SoHo NoHo Rezoning Lawsuit
Donation protected
Demand an end to Mayor de Blasio's giveaway to his developer friends and campaign donors.
The city’s proposed SoHo/NoHo upzoning would allow new high-rise development on a massive scale here and in parts of Chinatown. The proposal also seeks to allow big-box chain stores to overrun our neighborhood.
Courtesy of MAS: model of SoHo/NoHo rezoning area showing projected (orange) and potential (yellow) development sites. New zoning applies to all lots in the area. The red line represents the rezoning boundary.
There has never been an upzoning in a single historic district in the 56 years of the Landmarks Preservation Commission's existence. The mayor and his developer cronies seek to destroy that legacy. The city’s plan is a gift to developers who have long chafed at not having a free hand to build what they want in historic districts. The City can do better. And the residents and businesses SoHo and NoHo deserve better.
A State Supreme Court justice on Thursday gave SoHo/NoHo a significant victory and handed the city a big setback when he denied the city's motion to dismiss our lawsuit. The judge also found that we have raised important issues regarding the city's handling of the public review portion of the rezoning procedure.
The judge concluded the hearing by asking both attorneys to submit any additional pleadings, setting the next court date for July 7. At that time he will likely decide whether to grant our motion for a preliminary injunction to halt the current rezoning review and to start the process all over in the correct legal manner.
We received further success during the court hearing when the city retreated from its prior position and conceded that the community board is free to hold in-person public meetings on the rezoning proposal, a victory for which we had long fought.
Prior to this reversal, City Planning maintained it would only engage in virtual Zoom meetings, knowing full well that the virtual format stifles public participation and allows the agency to muffle our voices and our collective presence – a clear violation of our First Amendment right of free speech, free expression, and free association.
Shortly after the hearing ended, City Planning contacted the community board to discuss plans for a public hearing, an admission and vindication of our position.
This court case is costing us a fortune. Successful attorneys do not come cheap.
We are on a roll in the courts. Contribute to our effort – and get us to the winning line. Please do your part to save your community. We cannot do it alone. We need you! Save the what's left of the character of NYC and it's downtown neighborhoods.
This fundraiser is for Soho Alliance, the organization bringing this lawsuit against the City. SoHo Alliance is a volunteer community organization founded in 1981. The Alliance is the successor to the SoHo Artists Association, founded in 1968, which legalized loft living in SoHo. In fact, it was at the SAA’s first meeting that the name “SoHo” was adopted and popularized. Our civic activism helped create SoHo and see it flourish.
"We are your neighborhood watchdogs. We work with elected officials and city agencies to ensure our community thrives. Our hotline [phone redacted] is available seven days a week to assist residents and businesses alike when a problem arises or questions need answered. We work controlling inappropriate development pressures. Our achievements in historic preservation have turned SoHo into one of the most renowned landmarked districts in the world. Our success at curtailing nightclubs and late-night bars has ensured a quiet neighborhood in the evening once the shoppers and tourists depart. We are involved with transportation issues that affect our neighborhood."
If you need assistance or have a question please do not hesitate to contact us: SoHo Alliance, PO Box 429, New York, NY 10012. Please follow us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/sohoalliance
The city’s proposed SoHo/NoHo upzoning would allow new high-rise development on a massive scale here and in parts of Chinatown. The proposal also seeks to allow big-box chain stores to overrun our neighborhood.
Courtesy of MAS: model of SoHo/NoHo rezoning area showing projected (orange) and potential (yellow) development sites. New zoning applies to all lots in the area. The red line represents the rezoning boundary.There has never been an upzoning in a single historic district in the 56 years of the Landmarks Preservation Commission's existence. The mayor and his developer cronies seek to destroy that legacy. The city’s plan is a gift to developers who have long chafed at not having a free hand to build what they want in historic districts. The City can do better. And the residents and businesses SoHo and NoHo deserve better.
A State Supreme Court justice on Thursday gave SoHo/NoHo a significant victory and handed the city a big setback when he denied the city's motion to dismiss our lawsuit. The judge also found that we have raised important issues regarding the city's handling of the public review portion of the rezoning procedure.
The judge concluded the hearing by asking both attorneys to submit any additional pleadings, setting the next court date for July 7. At that time he will likely decide whether to grant our motion for a preliminary injunction to halt the current rezoning review and to start the process all over in the correct legal manner.
We received further success during the court hearing when the city retreated from its prior position and conceded that the community board is free to hold in-person public meetings on the rezoning proposal, a victory for which we had long fought.
Prior to this reversal, City Planning maintained it would only engage in virtual Zoom meetings, knowing full well that the virtual format stifles public participation and allows the agency to muffle our voices and our collective presence – a clear violation of our First Amendment right of free speech, free expression, and free association.
Shortly after the hearing ended, City Planning contacted the community board to discuss plans for a public hearing, an admission and vindication of our position.
This court case is costing us a fortune. Successful attorneys do not come cheap.
We are on a roll in the courts. Contribute to our effort – and get us to the winning line. Please do your part to save your community. We cannot do it alone. We need you! Save the what's left of the character of NYC and it's downtown neighborhoods.
This fundraiser is for Soho Alliance, the organization bringing this lawsuit against the City. SoHo Alliance is a volunteer community organization founded in 1981. The Alliance is the successor to the SoHo Artists Association, founded in 1968, which legalized loft living in SoHo. In fact, it was at the SAA’s first meeting that the name “SoHo” was adopted and popularized. Our civic activism helped create SoHo and see it flourish.
"We are your neighborhood watchdogs. We work with elected officials and city agencies to ensure our community thrives. Our hotline [phone redacted] is available seven days a week to assist residents and businesses alike when a problem arises or questions need answered. We work controlling inappropriate development pressures. Our achievements in historic preservation have turned SoHo into one of the most renowned landmarked districts in the world. Our success at curtailing nightclubs and late-night bars has ensured a quiet neighborhood in the evening once the shoppers and tourists depart. We are involved with transportation issues that affect our neighborhood."
If you need assistance or have a question please do not hesitate to contact us: SoHo Alliance, PO Box 429, New York, NY 10012. Please follow us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/sohoalliance
Organizer and beneficiary
Soho Alliance
Organizer
New York, NY
John Sweeney
Beneficiary