Thursday, June 25, 2026, 12:30 p.m. (New York City time), Council Chambers - City Hall
Committee: Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises
The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, chaired by Council Member Farah N. Louis, voted on two major rezoning proposals. The first, LU 72-77 (Clinton Park North), covers two development sites in Council Member Brewer's district at 801 Eleventh Avenue and 629 West 54 Street, with modifications including removal of a street wall location waiver and a height reduction to 520 feet. The second, LU 67, 68, 69, and 71 (Monitor Point rezoning in Greenpoint, Council Member Restler's district), is a mixed-use project on publicly owned land with modifications increasing permanently affordable apartments to 662. Both Council Members Brewer and Restler spoke in support, and all items were approved by a vote of nine in the affirmative, zero opposed, zero abstentions, and referred to the full Land Use Committee.
0:06 E
0:06 . Good afternoon, everyone and
0:07 welcome to today's New York
0:08 City Council vote for the
0:10 subcommittee on zoning and
0:12 franchises at the same police
0:13 silence all electronic devices
0:15 just to remind her no. 1
0:17 Approaches dares at any time.
0:19 Thank you. Chair, we are ready
0:35 on zoning and franchises. I am
0:43 Council Member Farah lewis
0:44 ,chair of the subcommittee this
0:46 afternoon. I am joined by a
0:48 council members Farías,
0:51 showman, Salaam Felder and
0:53 cannot Henry car andtand s at
1:11 ease, ok. Today we are
1:12 scheduled to vote on three
1:16 proposals we will vote on l
1:17 use 72 through 77 regarding to
1:20 do it. Clinton park north
1:22 proposal, which actually
1:23 consists of two separat
1:25 edevelopment sites. These sites
1:26 are located on the west side
1:28 of manhattan in the northern
1:30 part of health kitchen and art
1:32 and Council Member bruce
1:35 district. The first site is
1:36 located at 8 0 1 elevent
1:39 havenue along a left sorry.
1:42 88 On 1 eleventh avenue
1:44 along eleventh avenue and
1:45 they're the applicant is
1:46 seeking to develop a mix, use
1:49 residential building that will
1:50 have approximately 477
1:52 apartments, of which
1:54 approximately 125 will be
1:57 permanently affordable. The
1:58 second sight is located at 6
2:01 29, west 54 street along
2:04 twelfth avenue, and the
2:05 applicant is seeking to
2:06 develop another mixed use
2:07 residential building that will
2:09 approximately that will have
2:10 approximately 617 apartments,
2:13 of which approximately a
2:15 hundred 62 will be permanently
2:19 affordable to propose
2:19 developments would seek a
2:20 transfer a floor area from the
2:24 commercial park piers and
2:25 Hudson river park in exchange
2:27 for approximately payment t
2:35 ohudson river park trust that
2:38 would support improvements and
2:40 capitol maintenance in the
2:42 park both sites require the
2:43 same set of of actions the
2:47 eleventh avenue site is
2:48 requesting a zoning map
2:49 amendment to change the
2:53 existing manufacturing, Eric
2:54 zoning district to a
2:56 commercial dash district
2:58 ,which has a residential
3:00 equivalent of art 10 district,
3:02 the twelfth avenue site is
3:04 also requesting a zoning map
3:06 amendment to change the
3:08 existing manufacturing em to-
3:10 for zoning district to
3:12 acommercial see ford dash seven
3:15 district second zoning text
3:17 amendment would map a
3:18 mandatory included
3:20 inclusionary housing area on
3:21 both sites as well as an
3:25 update the special Hudson
3:25 river park district rules t
3:28 oreflect the New granting and
3:30 receiving sites for a floor
3:32 area transfer from Hudson
3:34 river park and clarified the
3:36 affordable automated related
3:38 use provisions for c 4- 7
3:41 districts as well as
3:42 applicable bach rules and the
3:46 applicability of the special
3:50 clinton district regulations,
3:51 the third action again typical
3:55 applicable to both sides is a
3:56 special permit to allow the
3:58 transfer of a development
4:00 right from Hudson river park
4:03 to the development sites and
4:04 to provide bach waivers to
4:07 facilitate the proposed design
4:07 of the mixed use buildings. We
4:10 are recommending the following
4:13 modifications. The removal of
4:14 the street wall location
4:15 waiver granted by for the
4:18 eleventh avenue site, which
4:19 will provide a more consistent
4:22 streetscape along eleventh
4:24 avenue for the twelfth avenue
4:25 site. The modification is t
4:26 oreduce the building height
4:29 from the approved 550 feet t
4:31 oa maximum of 520 feet,
4:35 consistent with the intent of
4:37 having this height of
4:38 buildings decreased from
4:40 eleventh twelfth avenue in
4:42 order to create less of a
4:43 barrier along the waterfron
4:46 tcouncil member brought
4:47 supports applications as
4:49 modified. I now recognize
4:50 counselor Brewer for a
4:52 statement. Thank
4:52 . You mom chair these two
4:54 buildings as you suggested are
4:56 being considered together I
4:57 nthe area of 54 street and
5:01 eleventh avenue. They are
5:02 separately owned most of most
5:03 of the discussions were with
5:06 freeland and not the chapman
5:08 organization when we spoke t
5:09 othem and.
5:09 They are getting what we
5:11 call, which is basically
5:14 height from Hudson river park
5:15 trust. This is a good project
5:17 where the Hudson river park
5:18 trust, which you know, every
5:20 time you look at a pier that
5:23 needs assistance like pier 76,
5:26 it's millions and millions of
5:27 dollars, so a ba least that
5:30 these buildings will pay
5:32 Hudson river park trust
5:34 . Is $29 million, which I
5:36 saround $200 a square foot. We
5:38 also think that maybe they
5:39 should pay more, but
5:39 . That's what it is at the
5:40 moment and they'll have to
5:41 work it out
5:44 . There have been many, many
5:44 ings between community
5:45 board, David and the
5:46 developers and I participated
5:48 in them both in person at the
5:50 community board and then zoom
5:53 discussions with these parties
5:53 as well as the council land
5:55 you staff and I certainly want
5:57 to thank paul devlin and job
5:59 from board David as well as
6:01 the council land you staff
6:04 here
6:05 , David, which is a bill are
6:07 very sophisticated board will
6:08 all due respect to all other
6:11 58 community boards, nobody
6:12 else has expertise like board
6:16 for the people on it have bee
6:16 ndoing this for a long time
6:17 particularly deal with, did
6:19 they support housing at this
6:21 site, but just so you know, at
6:22 the full board meeting that I
6:23 was at the issued a negative
6:28 declaration.
6:28 Unless certain milestones
6:29 were met as opposed to a yes,
6:30 but which is what they would
6:31 have liked to.
6:34 Because the owners were so
6:35 reluctant.
6:35 To make any concessions for
6:39 the community.
6:40 The haight community wanted
6:40 the max height to come down
6:42 ,but the most that we could get
6:44 with a reduced 30 feet from
6:47 555 20 they wanted to bring it
6:49 down even more because t
6:51 ounderstand these buildings are
6:52 facing the river you want to
6:54 have as much light and air on
6:56 the river as possible for the
6:59 fish and other aspects of
7:01 marine life, but we were not
7:02 able to get it down even
7:06 further.
7:06 Another issue the wee
7:07 kclinton park is right across
7:08 the street. This is not the
7:10 Hudson river park, Hudson
7:11 river park is on the river,
7:13 the husband over.
7:14 The wit clinton park is a
7:17 City park is right across the
7:18 street from these buildings. I
7:19 know it well, it includes ball
7:24 feels leisure areas
7:24 ,playgrounds and more. The
7:27 parks department sent us a
7:29 memo in that bathroom
7:31 renovation is a little over 6
7:34 million and a play area also
7:35 needs the same renovation a
7:36 tabout 6 million and understand
7:40 will, of course, look over the
7:45 park number 1 to use the part,
7:48 but the most we could get out
7:49 of the owners with $200000
7:52 over a few years, so it comes
7:53 in depending on the sea of all
7:55 for the temporary receivable.
7:57 Despite the request for more
8:01 six plus six.
8:02 Then, of course, there's the
8:03 issue of affordability by law
8:03 as you heard from the chair 2
8:09 52 35 25% to 30%, depending on
8:10 option one or option two are
8:12 mandated to be affordable and
8:13 to be low.
8:14 Income that's based on law
8:15 and based on the state
8:19 . Community board. David has
8:21 always advocated, unlike other
8:22 boards. What I call workforce
8:24 housing, which is basically
8:26 higher income teachers,
8:27 firefighters, police, et
8:31 cetera
8:31 , and we wanted to add another
8:32 5%, so it would be 30% total
8:34 .we can't. We started t
8:36 ocompromise at two and a half
8:39 percent, meaning 165 5%. Am I
8:46 work housing
8:46 . Make it additional to the
8:48 what was there em I h mandate
8:51 it, but
8:51 . Ended up after much nicollin
8:53 and demean is what I would
8:54 call it with one in a quarter
8:56 percent, maybe 12 2 13 units
8:59 additional, but they are
9:00 permanent owners wanted t
9:02 ohave.
9:03 Just housing that would be
9:05 affordable for the life of the
9:07 property abatement, which is
9:08 usually 35 2 40 years
9:11 . But having been around for
9:12 35 or 40 years I've seen
9:13 housing disappear and become
9:14 market in some of the
9:16 buildings on the upper west
9:19 side, so it's less units they
9:20 do mirror and track with the
9:22 other units in the building.
9:23 You cannot build all studios
9:24 you have to be a with the 1 2
9:29 3 studios and one bedrooms
9:30 with the rest of the building,
9:31 so it can't be on the ground
9:33 floor has to be some moved
9:36 around in the other buildings,
9:37 and it has to track the same.
9:42 Size so
9:42 . So the other issue is that,
9:44 I guess friedland, along with
9:46 everybody else in the
9:47 development world's hate 45 x
9:50 they don't like this New
9:51 property tax exception that
9:54 . Was negotiated and passed in
9:55 albany, let them figure it out
9:56 , what's going to happen.
9:58 That's not my problem, but it
10:00 owner has stated that 485 x
10:02 property tax is not.
10:05 Risk renovated. I should
10:06 renovate. It is not an acting
10:07 in a different way he's not
10:09 going to build right now
10:12 there's a good in storefront,
10:15 meaning there's a ground floor
10:18 auto repair auto sales, which
10:18 is an excellent union jobs and
10:21 there's a commercial building
10:22 on one of the sites, so it's
10:24 active currently it's not lik
10:25 ethey're vacant lots, so I
10:28 don't know what's going t
10:28 ohappen if this thing will
10:29 never built it all depends on
10:31 4 85. They don't like they the
10:33 developers don't like the
10:35 union portion of that bill and
10:36 they don't like that. You have
10:38 to be a hundred units and then
10:40 above that. You've got t
10:41 ofollow for 85 x labor law
10:45 . So I think a lot of folks
10:46 are building at 99 units, but
10:49 not here. So I support because
10:50 we've been working with the
10:54 community board to come up
10:54 with this, but I do want to
10:55 say to the City of New York t
10:57 o
10:58 . Having been borough
10:58 president for eight years. It
11:00 is so darn hard to get any
11:03 kind of affordable housing in
11:06 these high income areas, and
11:07 it makes me crazy. The schools
11:08 are excellent. The
11:09 transportation is excellent.
11:10 The parks are excellent
11:11 doesn't seem right that every
11:13 time I ask for support
11:14 ,subsidy of needed
11:17 . That we are told it's
11:18 cheaper land in the bronx.
11:19 We're going to the bronx scale
11:20 . We're not going to stay in
11:22 manhattan and that's.
11:22 What's happening here. I
11:25 mean, if hpd or others wanted
11:27 to say that the developer is
11:28 not going to do this and we
11:29 should find other ways to
11:31 subsidize this apartment
11:32 building. Peace should have
11:33 more affordable housing than
11:35 what we're able to negotiate
11:36 number number two. I'm a big
11:40 supporter of all of the union
11:42 s, but when I called 32 into t
11:44 othe credit of the developer.
11:46 Maybe, you know, there,
11:47 working in terms of long term
11:50 32 jobs as.
11:51 They should, but 32 b j say
11:55 we want 5% affordable. We want
11:59 the extra workforce housing
12:00 they don't they say they go
12:02 along. That's not right. Every
12:03 union in the City should be
12:06 stating we need more workforce
12:08 , housing and so I'm here also
12:09 to say, I think is going t
12:11 owork with us to make sure that
12:12 once the abatement is over if
12:14 her family moves out that
12:17 market that union. Those few
12:22 12 13 14 units they made to
12:24 stay rate stabilization have
12:25 to be very, very clear on tha
12:26 t, so it's written into law and
12:28 they should be rent stabilize
12:30 d, not equivalent re stabilized
12:32 but actual rent stabilized.
12:35 So I'm here to be supportive
12:35 , but I'm also here after what
12:38 , 25 years, 200 and som
12:41 eeurope's I've done. This is
12:43 really nickel and
12:44 . It's not building affordable
12:45 housing the way that we should
12:46 be doing it. And so I hope
12:49 that this is someone of a
12:50 lesson and then I think it's
12:52 sort of putting everybody on
12:56 notice
12:56 . That good intention is not
12:57 good enough. What is the only
13:00 way that we build affordable
13:01 housing is to actually build
13:03 it if you want to put in
13:04 subsidy. Fine, but.
13:05 Nicollin and demeaning. It's
13:06 not the way to go. Thank you
13:08 very much, Madam chair. Thank
13:09 you, councilmember Brewer
13:12 . The other vote concerns 6 67
13:17 68 69 and 71 related to the
13:19 monitor point rezoning
13:19 proposal and council membe
13:20 rrest his district the
13:23 applicant is seeking to
13:23 develop a mix, use residential
13:26 project in greenpoint
13:26 ,brooklyn. That would consist
13:28 of a museum building a market
13:30 rate building with me
13:33 permanently affordable housing
13:34 n as the west building and
13:36 a hundred% affordable housing
13:38 building known as the easter
13:40 ,the building. Let me first
13:41 address the affordable housing
13:42 component of this project
13:45 .this is a unique project for
13:46 two reasons the majority of
13:48 the development site consists
13:49 of a publicly owned land
13:51 controlled by the, although
13:53 there has been a lot of
13:55 housing development, a long
13:56 waterfront in the past decade,
13:58 the area was rezoned prior t
14:00 othe city's mandatory
14:02 inclusionary housing
14:05 requirements. As a result the
14:05 affordable housing built t
14:07 odate has been at income levels
14:09 that are not affordable to low
14:11 income New yorkers this large
14:13 ,publicly owned site is a
14:15 unique opportunity to build
14:16 hundreds of units of
14:17 affordable housing that low
14:18 income New York New yorkers
14:20 can actually afford in an area
14:22 that has been overwhelmingly
14:25 it that has an overwhelmingly
14:26 amount of market rate housing.
14:28 This project is also unique
14:30 because it provides the
14:31 opportunity to pair affordable
14:33 housing with green space since
14:35 I have been chair of the
14:36 subcommittee you have heard me
14:39 state the importance of
14:40 providing the needed
14:42 we approve the proposedices
14:46 project will have over one
14:48 acre of open space and connect
14:50 to a larger waterfront open
14:52 space plan in a and
14:55 williamsburg providing a
14:56 unique opportunity to provide
14:58 affordable housing with direct
14:59 access to waterfront green
15:01 space where affordable housing