Union Square Tech Hub Earns Key Approval From Council Committee

GRAMERCY, NY — A City Council subcommittee voted Thursday to approve the 21-story Union Square tech hub slated for 14th Street at Irving Place.

The key approval typically signals that the project will earn the support of the full City Council. And while the local councilwoman, who has expressed reservations about the tech hub, voted in favor of the proposal, she says she is still working toward securing some sort of land use protections for neighborhoods surrounding the development.

"I am doing this so that I can continue negotiations with the mayor's office toward the possibility of reaching a deal that would satisfy all impacted communities," said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, before voting yes at the council's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises hearing.

To build the massive project, the city's Economic Development Cooperation and RAL Development Services seek a rezoning to construct the 240,000-square-foot Union Square Tech Training Center that will house six floors of training and co-working space for New Yorkers looking to gain a toehold in the tech sector, and another 12 floors of flexible office space for startups and tech firms seeking short leases.

The space will be run by non-profit Civic Hall, which recently scored a $100,000 grant from Microsoft toward the project.

Some preservation groups —including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation — fear that the project will usher in large scale development across the area and have advocated for zoning protections to accompany the tech hub's approval. Councilwoman Rivera campaigned on the issue and gave the city a tongue lashing at the subcommittee's July hearing for not taking locals' land use concerns seriously.

The full City Council is slated to vote on the project on Aug. 8.

Image courtesy of Mayor's Office of New York City