The City Council will vote (Thursday, August 14) on two big plans — the Lenox Hill Hospital expansion and the Midtown South (MSMX) rezoning. Some changes were made after last week’s committee meetings, but both plans still have major problems. They also show that public pushback doesn’t have much impact once ULURP, the City’s required planning process, starts.
Lenox Hill Hospital Expansion:
Northwell Health wants to rebuild its hospital on Lexington Avenue. The height was cut from 436 feet to 370 feet. Construction will now take an estimated eight years instead of nine. Most people agree the hospital needs upgrades, but this plan still harms the neighborhood’s character.
Midtown South Rezoning (MSMX):
A few mid-blocks of the Garment District will stay manufacturing zones, but the rest will be rezoned for housing. City Planning says MSMX could create 9,500 new units, with about 2,800 “permanently affordable,” but these numbers are only projections — there’s no guarantee they’ll happen and the upzoning does threaten the Garment District’s unique ecosystem of design and production. Other housing plans (City of Yes and the coming Manhattan Plan) aim to add more than a hundred thousand units to some of the densest neighborhoods in the country. However, City Planning hasn’t always met its goals.
The Council slightly lowered the maximum size of new buildings allowed on three blocks in the Ladies Mile Historic District area, but other parts of Ladies Mile and the Madison Square North Historic District are still upzoned.
Why this matters:
Historic districts cover only about 5% of the city, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission regularly approves new buildings that fit these neighborhoods. The City’s effort to upzone historic districts — and blame them for a lack of housing — should be rejected.
MSMX also removes a recent “City of Yes” perk that made it easier for individual landmark buildings to sell their unused air rights. Because MSMX allows such large buildings, developers won’t have much reason to buy those rights.
Future risk:
A proposal on this November’s ballot (Question Three) would let the Mayor, City Council Speaker, and Borough President overturn any future changes that the Council makes to rezonings with affordable housing. So even modest changes like those passed last week would be threatened.
Bottom line:
The City needs more affordable housing, but that shouldn’t mean cutting the public or Council out of the process or damaging the character of historic neighborhoods.