Rezoning has been controversial in the past real estate growth years and today's New York Times takes a look at a recent NYU study that provides some details on what actually has happened so far. It turns out 86 percent of the lots rezoned were reduced in building height and capacity while 14 percent went the other direction. Guess which types of neighborhoods got the increased building zoning? The article points out that even though it was not intentional, "Rezoning mostly concerned with neighborhood preservation was more likely to occur in census tracts with higher white populations and higher incomes, the report found, while lots where restrictions were loosened to allow for more density tended to be in census tracts with more black or Hispanic residents than the city median."
There seems to be several theories on why rezoning has been planned as such thus far but we are guessing that the government is banking on big investors and developers to come on in and take over some of the larger lots on 125th Street to boost the economy. The question now is that in a time of recession, will these same developers have the imagination to invest in these unsightly parcels since the fast-paced speculation years are officially over? Read more in the NY Times article: LINK. Photo of Lenox and 125th Street by Ulysses
Contrary to popular belief is an often overlooked fact, that before rezoning of 125th street, there was no limit on height. Rezoning has now placed height restrictions on 125th street where there where previously none. So it would be true to say 125th street has been downsized by the rezoning.
ReplyDeleteThe zoning protects areas of 125th Street but encourages growth around the ACP Building which is at 19 stories high. The lot in the photo at the corner of Lenox and 125th can go up as high as the ACP building. The area lots directly adjacent to the ACP building can go up to 32 stories so we are talking about almost twice as high as the building in the photo. Yes, the regulations were very loose originally but many folks imagined with the new rezoning that a 32 story structure or another ACP building would never be built on 125th Street.
ReplyDeleteand that’s why God invented lawyers.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing wrong with tall buildings, especially on commercial streets like 125th. If anything, the increase in supply of apartments that results from having taller buildings helps lower the cost in the long-run. Econ 101.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and then you get 5th on the Park looming over Marcus Garvey Park like a behemoth, casting its great shadow.
ReplyDeleteAnd who wants buildings that look like the State Building? Gawd that’s ugly. That would not have been built south of 110th Street. Architecture 101.
Yeah, and then you get something like 5th on the Park, looming over Marcus Garvey like a behemoth, casting its great shadow.
ReplyDeleteAnd who wants more buildings that look like the State Building? Gawd that’s ugly. That would never have been built south of 110. Architecture 101.
sorry about the dupe. My good ole mac is getting glitchy.
ReplyDeleteWalk around the high rise upper east side or west midtown and see if this is the type of neighborhood you want to live in. People come to Harlem for the open sky and not half baked skyscrapers.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are no ugly buildings south of 110th street. Ha.
ReplyDeleteI’m not stupid enough to say that there are no ugly buildings south of 110. But I do doubt very much that any community board south of 110 would have accepted as wretched a design as the State building.
ReplyDelete