Our Town - March 21, 2019

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The local paper for the Upper East Side

WEEK OF MARCH MIRÓ: POETRY IN PICTURES ◄ P.12

21-27 2019

UES ‘CONDO ON STILTS’ PAUSED

Also inside:

DEVELOPMENT DOB raises fire safety concerns related to void space in East 62nd Street tower BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Mayor Bill de Blasio pitched an ambitious plan last week to prepare Lower Manhattan for the projected impacts of climate change by literally transforming the island’s waterfront. The proposal would push the shoreline anywhere from 50 to 500 feet into the East River along a roughly onemile stretch of Lower Manhattan’s east side between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Battery. The new land would serve as an elevated flood barrier protecting the Financial District and South Street Seaport area from future sea-level rise and storm surge events.

As the city prepares to tighten restrictions on developers’ use of mechanical voids — large, empty spaces within buildings that primarily serve to inflate the height, views and market value of the floors above — a planned Upper East Side tower frequently cited by critics as among the most egregious examples of the practice is in limbo as the Department of Buildings evaluates void-related objections concerning the project. The developers of the proposed 510-foot residential building at 249 East 62nd St. — derided by critics as a “condo on stilts,” in reference to the 150-foot void between its base and top 12 residential floors — face additional scrutiny from DOB regarding potential fire safety issues posed by the tower’s large void space, much of which is classified for zoning purposes as outdoor area. The DOB notified local elected officials and land use advocates March 4 that it had requested the developer provide “written approval from the [New York City Fire Department] concerning the proposed conditions at the intermediate level outdoor space, including but not limited to FDNY emergency access and safety operations.” The agency’s objections to the project mirror concerns raised by State Sen. Liz Krueger, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Upper East Side City Council Members Keith Powers and Ben Kallos, and the local nonprofit group Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, who had formally requested weeks earlier that DOB refer the project to FDNY. “In the event of an emergency, first responders are going to be called upon to run up hundreds of feet of empty build-

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Post-Sandy flooding near South Street Seaport: Photo: NYC Department of Small Business

RESHAPING LOWER MANHATTAN ENVIRONMENT Mayor proposes expanding the downtown shoreline up to 500 feet into East River to protect city from impacts of climate change BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

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Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts

THE DAY THE MUSIC LIVED▲ P.6

LADIES WHO HOOP▲ P.8

HUMOR AND HUMAN NATURE ▲ P.14

The Department of City Planning’s proposal to reign in mechanical voids applies only to certain residential zoning districts, shown in this map. The agency plans to expand the geographic scope of the rule change in a follow-up proposal later this year. Image: Department of City Planning

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Restaurant Ratings Business Real Estate 15 Minutes

In the event of an emergency, first responders are going to be called upon to run up hundreds of feet of empty building to rescue people in these apartments.” Council Member Ben Kallos

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Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, March 22 – 6:52 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastrside.com.

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