Lower Manhattan groups fight
SoHo, Chinatown rezoning
BY DEAN MOSES
Over half a dozen Lower Manhattan
groups said no to rezoning plans
in their communities on May 10.
Rezoning issues have been sending
residents into a frenzy for years. Voices
resisting what many feel to be nothing
more than gentrifi cation expressed their
concerns back in early March when hundreds
rallied to save the beloved Chinatown
dim sum restaurant Jing Fong.
During several protests that called for
the famous eatery to be spared, attendees
also denounced proposed rezoning by
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration
which, they claimed, serves big business
and would destroy union jobs.
In place of the current plans, locals
are calling for the implementation of the
Chinatown Working Group plan and the
Community Alternative Rezoning Plan
for SoHo and NoHo, which protects small
businesses and affordable housing, and
stops the encroachment of big chain stores.
On Monday, members of the Chinatown
Working Group, TenantsPAC, Village
Preservation, as well as other community
groups and residents assembled outside
183 Centre St. to voice their opposition to
rezoning plans that, the city says, would
create more affordable housing.
Holding up the words, “No displacement,” protesters demanded that the rezoning
in Chinatown and SoHo be stopped and community-based plans be utilized.
Many residents believe these measures
will instead displace longtime community
members and leave plenty of leeway room
for luxury developments. With the rapid
closures of businesses in the area throughout
the pandemic, protesters believe that
these rezoning plans will cripple locals.
“What our mayor wants to see is communities
divided and pitted against each
other so that the top 1% can continue
to exploit and displace us to make their
profi t. We won’t let it work because this
is our city. Not the playground for the
super-rich,” said Zishun Ning from the
Chinatown Working Group, condemning
the rezoning plans.
Ning argued that the mayor specifi cally
pinpointed large tower areas along the borders
of SoHo and Chinatown to demolish.
The plan, Ning charged, would destroy
low-income and rent-regulated housing,
drive up property values, price out locals,
and incentivize landlords to evict tenants
so that rent could be raised.
Speakers at the rally called for the
mayor to make an immediate halt to these
rezoning plans — and vowed to keep up the
fi ght until after the 2021 mayoral elections.
“We know your plan is a sham! If you
really cared about affordable housing, if
you really cared about a more equitable
neighborhood, you would be passing the
community alternative plan. You would
be passing the Chinatown Working Group
plan. Those plans offer real affordable
housing while preserving and protecting
what makes these neighborhoods great.
The long-term residents and small businesses
all of whom would be shoved out the
door if this plan is passed. So, we are here
to say today, not just to the mayor but to
all of the elected offi cials who will eventually
be voting on this, you will vote ‘No,’”
said Andrew Berman, executive director of
Village Preservation
In response to these claims against the
Chinatown, SoHo, and NoHo rezoning
project, a representative from the Mayor’s
offi ce states that these plans will provide
permanent affordable housing on city
streets that currently sell at market rate.
“These claims have been completely and
repeatedly debunked. This group has spent
months telling anyone who will listen that
SoHo is actually a diverse and affordable
neighborhood, and it’s just one ULURP
hearing away from ruin. But New Yorkers
aren’t fooled; they know it’s time for
a rezoning plan that fi nally makes these
iconic areas accessible again,” said Mitch
Schwartz, the director of rapid response
and deputy press secretary for the Mayor’s
offi ce.
Soho Art Walks goes on, in rain and shine
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Setting up on this past Saturday
when pretty much the
rain had subsided, artists
took to their canvases on Greene
and Mercer Streets, Canal and
also on Broadway— a few artists,
invited inside when the rain
started up, continued indoors
when it stopped.
Participating stores had a few
artists outside their storefronts for
a safe and fun day.
Soho Art Walks began pre-
Covid and continues three times a
year featuring artists from all over
the world, setting up their easels
on Soho sidewalks, creating art for
all passersby to see.
Mid-Covid, Soho Art Walks
continues to organize, keeping the
general public properly distanced
while bringing the arts and artists
back to Soho.
It is remarkable that both during
this Covid time and amidst all the
commercial establishments, artists
PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY
still want to make art in Soho and
are nurtured and given showcasing
venues by various entities.
4 May 13, 2021 Schneps Media