Greenwich Village Block Associations NewsAn Occasional Publication from the Greenwich Village Block Associations & An Open Community Forum |
|
|
Members: |
Conceptual Plan for Far West Village by David Gruber (Carmine Street Block Assn.)The City Planning commission has presented its long awaited plan for the Far West Village, which roughly includes the area from 14th Street to Canal Street, west of Hudson Street to the River. The plan, anxiously awaited by many in the community, tries to balance the pressure for residential development with the need to keep established businesses and new additions viable in the ever-shrinking manufacturing districts in Manhattan. It was shown for the first time at the March CB2 zoning committee meeting. The CPC used a zoning overlay concept that would allow housing in the area that is feeling the most pressure for residential construction (the area south of the Gansevoort market), but it keeps the manufacturing zoning district intact. Other areas were kept wholly manufacturing, while in the area south of Houston, in the Hudson Square district, housing would also be allowed. The Plan is by no means a finished product and is being shown to community groups, developers, and other interested parties for reactions and comments. There are fears that businesses vital to the downtown economy will be pushed aside in this frenzied housing market . Many believe that rampart residential development, without additional sewers, schools and open space will have an adverse effect on the pockets of already existing middle-income homes. Housing, like the Mitchell Lama West Village Houses, may be jeopardized as the demand for luxury high-rise towers increases. In recent years many groups have faced off with the little known, but powerful, Board of Standards and Appeals, which can set aside zoning regulations in hardship cases. The BSA has allowed several residential projects to invade the manufacturing zone and is changing the face of this part of the Village. The new CPC plan may become an all-important tool to give some direction and structure to this community and end the random, piece meal development that is now the norm. |