When the city rezoned Soho and Noho in 2021, most of the 56-block plan overlapped the historic districts. That meant that despite the zoning changes that allowed for more housing in the neighborhoods, new developments within most of the rezoning area still had to be approved by Landmarks.
That’s why a plan for a parking lot in Noho is going to the commission for approval.
Edward J. Minskoff Equities wants to build a 200-foot project at 375 Lafayette Street, currently home to a parking lot that can accommodate up to 200 vehicles. The developer wants to build between 200 and 210 homes, of which 50 to 53 will be affordable for those earning an average of 60 percent of the region’s median income. The proposal also includes up to 7,000 square meters of ground floor retail.
The apartment would be split into two buildings, allowing the developer to avoid paying higher construction wages, which amount to 150 units for projects seeking a 485x property tax credit.
Such a building is permitted under the district’s M1-5/R9X zoning plan, but because the site falls within an area known as the Expansion of the Noho Historic Districtthe developer must obtain Landmarks’ approval to proceed.
The process has been bumpy.
Last week, Community Board 2 recommended that Landmarks reject the project unless the developer reduces its size and makes other changes. The board cited a lack of “harmony” with most buildings in the district. The position echoed criticism from Village Preservation, which called the proposed building “dramatically out of scale.”
It also questioned why the project’s unit count estimates had not increased despite an increase in the Universal Affordability Preference density (provided under the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity). The city previously predicted that 212 homes would be built if the site had a floor area ratio of 9.7. Now, with a suggested FAR of 10.8, the unit count is still within that range.
On social media, Open New York accused NIMBYs for “blatantly weaponizing ‘preservation’ to block housing in a parking lot.”
The battle over this project is beginning to play out as the city begins to see housing ballot measures — largely aimed at speeding up approvals and preventing council members from unilaterally halting housing projects — play out.
Last week, the city announced the first project to go through the new accelerated land use review process. The 84-unit housing project in the Bronx will undergo a 90-day review, instead of the usual 200-plus day Uniform Land Use Review process.
This week also saw the threat of an appeals committee overturning the city council’s rejection of a project. Ahead of Tuesday’s vote on a 248-unit project in her district, Councilmember Vickie Paladino indicated she would likely vote “yes” on the project to retain some influence over development — rather than have it sent to the three-member appeals committee. (The three-member board cannot make changes to an application, but it can cancel changes made by the city council.)
“Make no mistake: if I vote no, the developers will have no reason to work with us from that moment on,” she said in a Facebook video this weekend. “It will be completely between them and the president and mayor of the Borough. And I don’t want us to give up that remaining influence.”
She also indicated that she expects to encounter similar riddles in the future.
“Since these ballots passed, my office has been inundated with calls from developers wanting to build here,” she said. “Every vacant lot in the neighborhood is now up for grabs. And I won’t be able to stop many of them.”
But the Council also approved two new historic neighborhoods in Brooklyn on Tuesday, and other neighborhoods could follow suit to, for example, bypass City of Yes for Housing Opportunity or secure further Landmarks oversight.
As for the Lafayette Street project, the commission will consider the proposal on March 10.
What we think about: Will you be attending the first hearing on rental fraud this week? Send a message to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
Something we learned: The rental fraud hearings will not be a major production, but will feature one-on-one (largely private) testimony between tenants and city officials. The first is scheduled for Thursday.
Elsewhere in New York…
– Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed Sideya Sherman as the new chairman of the City Planning Commission and director of the City Planning Department. Sherman most recently served as Chief Equity Officer and Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice. She also previously worked for NYCHA, the Municipal Art Society, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Mamdani reappointed Eric Enderlin as president of the Housing Development Corporation and Edith Hsu-Chen as executive director of DCP.
– The NYPD says it is investigating a snowball fight that broke out in Washington Square Park on Monday. Gothamist reports that officials released photos of two people wanted for allegedly assaulting an officer.
Closing time
Residential: The highest housing deal recorded on Tuesday was $12.5 million for a 3,491-square-foot condominium unit at 25 Columbus Circle in Lincoln Square. Adam Modlin and Andrew Nierenberg had the mention.
Commercial: The best recorded commercial deal was $53 million for a 12,172-square-foot development site at 118 Tenth Avenue in Chelsea. The real deal reported on Benny Barampov’s sale to Toll Brothers.
New on the market: The highest price for a home that came on the market was $9.5 million for a pre-war co-op unit at 875 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side. Elana Schoppmann with Compass has the entry.
Groundbreaking: The largest new building permit filed was for a proposed six-story multifamily project at 16 West 129th Street in North Harlem. STUDIO C Architecture applied for the permit on behalf of Etai Vardi of Trademark Development Group.
— Matthew Elo
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