DANIEL R. GARODNICK

SOME OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT •

A New East Side Middle School: We are getting a new middle school on the Upper East Side in September 2014. We’ve been fighting to push the Department of Education to keep up with elementary school demand, and we did not want to fight the same battles for middle schools. Over the past few months, I’ve worked with my colleagues in government, parents, and the Department of Education to identify additional middle school seats, and I am pleased to report that a new middle school will open in the annex at P.S. 158 (at York Avenue between 77th and 78th Streets, which housed East Side Middle School until 2009). This is a great win for our community, and we are now discussing the proper admissions criteria for this school.

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Passing the City Budget: We are currently working to pass a balanced budget by June 30. While the City Council and the Mayor will spend this Spring squabbling over proposed cuts to much-needed services like fire companies and after-school programs, this fight diverts our attention from some of the more serious issues with the City’s massive $70 billion budget, such as the performance of City agencies. That’s why I recently proposed (along with my colleague, Council Member Jumaane Williams of Brooklyn) reforms to make the budget process more transparent and to allow the Council to better track each dollar spent. You can read more about this proposal and the other projects I’m currently working on at www.garodnick.com.

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Council Member Garodnick presented a Proclamation from the New York City Council to District 4 resident Jon Candelaria in recognition of his heroic actions during Hurricane Sandy. During the height of the storm, Jon freed a taxi driver who was stuck in his cab because of the rising floodwaters. Jon is pictured here with Council Members Andy King, Darlene Mealy, Garodnick, Debi Rose, Jumaane Williams, Leroy Comrie, Diana Reyna, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mrs. Rose Bergin, president of the Isaacs Houses Tenants Association.

A New Park at Asser Levy: The conversion of Asser Levy Place from a street to a park is on track and is estimated to be completed by the end of December. 25th Street will become a two-way street to accommodate emergency vehicles heading east-bound, and the “no left turn” from eastbound 23rd Street onto First Avenue will be eliminated. You can see a schematic of the planned park on my website.

New York City Council • 250 Broadway • 30th Floor • New York, NY 10007 PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE

SPECIAL EAST MIDTOWN REZONING EDITION

DISTRICT UPDATE SPRING 2013

PAID

FROM COUNCIL MEMBER

DANIEL R. GARODNICK

NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

4th District, Manhattan 211 East 43rd Street, Suite 1205 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212.818.0580 Fax: 212.818.0706 [email protected]

TELL ME WHAT

 Not sure

YOU THINK

 No

Are you in favor of the Mayor’s proposed rezoning of East Midtown?

 Yes

Improving current infrastructure needs now Ensuring growth and competitiveness of our commercial districts Guaranteeing reliable funding for future improvements Landmarking potential buildings before the rezoning process Improving public realm (open space, sidewalks, etc.)

Rank from most important (1) to least important (5)

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What infrastructure and public realm improvements does East Midtown need now?

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Name _________________________________________

Address ________________________________________

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Email Address __________________________________

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Telephone ______________________________________

Or email your answers to [email protected], with “Tell Me What You Think” in the subject line.

Please cut out this form and return it to: Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick 211 East 43rd Street, Suite 2004 New York, NY 10017

SPECIAL EAST MIDTOWN REZONING EDITION DISTRICT UPDATE • SPRING 2013

FROM COUNCIL MEMBER

DANIEL R. GARODNICK Dear Neighbor, Mayor Bloomberg has proposed a rezoning of East Midtown, which is headed to a vote in the Council at the end of this year.

As it stands today, many of the buildings within the East Midtown boundaries are currently overbuilt—which means they are built higher than they would be allowed to be constructed today if an owner sought to demolish and rebuild them. This is because much of the area was “downzoned” in 1982. I share the Mayor’s concern that many of our buildings are getting older and less competitive with other cities. Eighty percent of buildings within the proposed boundaries are over 50 years old and there has been limited new development in this area. In fact, there have only been two new office buildings constructed here in the last decade. While unlocking development potential in this neighborhood is important, we must ensure that it is done thoughtfully and with an

eye toward protecting the area’s rich history and the environment. New buildings are not enough to enhance the vibrancy of East Midtown. We want Class A office buildings, but we also want to ensure that we have a Class A office district. This proposal has implications for all of our Council District – from Stuyvesant Town to Turtle Bay, and from the West 50s to the Upper East Side – so I have decided to focus this newsletter on this one issue. As always, I hope you will let me know your thoughts. Of course, my office continues to work on a variety of issues (see updates on the last page), and we are always available to you—you can log on 24 hours a day at www. garodnick.com, or give me a call at (212) 818-0580 if we can assist you in any way. Sincerely,

Daniel R. Garodnick The updated boundaries of the proposed East Midtown rezoning. (from the Department of City Planning)

THE PROPOSAL WHAT HAS THE DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING PROPOSED? The City has proposed increasing the permitted density of commercial development on many blocks of East Midtown. The area is set forth in the map above. The goal of this proposal is to incentivize new office construction in the area. WHERE MIGHT WE SEE THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT? The rezoning is primarily meant to encourage commercial development around Grand Central and along Park Avenue, but there are some limited increases in density that would be permitted along Madison and Lexington Avenues and portions of Third Avenue.

WHAT IS “FAR”? As you follow the rezoning, you’ll probably hear about FAR increases. FAR is an acronym for Floor Area Ratio (pronounced by it’s letters F-A-R) that is a measurement of how large a building can be. The Floor Area Ratio is the relationship between the size of the building and the size of the lot on which it will be built. The FAR number is a multiplier that indicates the maximum allowable square footage of the building. The FAR does not restrict the height of the building, only the size- in zoning terms called density. For instance, a building with a density of 18 FAR could contain 18 floors, if each floor covered the entire lot or floor area. Most buildings, however, do not cover an entire lot. If the developer chose to have each floor of the 18 FAR building cover only half the lot— to leave room for open space or a public plaza­­­— then that building would be 36 floors. And if the developer chose to build a building covering 25% of the lot, the building would be 72 stories.

Not every site would qualify for the maximum FAR (explained at right)— developers must have a site of at least 25,000 square feet with full avenue frontage for that benefit. HOW CAN A DEVELOPER GET TO THIS HIGHER DENSITY? Once a qualifying site is assembled, the developer would be able to buy air rights that would give the opportunity to add additional density (i.e. FAR) in exchange for a contribution to a fund that supports local infrastructure. That fund is called the District Improvement Fund. In part of the rezoning area immediately around Grand Central, developers would also have the option to purchase unused air rights associated with Grand Central Terminal itself. For more information on this (or any part of the proposal), visit the Department of City Planning’s website: www.nyc.gov/dcp.

WHAT INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE GRAND CENTRAL AREA? USE THE BACK OF THIS NEWSLETTER TO TELL ME YOUR PRIORITIES.

This is a substantial proposal with many unanswered questions. The rest of this newsletter focuses on my concerns with the plan, and provides a deeper look at the issues of infrastructure, sustainability, and historic preservation.

BIG PICTURE CONCERNS Along with Congresswoman Maloney and State Senators Krueger and Hoylman, I have raised the following concerns about the proposal: •

INFRASTRUCTURE: We are concerned that the District Improvement Fund is an unpredictable and unreliable way for the City to finance and perform infrastructure improvements that are needed today. We do not think that the City and the MTA should rely on a local rezoning to fund critical capital transit improvements that will benefit (and should be paid for by) the whole region. We’ve asked the City to consider alternatives to this structure, for example having the City pay for certain improvements now and using this fund to be repaid later, when development occurs.

“… [W]e need a commitment to infrastructure improvements in the Grand Central neighborhood today, not simply an offer to attempt to start them more than five years in the future. We cannot build a 21st Century Midtown with early 20th Century infrastructure…”

GOING GREEN: I firmly believe that any new buildings that arise from this rezoning should be held to the highest environmental standards. In New York, it is our buildings that are the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and we need to be responsible stewards to future generations. We will insist that there be high environmental standards as a requirement for any new development. The current proposal will require buildings seeking increased density under this rezoning to outperform the New York City Energy Conservation Code by at least 15%. This is the first time a sustainability requirement has been proposed in a zoning resolution. We will continue to explore ways to make these requirements stronger.

Energy used in buildings accounts for 75% of greenhouse gas emissions and 85% of water use in New York City.

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PRICING: The proposal sets the rate to purchase air rights from the City at $250 per square foot. We need to carefully consider if setting one price for a large, 70-block area makes sense. We will also explore how that price should vary over time, if at all.

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OUR STREETS AND SIDEWALKS: We also need a comprehensive plan for our sidewalks, streets, and other public places. This rezoning plan must result in more walkable and well-designed streets, open spaces and seamless connections between the buildings and Grand Central. We asked the City to approach the public realm plan with the same level of detail that they studied the other elements of this proposal. Just as it should be very clear to the development community what they can expect from the new rules, and what their benefits and obligations will be, we need to do the same for the public. In response to our request, the Department of City Planning recently agreed to set forth a comprehensive public realm plan, and to involve the public in their process.

More than 1 in every 3 respondents to my East Midtown survey pointed to improving pedestrian flow as the highest priority to address in our streetscape. •

credit to photo: buck ennis/©crain

- Letter from Council Member Garodnick, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Liz Krueger and State Senator Brad Hoylman to Deputy Mayor Robert Steel

TIMING: From the beginning, we’ve felt that the proposal was moving too fast. Last summer, many of us asked the City to slow the process down 6 months to allow elected officials, the community, and other interested stakeholders enough time for careful study. Despite our requests for more time, the proposal was officially certified into the formal land use review on April 22. Even though the clock is now ticking, we will not let the City rush through an inadequate proposal. The New York Times Editorial Board agreed and wrote in February of this year: “Mr. Bloomberg and his planners have made a start on a worthy, complicated project. But the city must take the time to get it right.”

Proposed FAR increases for qualified sites from the Department of City Planning, as of April 2013. The parentheses indicate the current maximum allowable FAR. The bolded numbers indicate the proposed maximum FAR allowable with the purchase of air rights, and without a special permit.

SPOTLIGHT ON INFRASTRUCTURE

A VICTORY IN TURTLE BAY I joined our neighbors in Turtle Bay in raising concern about the protrusion of a commercial district into the residential neighborhoods surrounding this rezoning. DCP announced in January that the boundaries of the rezoning had been revised so as to exclude 43rd to 45th Streets between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. This is a big win for the residents of East Midtown and I’m pleased the City took our concerns seriously.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION As we consider the potential for new development in this corridor, we need to ensure that buildings with historic significance are protected. There are 23 landmarked buildings within the proposed boundaries today. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has identified 32 additional potential historic resources and is currently reviewing which buildings to consider for landmark status. It is important to have the Landmarks Preservation Commission act concurrently with this potential rezoning to calendar those buildings that are truly worthy, and I have asked them to act swiftly in their review.

BUILDINGS IDENTIFIED BY THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION

There is widespread concern about the state of our infrastructure, and my colleagues and I feel strongly that the City should pay for infrastructure upgrades now, before any new development occurs. The MTA has estimated a need for between $340 and $465 million in improvements throughout the East Midtown boundaries today. And that’s our current need—before any increase in the number of people in the area, and the thousands of riders expected into Grand Central as part of East Side Access in 2019. Anyone who has ridden on the Lexington Avenue subway line (the 4/5/6) through Grand Central knows firsthand the issue of congestion on the platforms. And, this is not a new problem. I released a report in 2008 that showed the severity of overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue subway line. Back then, hundreds of passengers were routinely left stranded on the platform by overcrowded trains. Five years later, the problem persists.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

16 East 41st Street, American Encaustic Tiling Company 18-20 East 41st Street 22-24 East 41st Street 50-52 East 41st Street, Chemist Club 299 Madison Avenue 60 East 42nd Street, Lincoln Building 118 Park Avenue, Philip Morris Headquarters 100 East 42nd Street, Pershing Square Building 521 Fifth Avenue, Lefcourt-National Building 200 Park Avenue, Pan Am/Met Life Building 420 Lexington Avenue, Graybar Building 6 East 45th Street, Title Guarantee and Trust Company 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, The Yale Club 45 East 45th Street, Roosevelt Hotel 250 Park Avenue, Postum Building 17 East 47th Street, Mercantile Library 400 Madison Avenue 270 Park Avenue, The Chase Building (aka The Union Carbide Building)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

509-511 Lexington Avenue, Lexington Hotel 525 Lexington Avenue, Shelton Club Hotel, Halloran House 18, 20 East 50th Street, Grand Rapids Furniture Company/New York Health and Racquet Club 437 Madison Avenue 125 East 50th Street (aka 557 Lexington Avenue), Hotel Beverly/The Benjamin Hotel 830 Third Avenue, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Building 39 East 51st Street 501-503 Madison Avenue 3 East 53rd Street, Samuel Paley Plaza (a.k.a. Paley Park) 884 Third Avenue (aka 601 Lexington Avenue), Citicorp Center 19 East 54th Street, a.k.a Young Residence 417 Park Avenue 57 East 55th Street, Friar’s Club (former Martin Erdmann Residence) 445 Park Avenue, Paramount Building/ Universal Pictures Building

The MTA is aware of these issues and has identified these key improvements: • • •

Add stair capacity from the street all the way to the subway platform. Add additional stairs from the terminal to the platform. Reduce the size of stairs and columns to create more space on the platform and make it easier for passengers to enter and exit trains.

posed rezoning? Want to learn more about the pro .garodnick.com—with news

The MTA proposes adding another stairway from the terminal to the subway here (photo from the MTA).

I will frequently update my website—www my conversation with Lola about the proposal. You can also watch ce), Vin Cipolla (President, Finkelstein (Chair, Multi-Board Task For (Professor, Baruch College) on Municipal Art Society), and Doug Muzzio itytalk. CUNY TV’s City Talk, www.cuny.tv/show/c

NEXT STEPS At the time this newsletter went to print, the proposal had been certified into the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) on April 22. The Multi-Community Board Task Force held their public hearing on May 13.

The schedule of review is:

The combination of wide stairs and bulky columns limit passenger mobility on Grand Central Lexington Avenue line platforms, which needs to be addressed (photo from the MTA).

Community Board

City Planning Commission

(60 days to review)

(60 days to review)

Borough President

City Council

(30 days to review)

(50 days to review)

This is a serious rezoning that, if done right, has merit. There is still a lot that we do not know and I will continue to work to ensure that this proposal both unlocks the potential for development in the area and reliably funds transit and public realm improvements. I will update www.garodnick.com with my advocacy on this issue as well as any updates on the proposal.