The city’s plan to convert Midtown’s outdated industrial zones into housing would create some 4,000 homes and permit the densest kind of housing allowed in New York City, according to details released Friday.
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration first announced last summer that it wanted to rezone 42 Midtown blocks which for decades have allowed only industrial uses — an oddity in today’s city, where manufacturing has declined and housing is scarce. The plan focused on four collections of blocks between 23rd and 41st streets, bounded by Fifth and Eighth avenues — encompassing the Garment District and sections of Flatiron and Chelsea lined with loft-style buildings.
That plan, which was only conceptual last year, is now fleshed-out after months of public feedback. The so-called Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan could ultimately create about 3,975 apartments, of which up to 1,110 would be income-restricted, the City Planning department said Friday.
Across all 42 blocks, the plan would continue to allow manufacturing but also permit the densest type of housing allowed anywhere in the city — R10 zoning, which now exists mostly on the Upper East and West sides. By mixing industrial, commercial and residential uses, the Adams administration aims to remake Midtown as a lively live-work neighborhood that policymakers see as crucial to the city’s pandemic recovery.
But the plan will depend on the appetites of local landlords, who must decide whether to convert their buildings. Several Midtown building owners told Crain’s last year that they supported the city’s plan but had no immediate desire to renovate their holdings into housing.
The feasibility of conversions will also hinge on whether the City Council passes the mayor’s City of Yes housing plan, which would allow office conversions in newer buildings; and whether the state Legislature passes laws that would incentivize office conversions and lift a cap on residential density.
“This centrally-located, transit-rich area should be one of the most exciting, vibrant areas of the city, but outdated zoning is holding it back,” City Planning Director Dan Garodnick said in a statement.
The Midtown South plan will be finalized sometime after April and start its seven-month public review later this year, which will culminate in a City Council vote. Unlike some land-use changes, this plan enjoys support from both local council members — Erik Bottcher and Keith Powers — meaning it appears likely to win approval.
City Planning says its final plan will also include design rules that will ensure any future developments “reflect the existing, beloved loft character of the neighborhood.” The rezoning area overlaps with the historic districts of Madison Square North and Ladies’ Mile, as well as individual landmarks like the Tin Pan Alley buildings on West 28th Street and ornate old hotels like Gilsey House. (City officials said last year they were considering designating new landmarks as part of the rezoning process, like they did before rezoning Midtown East in 2017.)
City leaders have struggled in recent years to figure out what to do with Midtown’s remaining industrial zones. As recently as 2018, the city loosened the Garment District’s manufacturing-only zoning to allow for more office use, but city officials passed up a chance to permit housing. Local officials and business leaders wanted to allow apartments but faced resistance from then-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, which wanted to prioritize creating affordable office space, according to people who worked on that effort.
That now strikes many as a missed opportunity, after the Covid-19 pandemic put to rest any notion that Midtown’s future could be commercial-only.
“In 2018, it was such an incredibly different climate — it’s just breathtaking,” Barbara Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance, told Crain’s last year. “Covid recalibrated everything.”
Nick Garber , 2024-03-08 18:02:56
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