Sie sind auf Seite 1von 2

October 12, 2017

Marisa Lago
Director
New York City Department of City Planning
120 Broadway, 31st Floor
New York, New York 10271

Dear Director Lago:

Attached please find a PAS and draft zoning text application for a text amendment that would
require a special permit for certain developments in the Two Bridges Large Scale Residential
Area. The PAS is being included, and the application labeled as draft, at the direction of the
Department (DCP) based upon the rules contained in 62 RCNY Chapter 10 (Blueprint
rules).

The stated purpose of the Blueprint rules is to assist in identifying the land use and
environmental issues related to a proposed project, the land use and environmental review
applications necessary to facilitate the proposed project, and the DCP resources these
applications will require. The process established by these rules was put in place to provide
predictability, to ensure prompt processing times during the iterative process between applicants
and DCP staff, and ultimately shorten the often lengthy pre-application period. However, as
elected officials with land use expertise at our disposal, we respectfully request that DCP permit
the filing of this application without the formality of complete adherence to the Blueprint rules
for the following reasons.

First, the applicants believe the application to be final and complete.

Second, we understand that DCP has on multiple occasions exercised discretion to waive the
Blueprint rules for filings of City agencies such as the Department of Citywide Administrative
Services and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and that in practice
DCP has waived these rules for many other agencies. In this case, the applicants are elected
officials of the City of New York, and should be granted the same courtesy.

Third, any delay in the filing of the complete application will have severe ramifications for the
community in the Two Bridges area. The extraordinary set of circumstances that the application
seeks to address have been the subject of much public debate. Specifically, we refer to the
development of more than 2,000 luxury apartments in buildings reaching heights of over 1,000
feet, described in CEQR No. 17DCP148M currently proposed for the heart of the Two Bridges
community. This development plan, characterized by your Department as a minor
modification to a prior approval, is not at all consistent with any previously approved plans for
this area. In fact, these buildings represent such a significant departure from the approved plans
for this area, that a full ULURP should be required.
Accordingly, the enclosed application seeks to amend the Zoning Resolution to require a new
special permit for development such as that described in CEQR No. 17DCP148M. It is our
expectation that as a non-ULURP zoning text amendment, this zoning text can be adopted by the
City Planning Commission and City Council expeditiously. While residents of the area want and
deserve a clean train station with safe and accessible platforms, regular and reliable bus service,
and other amenities that could result from the environmental review process which is being
undertaken for CEQR No. 17DCP148M, that process is intended only to disclose environmental
impacts. Such a process does not substitute for comprehensive urban planning. Only a full
ULURP for development such as that described in CEQR No. 17DCP148M will suffice in this
unique and rare situation.

Sincerely,

Margaret Chin Gale A. Brewer


Council Member, District 1 Manhattan Borough President

CC:
Erik Botsford, Deputy Director, Department of City Planning Manhattan Office
Central Intake, Department of City Planning
Manhattan Community Board 3

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen