Rally to Protest "Megatowers" in Downtown Manhattan Scheduled for August 15th at Dept. of City Planning, 120 B'way

All concerned residents of the Financial District, Chinatown and Lower East Side neighborhoods are invited to attend a rally being held for community activists, advocates and elected officials, at the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) headquarters 120 Broadway (Equitable Life Building) at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 15, 2017.

At this rally, the group will protest the process that DCP has told developers to follow to assemble applications for four “megatower” buildings to be constructed in the Two Bridges community — a process that circumvents the law and democratic procedure. The planned buildings would exceed 70 stories and — residents fear — would have a detrimental impact on the area. The rally is being sponsored by: Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES); CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities; Community Development 120 Broadway(TUFF-LES); and Lands End One Tenant Association (LEOTA.

Residents are demanding that DCP follow the procedures required for approving changes to the existing Large Scale Residential Development (LSRD) plan. Last year, Carl Weisbrod, former director of DCP, instructed JDS Development Group, Two Bridges Associates, LP (joint venture of CIM Group and L&M Development Partners) and Starrett Development to complete their applications for development in the Two Bridges LSRD area without following the legally required procedures for making such changes.

Residents and their supporters will call on the DCP to follow the law and allow for elected officials to have a voice in the future of the district. They also will announce the next steps in the campaign to stop overdevelopment of their neighborhood.