Thursday, August 28, 2008

East Harlem Showdown

The NY Sun is reporting that the City Planning Commission, in what can't be described as a shocker, has passed the East Harlem re-zoning plan that currently lacks a designated developer: "The City Planning Commission voted in favor of rezoning the eastern portion of 125th Street, setting the stage for a final City Council vote on the 1.7 million-square-foot mixed-use complex.
The commission approved the project, which will include a mix of retail, restaurants, offices, and housing, by a vote of eight to one. The proposed area extends between East 125th and 127th streets, between Second and Third Avenues. The city has not yet selected a developer for the project, eliciting concern from local resident groups and the office of the president of Manhattan, Scott Stringer."

This one may be headed for a council denial, since the plan and the developer remain uncertain and murky-and the fact that the city will, in effect, name a developer at the eleventh hour doesn't bode well for the success of the application; a fact that is exacerbated by the community's (and the council person's) relative lack of enthusiasm for the three developers said to be finalists.