Community Corner
City Council Hearing Set For Controversial Village Office Tower
The final City Council hearing on an air-rights transfer for a planned office building in Greenwich Village will take place Sept. 15.
GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — The final virtual public hearing on the application of an air-rights transfer related to the construction of a controversial office tower in Greenwich Village is set for Sept. 15.
The approval of the air-rights transfer would allow developers to increase the planned Lower Manhattan building's size at 3 St. Mark's Place by around 20 percent.
Air rights refers to the ability to control, occupy, or use the space above the land of a property.
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The building was approved by the New York City's Landmark Preservation Commission in summer 2019. The property sits directly next to the historic Hamilton Holly House, where Alexander Hamilton used to live.
In August, despite opposition from the Lower Manhattan community, the city planning commission voted unanimously to approve an air-rights transfer that will allow developers to add thousands of square feet to the planned tech office tower.
Find out what's happening in West Villagefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
However, the air-rights transfer cannot occur unless it also receives approval from the City Council. And Lower Manhattan Council Member Carlina Rivera stated in March that she opposes the application to allow developers to increase the size of the planned building at 3 St. Mark's Place.
The date for the City Council vote is not yet set, but it's expected to take place a short time after the Sept. 15 hearing.
"A tech office tower on this corner is already woefully out of place; allowing it to grow 20 percent larger than zoning normally allows only adds insult to injury," wrote the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. "Unfortunately, this is part of a bigger picture of the City encouraging large-scale development — tech office buildings, hotels and condo high-rises — in this predominantly residential, low- to mid-rise area of Greenwich Village and the East Village south of Union Square."
People can sign up to give testimony during the public hearing for the air-rights transfer related to 3 St. Mark's Place on the New York City Council website.
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