[NYguy]

https://www.villagepreservation.org/...e-write-today/

URGENT PRESERVATION ALERT: City Plans for Meatpacking District Development May Include 60-Story Tower; Public Hearing December 11 — Please Write Today!


November 25, 2024

According to a communication by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the city’s recently announced plans for its “Gansevoort Square” development in the Meatpacking District will include an approximately 60-story building on the site of the city-owned Gansevoort Meat Market Center, south of Little West 12th Street between Washington and West Streets (north of the Whitney Museum).

While the particulars of this plan won’t be formally revealed until an upcoming Community Board public meeting, this report and other details indicate an enormous and unprecedented scale is being contemplated for development of this incredibly sensitive site.

Village Preservation had written to city officials In response to their earlier announcement — which contained no particulars about the potential size or scale of the building — emphasizing the need to ensure any development here relates well in terms of size, scale and design to its surroundings. Apparently that message was more desperately needed than we could have possibly imagined.

According to the city’s prior announcement, the development they intend to build would include space for the Whitney Museum and Friends of the High Line, as well as 600 units of housing — at least half of which would be market-rate, or very expensive luxury condos or rentals. As per our communication to city officials, the need for very expensive housing for the ultra-wealthy on this publicly owned land is questionable at best. One very simple way to dramatically reduce the size of the proposed development is to eliminate the hundreds of units of planned luxury housing.

Yeah, God forbid someone try to actually increase the percentage of affordable units. But it's the City of Yes now. They'd best get used to it, lol.