Our Town - March 28, 2019

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The local paper for the Upper East Side

WEEK OF MARCH-APRIL MIRROR IMAGES ◄ P.14

28-3 2019

NEW DETAILS ON DOWNTOWN JAIL PLAN

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POLICY City to commence public land use review process for 450-foottall detention complex in Lower Manhattan

KEEPING MEASLES OUT OF MANHATTAN ▲ P.2 This database will identify vacancy trends throughout the city, spot areas where vacancies are rapidly increasing and identify specific property owners and managers who demonstrate a pattern of forcing out small business.”

BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has shared new details regarding the contentious plan to build a new jail in Lower Manhattan — a crucial component of its effort to close the notorious Rikers Island jails — as it prepares to move forward with public review of the project. The city’s proposal calls for the existing Manhattan Detention Complex at 124-125 White Street, known colloquially as the Tombs, to be demolished and replaced with a new, larger jail facility. The latest plans, detailed in a draft environmental impact statement issued March 22, contemplate a new 1.27 million square foot jail tower that would be 450 feet tall and have a capacity of 1,437 beds. Administration officials said at a March 22 press briefing that the new jail’s proposed height and capacity were reduced in response to community concerns. Earlier plans called for a tower 45 feet taller and with 73 more beds. These changes were announced as the city prepares to initiate the extensive uniform land use review procedure, or ULURP, for the project, which has encountered significant opposition from some Chinatown residents in recent months. The proposed Manhattan jail is one

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Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer A 2017 study conducted by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer counted 188 empty storefronts on Broadway in Manhattan. A new bill would create a citywide tracking system for commercial vacancies. Photo: Steven Strasser

FDNY SIGNS OFF ON WEST 66TH ST TOWER VOID ▲ P.5

BILL PROPOSES VACANT STOREFRONT REGISTRY BUSINESS Council legislation would require city to track retail vacancies BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Though Manhattan residents and elected officials have long bemoaned the prevalence of vacant storefronts lining the borough’s commercial corridors, the city does not collect official

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statistics on retail occupancy rates. This could change under a bill now being considered by the City Council. The legislation, introduced by Upper West Side Council Member Helen Rosenthal, would require property owners to notify the city’s Department of Small Business Services when a storefront has been vacant for more than 90 days. The data collected by the agency, including the length of and reasons for each vacancy, would be made available in an online regis-

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try. Owners who fail to register would face weekly fines of $1,000. A second bill sponsored by Rosenthal would require Department of Small Business Services to maintain a public database encompassing every storefront in the city that would disclose information on each space’s location, size, monthly rent, current use and occupancy status, among other information.

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FOR IMMIGRANTS: SANCTUARY AND LEGAL HELP ▲ P.18 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, March 29 – 6:59 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastrside.com.

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