TRANSCRIPT OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 12,1960

in the matter of ....

Comprehensive Amendment of the Zoning Resolution of The City of New York

Borough of Manhattan'

C.P. 15820

VOLUME:3

I ]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

)

)

I , I I

PUBLIC HEARING

before the

CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

in the matter of a

PROPOSED COMPREHENSIVE AMENDMENT Pursuant to Section 200 of the New York City Charter

of the

ZONING RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

consisting of

TEXT AND MAPS

Held at C HaUl Borough of Manhattan

Beginning on September 12 I 1960 I and continued on September 13 and 14 I 1960.

CONTINUED HEft.RING - PROPOSED ZONING MAPS FOR THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN September 121 1960

CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

James Felt I Chairman Francis J. Bloustein l

Vice-Chairman Abraham M. Lindenbaum Goodhue Livingston; Jr. Lawrence M. Orton Michael A .. Provenzano James G .. Sweeney

Commissioners

Pauline J .. Malter, Secretary

II 2.

* INDEX OF SPEAKERS - SEPTEMBER 12, 1960 - MANHATTAN

'] SEeaker Page No.

. ,~ :6 August, Barnett

''"' .»

(commun . ) 3

DeRha.m , Henry (commun 0 ) 9

I] .. Diether, Dori s (commun. ) 12

Hollyer, Mrs . Hilda 16

i ) Marvin, i.'.filliam F. 5

Redlich, Norman 6 ~-

Rusch, Lis L o (commun. ) 3

Steinert, Elsa 9 ~.

~

Walt ers, Phil i p S. 15

Zuckerman , Gabriel 4

>:c INDEX OF ORGANIZATIONS - SEPTEMBER 12, 1960 - MANHATTAN

Organization Page No.

Association of Village Homeowners 5, 16

Chelsea Committee for Neighborhood Deve~op- 4 ment

East Sid e Chamber of Commerce 3

Hous i ng Committee of Greenwi ch Vil l age Assn. 6

Save The Village Committee 12

Washington Square Assn. 9 Washington Square Methodist

Church 15

Yorkville Civic Council 3

(*See al so index in Volume VI of this transcript)

II ]

]

]

]

1 ]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

to read:

, statements of)

3

- 5: P M

THE MATTER OF THE PROPOSED COMPREHENSIVE AI\!1ENDMENT TION 200 NEW YORK OF THE ZONING RESOLUTION

THE C ,STING 5820)

FELT: I a statement from Yorkville

Street, Manhattan, a a telegram

S Chamber of Commerce, address to me and

C ssion, I been asked

LIS L. RUSCH, YORKVILLE CIVIC COUNCIL (statement of)

1960.

ftThe Yorkv Civic Council wholeheartedly supports the

proposed zoning regu:l.ations and urges immediate approval of the.'new

to replace the obsolete resolution of 1916." L. Rus , Vice President"

BARNETT AUGUST, EAST SIDE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (statement of)

"Hon. James Felt, Chairman, City Planning Commission,

City Hall, N.Y Please record our approval of the proposed zoning

changes. Our Organizat endorses your program." "Barnett August,

cut Director, East Side Chamber of Commerce. u

CHAIRMAN FELT: (continuing) I have the names of

before me and I shall call the first four! so that you

order of your appearance:

Gabriel Zuckerman, William J lv'f.arvin, Norman Redlich

inert. lv'lr Zuckerman?

I I

1 J J J

1

1 ]

]

I

J

J

J

]

Zuckerman M4

GABRIEL ZUCKERMAN, CHELSEA COMMITTEE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT

MR. ZUCKERMAN: Chairman Felt, gentlemen of the City

Commission: I am Gabriel Zuckerman, Chairman of the

Planning Committee, Chelsea Committee for Neighborhood

lopment.

The Chelsea Committee for Neighborhood Development endorses

modernization of the Zoning Code as expressed in the basic prin-

iples of the new proposed zoning regulations.

The new zoning regulations, with the one-map system,

floor area ratio, open space ratio, allows flexibility and proper

planning for the New York City of the future.

Chelsea, in the heart of Manhattan, is a neighborhood

typical of others which will benefit greatly from the new zoning laws.

Chelsea has suffered because some areas had been zoned "unrestricted".

This created incompatible uses, with indus~rial buildings creating

hardships for the occupants of adjacent residential buildings and

vice versa. The new laws would correct this and create a sounder

b~,is for real estate investment 0

Excessive density of population has blighted Chelsea.

Hospital, welfare, health, recreation, sanitation and police services

have been unjustifiably high in cost compared to the size of

eaTs population. The new zoning laws would check exeesive

n density.

At present, heavy traffic rambles through Chelsea's

residential streets, parking facilities are inadequate, and

retail shopping areas on the fringe of Chelsea have lost

ial volume of business to the more spacious shopping centers

I ]

]

] ]

Zuckerman - Marvin M 5

suburbs where roads are easier to travel and parking

s are more adequate.

The new zoning regulations will take cognizance of

ion and park fac it s, recreational space, the

ne a e people need to and work in.

all these reasons the people of Chelsea hope for the

enactment of the zoning resolution.

CHAIR~AN FELT: Thank you, sir.

iam F. Marvin.

~~~~~~~ __ =-N, representing himself •

• MARVIN: 11m a homeowner on West 9th Street, and I am

a er of the Association of Village Homeowners, and I'm speaking

on behalf of West 8th Street which, I believe, in the new Zoning

Resolution, will be scaled down to Zone 4 and 5 where it should be

C-l.

These terms don't mean much to me, but the idea back of

them means a great deal. Eighth Street is the main street of the

Village, and if the Village -- if 8th Street is left open to garages

and theatres, the entire character of, in one sense, the central

core of the spiritual thing about the village will be literally

wiped out.

Ifm acquainted with the City of Boston. There is an area

that is fifty acres square, I've been told, where you can't

a door or you can't alter a roof because these buildings are

to ally and traditionally significiant. As a result~ Boston is a

in - Redl ch

o 1 ura 0 n~ r. A~o Itect ally, i i s

mos nt r sti Cit in h or or i th Un1t

M 6

re ar .... d as

s~ t "

a y, aze a gr at th_

ork Cit. I tre _ly ha py ~ t

e

a ohit

t 1

t , n1 solu

d I can 0 ly s

,

lure

h 'lIla

not 0 ly put a s top to .

t t t at

_oul v r as11 be a te

80

hol

no cabJ b r joint

t has b e scaled d n to

1 mg hat l'm sU!'e

shabb sho s and

t. I b Ii ve the

exa pIes,

t at i 1 a QUs tak an w 11 mat ria 1y the

City . a r of eau 1 1 Yo ...

I _1v on 9th S re t, an talking abo:.\''-.

8 1 by k J 1 de 1 "a 8 r1cted

u I on l thi 4-hi 1s es •

you.

I • e lich 8 nt?

V llag A on.

• LICH: C

Co 10n:

on

I1ch" Cha

c at on

•

h I 0

lt,

in Co t o rep 10

mb r 01 th Cit Plannin

of ,

_mber 0 th Bo g

1 of e

I ]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

I

em

h

se

"

e

seen the

s

M 7

on b

is

f statement

omment

n of

to meet

nee New York

Greenwich Village

an -moded

area such as

cted influx

has had to cope

re 9 commerc and industrial

c areas o We know that our

of a c pattern re ing from forty-

amendments to the 1916 resolutiono It has

east c a new Zoning solution

ee s s new reso1ut

a

e ause i.n t area of our i concern,

Re re zes the benefit to

st res ter of our

h

]

]

]

to

Gre

proper zoning is but an element the continuing

se ends is perhaps the mo ess

Association

pleased to

ee Greenwich

Associat

the of C

through to s

our Committee has

be ado

self

Planning which created

en aware that if the

us who

some reservat must

unti

prepared to

se)me s object

en adoptedo the Village, have

nc new e fe

I ]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

soc

name 1s

I

was

wi

US,>

M 9

over

are neces

period?

s re-

area.

Executive

a memo

be

area,

your staff,

s, howeverjl

I

]

]

s teinert M 10

w'e di.d not express to you our great c oncer n over any zoning

p:r'cJposa l whi ch might e ndanger t he charact er of t he Village as a

ial and cul t ura l c Olnmun i t y.

!l I n our letter t o you of March 21" 1960 we lis t ed cer tain

amendmenl;:;s toth6 196::0 proposed zoning maps which we f elt were

lmpoI'tant to fo s ter the proper development of the V:U,lage ~ We under-

stood i.n subsequent cor.:ference s with member s of. your s t aff t ha t

there were no major ob;ject ions from a social " political" or planning

point of view to the proposals we made , and that our proposals

wer e in harmony with the Commission ' s obje ctive of improvi ng the

Vill age area as a better place i n which to live and work. We

f 1.:rtd now t ha·t the pre sent Pl."'oposed zoning maps r eflect only a few

of the change s we sugges ted.

!J We r ealize , of course , t hat zoning i n se i s not the

complete answer to t he i. lls which may be set a part icula.l community,

but we be li,eve very s tr'ongly that the change s we s uggested would ha.'qe

a tendency to !!up gr ade!! the area , and that unle ss these change s

ar'eJ in f a c;t 9 made there would be a tendency towards 'the opposite

d :lr'\7;ction o We also realize that the dlff erences may i n many cases

'be of' opinion and no" of policy and i n this r espect, we are en=

~::.: cruraged 'by the assur"anc:es of the Commission that the s e ma tters may

'be dIscussed fully and care f ully during the gr'ace per i od with a

'\'!' re 6Ql v1.ng any di.ffer ences of opinion c

II Among the sperdfic aJ':'eas '!tJi:th whieh we a1.'"e part i cularly

ar1e the We s t 8th Stree t - - Village Squar e ne i.ghb orhood,

West

along 5tho9

to 16th

South East

side of

where a

are not more

been given

discussed

We wish"

our opinions

upon an

the different

apply to

II We

in the

tion of our

we are

and we

And I have a

you, Mro

just

as

as we

a

area"

as

nn,"",;F->Y" Square and

MIl

area

13th

of the

West Village

is burgeoning.. We

memorandum because our opinion has

these matters will not be

of res

areas in the

on ..

that

based

~f

must

city ..

expressions of cooperation

II

spoke

M;r"

Commiss

mueho

I

me

solu-

morning

ion

as possible ..

to

me.. I have

ident

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

]

(statement M

ee and I dongt th would

the ent statement o It wi

I wi re st para=

e ct summarizes ontent o

read the s

tex

ptember , 1960

Members of the New c

r ~ c sident of Waverly e 9 New York

"Save Village" wishes to go on record as support-

sed Comprehensive Amendment of the Zoning Resolution tt •

"I would to mention a few facts about our "Save the

n Committee for those who may not know who we are o At pre~

a rna list about 1,000 people, approximately

o represent income

in co er flats with rentals of $16 0 00 a month,

se such as residents Washington Square Village with

a month o We represent people who were born and

and have lived there for or sixty years~

omers within s month 0 mem~

s 1 e s drivers,

s of ourse, ers, painters and musicians 0 We re-

owners and tenants o Desp e s cross=section

of the popul

Vlllag rs •

•

in mind a all ,

'Were ell

,

areas ot the 01 ·7, 1

zonlng d1strl t or

of narrow s 8

small shops an

histor1c nat

and 'We a v ry a

erg,- to do th1s.

s atement of) M 13

s t OUPi all

maps of his zo inS, e kept

ts _ are r prese :Lng . We

s eo la1 lems our ar a posed. In many

ls possi ·0 zan larg sections into one

r lthout much difficulty; but 1n our area

to

i its ~ of r sldences,

pani s, and 1th lts plcturesque and

a 10ally a block-by-block study,

.. 8 C mm1 slon tor taking the time and

-In s udytn t 18 r isl0, e were pleased to notice several

changes in h t t

map chang s 10

Naturally

SOIDe ltems

belleve that

ere undoubte

not str1ct enough. On

orlglnal, or m

wlthout d pr

sugge

1

10n

g

n hp p •

a orable to our area, and several

1 h our concept of he neighborhood.

as arge-scal as s, re re

In some plaees we

g 0 s e r th provisions , for hioh you

a p... BS e , result in their now be1ng

o

suggested changes back to the

atls~ th opposltion partly,

e f el is n cessary. These

ay, 1 ho ha t l'

hi sugg s- ..

ana on 0'

con ra ... $

ill •. As yo

almost a co

preser e t ehara

not only t h u1l

fough e

(5 a tement of) 14

no -s_ o j ct! to con d as

sag of t h Zon g t. On

0 f t s oo r han 1 t

e have n aging

in 0 ar o al down the mol i 10n and

r of t ... n i hhorhood 0 By c ract~r , e mean

gS a ~ al 0 t e people he live t ere . We have

by o 0 h zo ing amendment

you p sBod or our a ea o hich w f el ere

unjustif s 1 r gard 0 h ne zoning

when i t goea i n 0 ffec •

IIIn thi s mat r specla lly interested in the section

on Varianc S , an our a~to_·.eys t ell u s that t his s ction Bets up much

stricter co _tion

also pI as a 0

bulk regulat ion

as a plac to

and decent-siz

accomplish

the cl y

" gOing on i n G

Heigh s -- h

forcing-o

slowe d r: I

11 r s who e a. We ere

o av S, ani 19b

ral lor 0 ,... a o Th Vill ag is popular

0 ~ a " small- Ie i l ings,

i h t. the n zoning hopes to

10 IS of he oi " i t is s c ssful,

l a ce to o k in 1 e "

C ... 1 and r a s , a is n

g B okl

l a a , d e

s -- " 0 at leaat

a 0 B il ing

I 'I I ~ i

~ ] '<:'

i

J LJ

I ]

Watters Di ether (statement of ) M 15

will still go on, but it will be Q.~~ned building, wit h provi s i on

made for open space, l iveable apartments. and a stable population

with corresponding l and val ueso

"We think that. rathe r than being too hasty ~ this zoning

has been t oo s low i n comingo The sooner it goes i nto effe c t the

easier our fight will be o We urge it be passed as soon as possible.

Thank you. 1t

CHAIRMAN FE1T ~ Madame Sec retary, please i nclude this in the

record. Is Mr . Canevar i pre sent?

He spoke this morning and I think he wished to speak this

afternoon , but it may be that t he statement he made this morning

covered the remarks t hat he wished to present to us .

Harol d Do Collins; i s Mr . Collins present? (no response)

Rober t C. Weinber go He spoke this morning.

MISS STEINERT : I was speaking for himo He vs Chairman of

our Committee.

CHAI RMAN FELT: Thank you.o Reverend Philip Watters?

REVEREND PHILIP S o WATTERS~ represent i ng Washington Square

Methodist Church.

Mro Cha i rman» IVm t he mi nis ter of Washington Square

Methodist Chur ch on 4th Street o The l ast speaker whom I heard really

gave express i on to 'what has been my own think i ng » namely, that we

want to preserve as far as we can the cultural values and the ideals of

Greenwich Vi l. lageo

I ]

J J J J

J J ]

.'" J

]

]

]

]

it a

think was

bus

brated

vers

times

versi one

tremendously

region so c se

School and the res

disservice to our c

Thank

CHAIRMAN

Does

Village Home Owners o

I spoke

CHAIRMAN

record?

M

d

we

e

I m that some=

two 9 New

C 0 + to be v

we 4th Street and the rest of that

ers e $49 000 Law

ems to me we 9re do a very great

o

o

heard on mapping Manhattan?

cut Member, Association of

morning and my name is in for this afternoonD

T: we name~ ase s for

'.··.1 1 i

~l

1 J J J ]

]

J J ]

]

']

]

J

]

]

']

Assoc t

and

s

gest, I wi

appropriate

its ma

shoppingo It

mere uses

in the

the commerc

pressure,

situation

neighborhood

We

would

Street to

scale commerc

I

ree

e

as

act o

M

rongly

about

our za-

with

s com-

and by sufferance and

W

by

i permits

s would create

and

a

the

of 8th

restri

rounding

gardens

add so

height

in

swallowed

for same

think a

tions~

all individual

historical

mapping

;)

o o

sur-

s

Q . general

s be

avenues are

.. We

situa-

..

as a ?

ss

re

ne

"

reces unt

Boroughs of

y subject

"

ro

e

Commiss "

at

"