance to the firms that will struggle to survive once the area is
rezoned. In the context of several
initiatives to rezone manufacturing land in Manhattan, this type of
assistance is more critical than ever. Once again, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today. I look
forward to working with the City Planning Commission, local elected
officials, and community members to ensure that Ladies Mile thrives as a
mixed-use neighborhood that is sensitive to the needs of its residents. |
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