Proposed East Harlem rezoning could add 30-story buildings to the neighborhood

The rezoning would also bring transit and retail improvements to the neighborhood

For once, a Bill de Blasio-proposed rezoning effort did not elicit boos from community members. The latest proposal, which has been anticipated for a while now, concerns East Harlem, and was presented at a community board meeting Tuesday night, Politico reports.

The area under consideration stretches from Second Avenue to Park Avenue between 104th and 125th Streets, and from 126th Street onward it stretches west to Fifth Avenue and north up to 132nd Street.

The proposal would allow buildings up to 30-stories tall in some areas, that will come with a mix of apartments and retail. There are also plans for transit improvements as part of the rezoning effort. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito had previously mentioned that she’d like to see a good chunk of the new development be targeted towards low and middle-income families, though it’s not yet clear how much of the overall rezoning will encompass affordable units.

Representatives for the administration did say that part of the rezoning would include below market-rate apartments, and that they would also bring more public space to the neighborhood and jobs.

Within the proposed area, some sections have been demarcated for specific types of development. For example, the 30-story buildings can rise along Park Avenue between East 115th and 124th Streets. Projects north of 125th street on the same avenue will have to provide retail for jobs in lieu of parking requirements. Another section of the rezoning area along Second Avenue asks for space to be set aside for the future expansion of the Second Avenue subway.

The proposal is in the early stages right now however. It will have to make its way through the winding city approvals process after the administration officially introduces it.

In 2012, East Harlem residents had put forth five different rezoning visions for the neighborhood. At the meeting on Tuesday, most seemed enthused about this proposal, according to Politico, a change from the backlash received by the East New York rezoning proposal.

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http://ny.curbed.com/2016/10/19/13332808/proposed-east-harlem-rezoning-could-add-30-story-buildings-to-the