City Council subcommittee approves upzoning for Chelsea Market

The City Council zoning subcommittee today approved the upzoning of the Chelsea Market block, which will potentially allow Jamestown Properties to build its expansion atop the Chelsea Market structure. Next comes the full Council vote, which is slated for Oct. 30 and will be the final word on whether the plan can move forward.

However, the approval of the subcommittee is considered to be a last step for the project, as the full Council almost never votes against its subcommittees, Crain’s reported.

The expansion has been met with controversy from neighborhood groups.

“The Council committee’s vote is deeply disappointing,” Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said in a statement. “There are a million places in Chelsea and other parts of Manhattan where this type of development could go; putting it on top of an historic landmark, at an intersection already bursting at the seams with traffic, and where it will cast a shadow on the High Line park, just makes no sense.”

As reported today, Jamestown agreed to amend two aspects of the expansion proposal: the developer will not alter certain exterior elements of the complex or change the windows of the façade, though the full agreement has not been revealed.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who represents the district and whose vote is crucial for the plan, has remained mum on her position regarding the proposal, as previously reported. Quinn was noticeably absent during a public hearing on the expansion on Tuesday. — Zachary Kussin