The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development wants to remove a restriction that limits a city-sold lot at 1678 Park Avenue in Manhattan to parking, so a sponsor can build a 222-unit building that would be 100% affordable, according to a city notice published Oct. 20. A public hearing is set for Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. at the Harlem Library.
What is proposed
The city conveyed 1678 Park Avenue (Block 1745, Lot 134) to NYC Partnership Housing Development Fund Company, Inc. on Dec. 13, 2001, under a deed and land disposition agreement. Those documents require the site to follow the original Milbank Frawley Circle-East Urban Renewal Plan, approved by the City Planning Commission and the City Council in 1992. That plan bars residential development within 100 feet of Park Avenue and restricts the site to parking.
On Nov. 30, 2017, the City Council amended the plan to allow housing within 100 feet of Park Avenue. The deed and agreement for this parcel still require compliance with the original plan, the notice says.
The sponsor plans one 100% affordable residential building financed by NYCHA, with 222 units and 80 parking spaces, the notice says. HPD would amend the deed and agreement to remove the parking-only restriction, require compliance with the 2017 amendment, which is in effect until Dec. 14, 2057, and add new restrictions requiring that the site be developed as a 100% affordable project.
The same hearing covers a similar change at nearby 1700 Park Avenue, where a sponsor plans a 213-unit mixed-use building with at least 64 affordable units.
What the notice does not say
The notice does not give income levels or rents for the 222 apartments, a construction timeline, a project cost or the amount of NYCHA financing. It also does not say how the site is used today or what happens to any existing parking while the building goes up.
How to participate
The hearing is Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. at the Harlem Library, 224 East 125th Street, Manhattan. Anyone who wishes to be heard will have a chance to speak.
A public file with the calendar document and other public records will be available for review at the office of Manhattan Community Board 11 at least 20 days before the hearing.
For accommodations such as sign language interpretation, contact the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services at disabilityaffairs@mocs.nyc.gov or 212-298-0734 at least three business days before the hearing.
