ALERT: Post Office Shenanigans, Emergency Landmarking & Protecting the East Village from Mega Dorms
Post Office Air Rights: GVSHP has discovered that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is yet again seeking to sell air rights from one of its stations in Manhattan WITHOUT putting the sale through a federally mandated review that is intended to mitigate adverse impacts upon local historic resources. In 2005, GVSHP caught USPS doing the same thing at the Cooper Station Post Office on East 12th Street (those air rights are now being used to build NYU’s proposed 26-story, 700-bed mega-dorm next door), and upon further digging, found at least three other Post Offices where they had also sold air rights without going through the required review. GVSHP brought this to the attention of the State and Federal agencies which oversee implementation of this regulation (see www.gvshp.org/documents/USPSreview6-25.pdf), and they agreed with GVSHP that air rights sales are indeed covered by the law. USPS was forced, grudgingly, to admit the same, and promised to comply with the law in the future.
However, sensing USPS’ lack of interest in obeying the law, GVSHP drew up guidelines for how such sales should be governed, and urged USPS and the State and Federal agencies to adopt them (see www.gvshp.org/documents/USPSreview10-7.pdf); State Senator Liz Kruger, City Councilmember Margarita Lopez, the Historic Districts Council, and several community boards and community organizations joined us in urging these guidelines be adopted (see www.gvshp.org/documents/USPSreviewletters.pdf). However, in spite of insistent pressure by GVSHP, the guidelines were never adopted, and the agencies relied solely upon USPS’ word that they would obey the law in the future.
This week, GVSHP discovered that in spite of assurances to the contrary, USPS was seeking to yet again sell air rights without going though the mandated federal review, this time at the Canal Street Station at Church Street. GVSHP discovered that plans had been submitted by hotel developer Sam Chang to the Department of Buildings for a 20-story hotel on a neighboring lot which would utilize air rights from the Canal Street Post Office, with no required review of the sale having taken place.
In light of this most recent flagrant violation of the law, GVSHP has urged the State and Federal agencies to take swift action against USPS, and to implement the guidelines GVSHP has long proposed (see www.gvshp.org/documents/USPSreview8-25.pdf). USPS’ continued violation of the law results in overdevelopment of our neighborhoods and degradation of our historic landmarks and resources.
HOW TO HELP:
WRITE TO THE STATE and FEDERAL AGENCIES NOW urging them to take action against the Post Office for violating the law, and to implement GVSHP’s proposed guidelines for air rights sales to ensure the law is obeyed in the future. Go to www.gvshp.org/USPSletter.htm for a sample letter you can use.
Emergency Landmark Hearing for 128 East 13th Street: We are pleased to report that in a continuing show of strong resolve, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has scheduled an emergency meeting for Thursday, September 7th at 1:30 pm to consider landmark designation of 128 East 13th Street (see www.gvshp.org/stable.htm ), which faces an urgent threat of demolition. The scheduling of an emergency meeting is intended to ensure that the Commission has an opportunity to consider landmark designation before the owner is able to get permits to demolish or alter the building. We are thrilled that the Commission has been so interested in this rare and wonderful building, and that they were willing to act quickly upon information we provided them with about the immediate danger it faces.
A strong turnout at the hearing on the 7th will help ensure that the Commission follows through and saves the building through landmarking.
HOW TO HELP:
TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF LANDMARKING AT THE HEARING ON SEPTEMBER 7th; go to the LPC hearing room at One Centre Street (at Chambers Street), 9th floor, at 1:30 pm (bring photo ID to enter the building). Bring 12 copies of your testimony; that way even if you cannot or do not want to stay to testify, you can submit written testimony. Go to www.gvshp.org/128e13letter.htm for sample language you can use.
Zoning Protections Needed to Prevent More Mega-Dorms: On September 11th, the City is scheduled to bring its draft East Village/Lower East Side Rezoning Plan (www.gvshp.org/documents/EVRezoning.pdf) back to Community Board #3’s 197A Task Force for further discussion (the meeting is at 6:30 pm at University Settlement, 273 Bowery at Houston Street, rm. 1). GVSHP continues to urge that this largely very good and necessary plan be amended to include Third Avenue and the blocks to the west. These blocks are currently excluded and have some of the worst zoning in all the East Village, strongly encouraging the building of high-rise dorm and hotel towers, like the planned new NYU mega-dorm. See GVSHP’s op-ed recently published in the Villager on this subject at www.thevillager.com/villager_172/thirdavefeeze.html.
HOW TO HELP:
WRITE TO CITY PLANNING CHAIR AMANDA BURDEN NOW and urge her to include the 3rd Avenue corridor and the blocks to the west in the proposed East Village/Lower East Side Rezoning. Go to www.gvshp.org/zonelet.htm for sample letters you can use.
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE VILLAGER supporting the call for including these blocks in the rezoning. Write to [email protected] , and be sure to include your name and phone number (only your name will be printed).