Friday, February 1, 2008

HDC takes stand on AIA amendments

HDC Response to AIA Zoning Text Amendments

The Zoning Resolution determines the physical height and shape of New York City by guiding development. Among the various existing zoning districts, contextual zones have been specifically drafted to produce buildings that are consistent with existing neighborhood character. In an attempt to preserve their quality of life and the scale and character of their neighborhoods, communities throughout New York City, have worked long and hard to alter their zoning appropriately. Over the past few years , due to the unprecedented development pressure affecting every neighborhood in the city, the Department of City Planning and community groups have worked together to create balanced, contextual zoning on hundreds of blocks in all five boroughs. Numerous other neighborhoods have been working, in some cases for years, to try to gain these protections.

The citywide zoning text amendments proposed by the American Institute of Architects/New York City Chapter seek to undo this hard work and revert to blanket rules that not only allow but encourage out-of-context development. One-size-fits-all, blanket zoning measures do not fit the rich variety of New York City’s neighborhoods. The Historic Districts Council is opposed to the adoption of these amendments.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't HDC take a stand on how 90% of the city has been gettig BS from the elected officials, community boards, and newspapers on landmarking.

Anonymous said...

Now there is a serious effort out there to overturn the landmarks law as it doesn not treat all communities the same, they are trying a to ramp up their community outreach.

Too little too late.

Anonymous said...

These amendments in one shape or another are going through.

Good.

Good payback for most of the areas that downzoned who thought they could push development into a few communities that lay prostrate under their officials.

The only way you can drive a stake through the heart of the developers is to downzone the entire city and banish all talk of a million more by 2030.

Anonymous said...

These amendments are bad for areas that have or have not been rezoned.
"When I have nothing to say my lips are sealed." Maybe the bloggers who posted here could learn from this.
The AIA amendments are BAD for both rezoned and areas that have not yet been rezoned. They are back-haded attempts at more creating more teardowns/new construction, transforming the contextual nature of older communities and increasing rent incomes for landlords.
The AIA amendments hurt all NY'ers who are against overcrowding and overdevelopment.
Leave your silly death-to-landmarks blanket statement to an apropos argument.

Anonymous said...

So the HDC is up in arms over this NOW because it will drastically change THEIR historic neighborhoods...Tsk! Tsk! Implementing new zoning laws that allow these overwhelming changes is not beneficial for ANY community.Period.

Anonymous said...

Leave your silly death-to-landmarks blanket statement to an apropos argument.
--------

Look that talk has you guys scared shitless.

Too long you have consigned us on a fools errand, chuckling as we face our community boards, elected officials, and newspapers with full knowledge that with no support, we were wasting our time, spinning our wheels, doomed to failure.

If there was anything of real importance, you would come into our communities and discuss things over our heads with the right people. Only after everything was decided would you bring us in, and then, at only carefully scripted moments.

The sad fact is the community preservation effort is shot full of holes because the people that run it consider themselves to be above the rest of us. Mickeljohn is right, and that will prove the death of the old law.

Nothing like detonating the bomb belt and overturning that stupid law. Welcome to the Stone Age, people. How does it feel to be on our level? Maybe when they start building Crap on Court Street you might start taking St Saviours seriously.

On then can we talk at rebuilding things ..... as equals. I am looking forward to it.

Anonymous said...

"So the HDC is up in arms over this NOW because it will drastically change THEIR historic neighborhoods...Tsk! Tsk! Implementing new zoning laws that allow these overwhelming changes is not beneficial for ANY community.Period."

Do you know anything about zoning or are you self-certifying hack (gotta' assume the latter)?

The zoning changes affect and hurt the whole city, landmarked or otherwise.
If HDC rises because of that (and if indeed it is true, such a thing is in their core anyway, why the big surprise?), who cares less, it HELPS all NY-ers sick of the building crapaholics.

Anonymous said...

"The zoning changes affect and hurt the whole city, landmarked or otherwise."...Ummm, yeah I know about zoning, do you not know how to read carefully? Isn't that what I said? These zoning laws will affect everyone, including your community and mine...So I think we ARE on the same page

Anonymous said...

Sweeeeet!