The Landmarks Preservation Commission will be holding its next meeting on the massive Gansevoort Development project Tuesday, February 9th. It’s important that they receive as many emails as possible reminding them how strongly our community opposes this project (copies will also be sent to our local elected officials). Please send a message now (and please send this message even if you have already signed our petition)!
| [emailpetition id=”6″] |
Dear Chair Srinivasan,
I strongly oppose the proposal to transform the scale of Gansevoort Street and profoundly alter its market character. The planned 120′ and 98′ tall structures would be grossly out-of-scale and out-of-character with this block and the surrounding market buildings.
In 2003, the Landmarks Preservation Commission chose to landmark Gansevoort Street in its current low-scale market configuration, the form in which it has existed for the past 75 years. The Commission did so for good reason.
The LPC’s designation report is clear: the Gansevoort Market Historic District – and the Gansevoort block in particular – was designated to preserve the area’s unique market character and history. The Gansevoort block is the only remaining intact block consisting entirely of one- and two-story market buildings in the Historic District.
The 1930’s alteration of the Gansevoort buildings from residential to low-scale market structures, as the designation report explicitly states, represents an essential phase in the district’s history: a time when the market expanded due to innovative new transportation projects and great economic change. The market buildings of the Gansevoort block in their current form exemplify precisely the history and character that the Landmark designation is intended to protect. They should be preserved for posterity, not demolished or transformed beyond recognition.
Additionally, let’s get the facts straight. The developers’ proposed structures would be nearly twice as tall as the 5-story tenements they claim they wish to replicate. The pre-1930’s buildings were almost certainly no higher than 60′. The new structures would be 98′ and 120′ tall (including mechanicals). This is in part because the new structures would be 6 and 8-stories tall, not 5-stories, and partly because of the new structures’ extremely large 14-15′ floor-to-ceiling heights.
I urge you to reject this misguided plan.
Sincerely,
The developers of this entirely inappropriate development are cynical and greedy. I live 2 blocks down Gansvoort Street from this site and think it will ruin that stretch of Gansvoort. I work in real estate and favor reasonable and responsible development. And no one in this neighborhood is opposed to responsible development – but this plan is obviously no such thing. It’s naked greed and arrogance attempting to make a mockery of what Landmarks Preservation is all about.
The developer’s ‘push poll’ claiming neighborhood support doesn’t pass any reasonable ‘sniff’ test: going far beyond the true neighborhood to find respondents who are not real stakeholders, manipulative questions, not revealing questions asked – all lead to bogus poll results. There is a famous maxim in the polling industry – you can get any answer you want if you design the questions in the ‘right’ way.”
Hopefully the LPC and Mayor’s Office will see this plan for what it truly is – nonsense.
LPC members: Gansevoort Street should remain low rise. We count on you to perform your duties as Preservation Commission members, to protect our heritage. We have owned a house on Jane Street for over 50 years and are appalled at the lax standards that prevail today in our neighborhood. Assisting developers in making money is not your job. This is a scandal. Sincerely, Bunny Gabel
As a (former) resident, 30 years as tenant and coop shareholder of 61 Horatio Streetboard member, president, block activist – etc – and Architect – I NEVER KNEW until reading this post that the buildings on Gansevoort were originally residential. Of course, it makes perfect sense – but I always wondered at their odd character for commercial meat processing ! The point being that that increases their unique quality and value – the buildings of themselves as buildings are not intrinsically valuable. But the context, history, rhythm, street presence and character – irreplaceable.
Thank you, Save Gansevoort for all you are doing – and those of us who have lived in this beloved corner of the city over the decades and centuries – we are deeply grateful.
A resident of Horatio Street for 30 years I am saddened and angry to see the destruction of our neighborhood by greedy developers. The residents, and elected officials all vehemently oppose this development. The developers obviously don’t understand preservation as they deem this block blight- keep in mind the High Line and Soho were also symbols of blight. We implore landmarks to stand with the neighborhood and reject this oversized and poorly conceived development.
As a resident of Horatio Street for 56 years, I could not possibly say it better than Bunny Gabel. This is indeed a scandal and t is time for the Preservation Commission to represent the People and, yes, Preserve the heritage and history of the community.