Pivotal Hearing On Two Bridges Towers Set For Wednesday

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — The Lower East Side is gearing up for a pivotal Wednesday hearing on three controversial towers planned for the area.

The City Planning Commission is hosting a public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement on the trio of luxury skyscrapers, which would dwarf the traditional low-rise, low-income Two Bridges community.

JDS Development Group plans to build an 80-story tower at 247 Cherry Street, while CIM Group and L+M Development Partners aim to build two buildings, 62- and 70-stories respectively, on a shared base at 260 South Street. Starrett Development also plans to construct a 63-story residence at 250 Clinton Street — the developments would house 2,775 rental units with 25 percent designated as permanently affordable, according to the project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The project's "minor modifications" request would allow larger developments than are typically permitted in the area under the Two Bridges Large-Scale Residential Development plan. The neighborhood was designated a Large-Scale Residential Development district in 1972 to ensure the most space-efficient plans for large, residential developments rising in the neighborhood.

Current zoning laws allow the mega-development to be built without going through the extensive Uniform Land Use Review Procedure because the developers are only asking for "minor modifications." If the project is approved as is, the buildings would stand in stark contrast to the neighborhood's current landscape.

Last year, Councilwoman Margaret Chin and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer submitted a zoning text amendment that — if approved by the Department of City Planning — would require developers to obtain a special permit to build in the area bordered by Market, South, Montgomery and Cherry streets. Special permits mandate a project go through the land use review process.

Several community groups have railed against the project and the staggering change it would bring to Two Bridges.

The City Planning Commission hearing was initially planned for June but was pushed back to October after elected officials and locals slammed the commission for giving Community Board 3 just 17 days to formally review how the development will reshape the community.

The City Planning Commission's public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. in the lower concourse hearing room at the commission's headquarters at 120 Broadway.

Image courtesy of Handel Architects