As predicted...
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.1715572
Mayor de Blasio’s Brooklyn housing plan is building big worries
After Wednesday's approval of a $1.5 billion project on the site of old Domino sugar plant in Williamsburg, some advocates worry the developments will overwhelm neighborhoods.
By Matt Chaban
March 9, 2014
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Mayor de Blasio's ambitious housing plan is now towering over the city — and after the approval of a massive development in Brooklyn, some advocates and preservationists are cowering in its shadow.
Their concern is this: Will de Blasio's promise to let developers build larger and taller in exchange for creating affordable housing overwhelm neighborhoods with hulking buildings that hurt the quality of life?
"Hopefully new affordable housing can be created without necessarily requiring a massive scale of construction to do so," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
This build-at-all-costs mentality even has some housing advocates worried.
"Density is great, but it means more than just tall buildings," said Jerilyn Perine, of the Citizen's Housing and Planning Commission. "They have to fit in with the urban fabric and address basic infrastructure, too."
The fears crystalized Wednesday when the Planning Board approved a $1.5 billion project on the site of old Domino sugar plant in Williamsburg. It will have towers as high as 55 stories, or about 20 stories more than zoning on the site normally allows.
Permission for the taller buildings was granted in return for the developer setting aside 537,000 square feet, a quarter of all space, for 700 units of affordable housing.
That's compared to 20% under a less dense 2010 plan.
The outlines of the deal were negotiated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, but Team de Blasio squeezed the developer to add 40 affordable units before granting approval.
While some critics praised the look of the proposed buildings, some other New Yorkers recoiled. On Twitter, one said the project looked like "Tetris on the East River."
"I know the critics like it, but," said Simeon Bankoff, director of the Historic Districts Council, "what happens next time, when a lesser developer comes along and wants to build something even bigger and uglier? What will the mayor do then?
"Officials made clear it will be a template for future development, as de Blasio tries to fulfill his goal of creating or renovating 200,000 units of affordable housing."
Planning Board member Michelle de la Uz was appointed in 2009 by de Blasio when he was public advocate. "I know some people are uncomfortable with the density and the height of this project," she added. "We all need to recognize the housing crisis we're in and seize every opportunity to maximize units."
In an interview with the Daily News, Planning Commissioner Carl Weisbrod said density and good design and planning need not be mutually exclusive.
"We'll be looking at these projects on a case-by-case basis," he said.
Steven Spinola, head of the Real Estate Board of New York, agrees that preservationists are drawing false distinctions between density and quality of life.
"Responsible developers care about quality construction and architectural distinction, they can and will continue to accomplish both," he said.
The real estate industry has certainly been emboldened by the Domino project.
"This isn't going to be a fight between the mayor and developers, it's going to be a fight between the mayor and the NIMBYs," one executive said, using the acronym for 'Not in My Backyard."
Whatever the aesthetics of the buildings turns out to be, one thing seems clear. For many New Yorkers, Mayor Bill de Blasio is becoming Mayor Build de Blasio.
"The new message out of City Hall is 'Build, baby, build,'" Bankoff said.
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Let me just look over this again:
Quote:
"Hopefully new affordable housing can be created without necessarily requiring a massive scale of construction to do so," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
"Density is great, but it means more than just tall buildings," said Jerilyn Perine, of the Citizen's Housing and Planning Commission. "They have to fit in with the urban fabric and address basic infrastructure, too."
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Just where exactly do these people belive all of this imaginary land for new housing is going to come from? There's a reason New York has so many skyscrapers and highrises.
Quote:
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Planning Board member Michelle de la Uz was appointed in 2009 by de Blasio when he was public advocate. "I know some people are uncomfortable with the density and the height of this project," she added. "We all need to recognize the housing crisis we're in and seize every opportunity to maximize units."
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Exactly. What she's trying to say, while putting it in nicer terms, is that the NIMBYs need to shut it and stuff it.
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Last edited by NYguy; Mar 10, 2014 at 3:01 AM.
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