Tuesday, January 28th the Board of Standards and Appeals will rule on LW’s Appeal of 50 W. 66th Street. Will they listen to reason? Will they listen to every elected official representing the district, when every single one of then has urged them to revoke the permits for 50 W. 66th Street?
“This is not simply a case of a developer exploiting zoning loopholes to produce a building larger than expected. This is a case of a developer creating zoning loopholes to produce a building whose height is unsafe, grossly out-of-context with the surrounding community, and blatantly contrary to the intent of the zoning resolution.”
“The developer has failed to prove that such an unprecedented, oversized void is required for proper mechanical functioning of the structure. The City should not tolerate this abuse of the zoning and building codes.”
“…the proposed building utilizes 239 feet of empty space to boost the tower’s height and extract the most money they can for luxury apartments with views of Central Park. In my opinion, that is excessive, dangerous for first responders to traverse, and should be against the law. How is this building’s construction, predicated on flagrant exemptions from zoning, not plainly rejected?“
“Rubberstamping the plans for the development now…broadcasts to the developers citywide that BSA is weak and when challenged, will stand with developers who have violated the letter and spirit of the law and not the people in the communities it should serve.”
“The 50 West 66th Street development is an abuse of zoning regulations, is contextually out of scale, and would set a terrible precedent for future proposed developments. I strongly urge the BSA to revoke the permits for this supertall tower.”
“What we are seeing, once again, is the use of a loophole that serves to boost the building’s height beyond what is allowed by our city’s zoning and building code regulations.”
“To permit this development to move forward as proposed sets a dangerous message to other developers who will surely seek similarly unjustified mechanical deductions for their buildings.”
“Our experience clearly shows that BSA’s process inherently favors developers. I’m asking the BSA in the strongest terms possible to step out of its narrow rules and take a stand for our community and the zoning guidelines established to protect it.”
Finally, each of the above, joined by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, submitted this letter to the BSA, stating:
“…a ruling that every elected official representing the area has argued was ill-conceived and directly contrary to the intent of the Lincoln Square Special District.”
“The developer has failed to show that the oversized supposed ‘mechanical spaces’ are required or related to any proper mechanical, residential or accessory function of the structure. The [DOB’s] failure to verify the locations and spacing of any mechanical equipment in these spaces cannot be used to sanction their existence.“
“The BSA has a duty to place a check on DOB’s obstructive tactics and willful disregard of the very valid objectives raised to the developer’s inappropriate attempt to flout City Planning and zoning rules with an absurdly large and unwarranted mechanical space.”
“We strongly urge the BSA to revoke the permits for this supertall tower.”
SEE YOU ON TUESDAY January 28th!
There will be no public testimony–but a strong community presence will show the BSA that we expect them to uphold their commitment to the people of NYC, and do their jobs fairly, rationally, and without prejudice.
Come out to 22 Reade Street at 10 am