Soho residents prefer open space to retail

Instead of a six-story retail space that the city proposed to erect on the southeast corner of Broadway and East Houston Street, Soho residents say they want open space, DNAinfo reported.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation is currently looking for ways to sell or rent the site, which is now used at as a Metropolitan Transportation Authority parking lot and an outdoor fruit vendor. The space could accommodate retail, commercial occupants or even tenants in light industrial occupations.

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However, local residents say they fear a worsening of the neighborhood’s hectic crush, with tourists and shoppers flocking to Broadway chain stores and boutiques. They told DNAinfo that a pedestrian plaza or an outdoor art installation would benefit the community more.

“I want a place where both Soho residents and tourists can come and relax,” Sean Sweeney, president of the Soho Alliance, told DNAinfo. [DNAinfo]