by Nicolas Ronderos, Senior Planner, RPA
In the 1960s, New York City overhauled its zoning system with the 1961 Comprehensive Amendment to the Zoning Resolution. While this cured many ills at the time, it also caused new ones. Prime among them was that the zoning system became primarily a blanket one, which did not take into account local character as either something to encourage or discourage.
Some 40 years later, this system is still largely in effect. As a result, the Bloomberg administration's laudable place-based approach on redeveloping areas of the city has had to confront the early 1960's blanket zoning map and text. The current efforts have rethought the allocation of land and rezoned dozens of separate neighborhoods based on contextual and architecturally significant designs. In district after district - Greenpoint-Williamsburg, the Hudson Yards district, Manhattanville, 125th Street, Jamaica, and many others - the Bloomberg administration has built on the character of an area while promoting economic growth and residential development.
In effect, Mayor Bloomberg has overhauled the city's land use one more time. The location of the new zoning districts approved or under review have been dispersed, providing a new armature for New York's next generation. Taking large swaths of land governed by one single zoning district characteristic of the 1960's resolution, the city's zoning map, under Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden, has emerged reinvigorated as new centers have been identified and reinforced.
RPA has been largely supportive of these efforts, mostly because they are consistent with the metropolitan region's need to develop higher density sub-centers around transit lines to give us more capacity for the four million new residents expected in coming years. The cumulative scope of these re-zonings, as well as Commissioner Burden's focus on excellence in design, will leave a legacy for decades after Mayor Bloomberg has left office. However, even with almost two years left in the Administration, it is not too early to think about how the next mayor can build on this foundation.
One idea is to think even more creatively about community impacts and secondary displacement beyond the areas being rezoned. In the Manhattanville rezoning, RPA supported Manhattan Borough President Stringer's proposal for a West Harlem Special District that went well beyond the originally proposed area to help preserve the neighborhood and ensure its stability as plans for Columbia University's expansion move forward. Through contextual and inclusionary zoning, this will help protect affordable housing, small businesses and the physical and social character of the area from 125th Street to 155th Street, west of Convent Avenue. City Planning is now pursuing this action, which may provide lessons for other areas.
Another example where more attention could be paid to the impacts on existing residents is with the City's 125th Street Plan. The goal of adding density along this transit-rich corridor makes sense, and RPA supports the rezoning. However, every effort should be made to help local businesses and residents take advantage of new development. Given the change that the proposed rezoning will bring to existing firms and organizations, we suggested that the Arts Bonus and Arts/Entertainment Requirement in the rezoning be modified to support local institutions and businesses by including a local preference to organizations from Harlem. This has been a position advanced by the Borough President and to some extent by the Community Boards.The rezoning, particularly with these enhancements, will encourage a diverse mix of businesses, including arts and entertainment, expand career opportunities for Harlem residents, and sustain and enhance the revitalization of 125th Street as a unique Manhattan Main Street. One lesson here is that zoning alone can only go so far to mitigate neighborhood impacts. Coordinated economic and workforce development strategies are also essential.
Looking forward, two zoning proposals offer the promise of further innovations. One is the Green Initiatives Street Tree Planting text amendment that will provide new trees for every new development in the city, and will result in approximately 10,000 new street trees per year according to City Planning. Another rezoning to be watched closely is the Special Hunts Point District that will encourage the growth and expansion of the food industry sector on the Hunts Point peninsula, while creating a buffer between the manufacturing district and adjacent residential neighborhood. We want to insure that this rezoning supports the potential new Metro-North station, which is part of the MTA Penn Station Access Study.
Perhaps the most important direction that could be taken by the next mayor would be to marry the strategic innovations of the Bloomberg Administration with new community consensus-building approaches that have been evolving from city and regional visioning projects over the last 15 years. These efforts engage citizens and explore alternatives on a city-wide scale, not just in a particular neighborhood, prior to the development of specific proposals. While they are far from eliminating the intense passions or conflicts generated by ambitious rezoning or development proposals, they can address these issues earlier in the process and result in fairer and more effective outcomes.
The Bloomberg Administration's legacy in City Planning is going to include a clear and well-articulated approach to heal the homogeneous and single-use zoning map the city has been stuck with for over forty years. Instead, the old map is being replaced by a polycentric and heterogeneous one that promotes diversity in the urban environment and catalyzes development in targeted locations. Through these efforts it has strengthened regional sub-centers and accommodated growth around transit. There is still a critical need to go further to connect existing residents and businesses to these potential gains. But rather than creating a whole new zoning map and regulations, this administration has left us with an enhanced set of maps and policies. The next administration in office will be an interesting time for City Planning: will the targeted re-zonings continue to be the land use policy of the city?
In the 1960s, New York City overhauled its zoning system with the 1961 Comprehensive Amendment to the Zoning Resolution. While this cured many ills at the time, it also caused new ones. Prime among them was that the zoning system became primarily a blanket one, which did not take into account local character as either something to encourage or discourage.
Some 40 years later, this system is still largely in effect. As a result, the Bloomberg administration's laudable place-based approach on redeveloping areas of the city has had to confront the early 1960's blanket zoning map and text. The current efforts have rethought the allocation of land and rezoned dozens of separate neighborhoods based on contextual and architecturally significant designs. In district after district - Greenpoint-Williamsburg, the Hudson Yards district, Manhattanville, 125th Street, Jamaica, and many others - the Bloomberg administration has built on the character of an area while promoting economic growth and residential development.
In effect, Mayor Bloomberg has overhauled the city's land use one more time. The location of the new zoning districts approved or under review have been dispersed, providing a new armature for New York's next generation. Taking large swaths of land governed by one single zoning district characteristic of the 1960's resolution, the city's zoning map, under Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden, has emerged reinvigorated as new centers have been identified and reinforced.
RPA has been largely supportive of these efforts, mostly because they are consistent with the metropolitan region's need to develop higher density sub-centers around transit lines to give us more capacity for the four million new residents expected in coming years. The cumulative scope of these re-zonings, as well as Commissioner Burden's focus on excellence in design, will leave a legacy for decades after Mayor Bloomberg has left office. However, even with almost two years left in the Administration, it is not too early to think about how the next mayor can build on this foundation.
One idea is to think even more creatively about community impacts and secondary displacement beyond the areas being rezoned. In the Manhattanville rezoning, RPA supported Manhattan Borough President Stringer's proposal for a West Harlem Special District that went well beyond the originally proposed area to help preserve the neighborhood and ensure its stability as plans for Columbia University's expansion move forward. Through contextual and inclusionary zoning, this will help protect affordable housing, small businesses and the physical and social character of the area from 125th Street to 155th Street, west of Convent Avenue. City Planning is now pursuing this action, which may provide lessons for other areas.
Another example where more attention could be paid to the impacts on existing residents is with the City's 125th Street Plan. The goal of adding density along this transit-rich corridor makes sense, and RPA supports the rezoning. However, every effort should be made to help local businesses and residents take advantage of new development. Given the change that the proposed rezoning will bring to existing firms and organizations, we suggested that the Arts Bonus and Arts/Entertainment Requirement in the rezoning be modified to support local institutions and businesses by including a local preference to organizations from Harlem. This has been a position advanced by the Borough President and to some extent by the Community Boards.The rezoning, particularly with these enhancements, will encourage a diverse mix of businesses, including arts and entertainment, expand career opportunities for Harlem residents, and sustain and enhance the revitalization of 125th Street as a unique Manhattan Main Street. One lesson here is that zoning alone can only go so far to mitigate neighborhood impacts. Coordinated economic and workforce development strategies are also essential.
Looking forward, two zoning proposals offer the promise of further innovations. One is the Green Initiatives Street Tree Planting text amendment that will provide new trees for every new development in the city, and will result in approximately 10,000 new street trees per year according to City Planning. Another rezoning to be watched closely is the Special Hunts Point District that will encourage the growth and expansion of the food industry sector on the Hunts Point peninsula, while creating a buffer between the manufacturing district and adjacent residential neighborhood. We want to insure that this rezoning supports the potential new Metro-North station, which is part of the MTA Penn Station Access Study.
Perhaps the most important direction that could be taken by the next mayor would be to marry the strategic innovations of the Bloomberg Administration with new community consensus-building approaches that have been evolving from city and regional visioning projects over the last 15 years. These efforts engage citizens and explore alternatives on a city-wide scale, not just in a particular neighborhood, prior to the development of specific proposals. While they are far from eliminating the intense passions or conflicts generated by ambitious rezoning or development proposals, they can address these issues earlier in the process and result in fairer and more effective outcomes.
The Bloomberg Administration's legacy in City Planning is going to include a clear and well-articulated approach to heal the homogeneous and single-use zoning map the city has been stuck with for over forty years. Instead, the old map is being replaced by a polycentric and heterogeneous one that promotes diversity in the urban environment and catalyzes development in targeted locations. Through these efforts it has strengthened regional sub-centers and accommodated growth around transit. There is still a critical need to go further to connect existing residents and businesses to these potential gains. But rather than creating a whole new zoning map and regulations, this administration has left us with an enhanced set of maps and policies. The next administration in office will be an interesting time for City Planning: will the targeted re-zonings continue to be the land use policy of the city?
@RegionalPlan
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