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The Paper of Record for Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933
May 28, 2015 • $1.00 Volume 84 • Number 52
Mayor brings new focus and funding to suffering public-housing system BY ZACH WILLIAMS
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NYCHA, continued on p. 8
City Planning tweaks heights in zoning plan, but concern is still high BY ZACH WILLIAMS
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he city has scaled back its plans to raise height limits in contextual zoning districts within some parts of Chelsea, but proposed changes remain that could result in buildings as much as 30 feet taller than rules currently allow.
PHOTO BY CLAYTON PATTERSON
ayor Bill de Blasio plans to transform the New York City Housing Authority by streamlining operations, raising tenant fees, shifting funding and seeking partnerships with private developers. The authority’s finances
have only further deteriorated in recent years with nearly $17 billion in outstanding repairs among its 334 housing developments and an overall $1 billion loss in operating revenue since 2001. Years of divestment by the state and federal governments requires that the city
City planners are in the midst of outreach to local community boards regarding the plan to increase affordable housing by loosening construction restrictions in order to maximize the permitted space within buildings. Community Board 4 was the first board in Manhattan to receive ZONING, continued on p. 9
L.E.S. documentarian Clayton Patterson recently covered Austria’s Wildstyle and Tattoo Messe, where Enigma, above, was quite the cutup. For more photos, see Page 24.
Will Board 2 drum loud music out of Wash. Sq.? BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
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ashington Square Park is known around the world as the iconic heart of Greenwich Village. Just shy of 10 acres, the landmarked park is famed for its freewheeling spirit — and, as an expression of that, its music. However, Community Board 2 is now set to take a hard look at whether it might be time to rein in things a bit in the park, specifically loud music, such as
people playing full drum sets and other percussion (white spackle buckets, pots and pans) and trumpets, among others, as well as the times when tunes can be played. The board’s Executive Committee recently discussed possible measures that could be implemented, including a “quiet area” in the park, possible limits on hours when music can be played and banning certain types of instruments from particular parts of the park.
The issues will be aired further at the upcoming C.B. 2 Parks and Waterfront Committee meeting on Wed., June 3, at 6:30 p.m., at the N.Y.U. Silver Building, at 32 Waverly Place. It’s possible that the committee could draft an advisory resolution with specific recommendations, which would then be voted on by the full C.B. 2 board and become the board’s official position on the park. Of course, any move to MUSIC, continued on p. 10
Slings mud but is slammed by V.I.D...............page 2 Win-win solution for Eliz. St. Garden.............page 6 Gerson and Clyde movin’ ’n’ groovin’.............page 27 The Upper Room elevates...........page 21
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