SoHo Rezoning Plan Gets Certified By City, Review Process Next

SOHO, NY — The SoHo rezoning plan took another step toward implementation on Monday when the City Planning Commission certified the application to rezone the Lower Manhattan area. The certification means that the public land use review process can begin, and inch ever closer to final approval.

The proposed rezoning in SoHo would create more than 3,200 new homes with around a quarter of those being affordable housing units.

The rezoning project would cover an area bounded by Canal Street to the south, Houston Street and Astor Place to the north, Lafayette Street and Bowery to the east, and Sixth Avenue and West Broadway to the west.

The City Planning Commission certified the rezoning application despite an ongoing lawsuit from the SoHo Alliance, Broadway Residents Coalition, and neighborhood residents seeking to block the rezoning.

The judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order on the rezoning in April, but did say that the City Planning Commission would wait on certifying the application. That waiting period from the commission ended on Monday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and supporters of the SoHo rezoning have long argued that the neighborhood's zoning rules are outdated and lead to a lack of affordable housing. While many local residents and organizations strongly oppose the plan, saying that it would actually let more real estate developers into the neighborhood and destroy the neighborhood's culture and spirit.

The two opposing groups had predictably differing views on Monday's certification.

"Wrapped in a false veneer of affordable housing and social justice equity, de Blasio’s SoHo/NoHo proposal is a fire sale giveaway of enormously valuable real estate that will destroy hundreds of units of existing affordable housing and create few if any new ones; displace hundreds of lower-income residents and residents of color; make these neighborhoods richer, more expensive, and less diverse than they are now," said Village Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman.

"Today's certification is a clear win for housing, equity and smart city planning. To build a more equitable and more affordable city, every neighborhood must do their part," said Jessica Katz, the Executive Director of the Citizens Housing Planning Council. "The proposed rezoning creates an opportunity for SoHo/NoHo - two neighborhoods with virtually no affordable housing whatsoever - to contribute to solve NYC’s housing crisis.

The Department of City Planning has a section on its website explaining why SoHo and NoHo were chosen to rezone. On the other hand, multiple Lower Manhattan community organizations proposed a Community Alternative Rezoning Plan that would "create deeper and broader affordable housing than the city’s plan, without threatening any existing affordable housing, and without allowing big-box chain stores of unlimited size to push out existing businesses."