Brewer, Chin Apologize For Chaotic SoHo Meeting

SOHO, NY — An apology has been issued to people who packed a meeting about a possible rezoning of SoHo and NoHo only to find a chaotic gathering hosted by city officials unprepared for the turnout. Borough President Gale Brewer, Councilmember Margaret Chin and the Department of City Planning said sorry Tuesday.

Last week, dozens flooded to the meeting that kick-started the Department of City Planning's public process for a possible rezoning of the neighborhoods.

"We apologize for being unprepared for the tremendous turnout — over 250 people attended," a letter from Brewer and the other officias said. "We'll do better for the next meeting in February."

The open letter touted a silver-lining that the high turnout garnered significant feedback on "where our planning process should start and what the community wants us to focus on."

The city counted 211 written comments, 109 "locations of interest" pinned on maps and 94 responses to the neighborhoods' informative poster boards.

"Staff and our moderator from Pratt, Jonathan Martin, are digesting all the feedback — which will inform the process and future public meetings," the letter said.

"To be clear, the intent of the Soho/Noho planning process is to collaborate with all those who care about the challenges our neighborhoods face, and the purpose of our public meetings is to gather ideas and input well before pen is put to paper and proposals are created."

The neighborhood is composed of high-end lofts and retail outlets, the latter which have often been considered "over-sized," an issue that has long-angered SoHo residents and small business owners. Much of the ground-floor retail and apartments have been permitted through grandfathering clauses or special permits since the existing '70s zoning mark the neighborhood largely for manufacturing.

Landlords have formed the Fix SoHo NoHo Coalition to advocate for changes in the status quo of land use in the neighborhood, Crains reported. Neighborhood group SoHo Alliance's director Sean Sweeney argues for better enforcement over a rezoning, particularly the "over-sized" retail stores, often taking up well over 10,000 square feet of space, which some community members and politicians have said violates existing zoning through loopholes.

Eighteen groups and politicians, including Sweeney's SoHo Alliance, are on a stakeholder advisory group, which will work with Brewer, Chin and City Planning on a report to be released this summer.

The next planning meeting will be Thurs., Feb. 28. The topic, format, and other details will be released Mon., Feb. 25.

Lead image credit: Sydney Pereira Image caption: Dozens huddle around city planning professor at Pratt Institute and Columbia University, Jonathan Martin, at a SoHo and NoHo community engagement meeting Feb. 6, 2019 about a possible rezoning of the neighborhood.

Second image credit: Lars Niki/Getty Images for Housing Works Image caption: Borough President Gale Brewer at the New York City AIDS Memorials on Dec. 1, 2016 in New York City.