City outlines East Harlem rezoning proposal

Plan would allow taller buildings, create special districts

City officials on Tuesday presented zoning changes in East Harlem that would allow buildings up to 30 stories tall.

The Department of City Planning laid out a rezoning plan for the neighborhood that would pave the way for buildings of up to 30 stories along part of East 125th Street and Park Avenue between 115th and 124th streets, Politico reported. The plan would also create districts within the rezoning area with their own set of specific rules. For instance, a “special transit land use district” would require developments adjacent to the Second Avenue subway platforms to set aside space for the rail and infrastructure.

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Though East Harlem was one of seven neighborhoods pegged for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program, city officials on Tuesday didn’t specify how much affordable housing would be created under the rezoning.

In February, City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Manhattan borough president Gale Brewer and East Harlem’s community board released a 138-report laying out community concerns over a possible rezoning . The community board will discuss the rezoning proposal again next month.

The de Blasio administration has struggled to muscle through Mandatory Inclusionary Housing rezonings in Sunnyside and Inwood. [Politico] — Kathryn Brenzel