Grassroots Coalition Hosts Meeting Tonight about Development in Tribeca
Tonight (Tuesday, December 10), a new Tribeca-based grassroots organization, the Community First Development Coalition (CFDC), will host its first public meeting at Borough of Manhattan Community College, starting at 7pm. (Enter via Chambers Street, between West and Greenwich Streets.)
The CFDC first coalesced in response to a developer’s plan announced in November 2023 to erect a 90-story residential tower amid a courtyard within the Independence Plaza complex, on Greenwich Street. While this plan remains a central concern, its scope has grown over the last year to include all of Tribeca. This was driven, in part, by the realization that current zoning would allow as many as ten such “supertalls” to be erected throughout the community.
“Our mission,” says CFDC board member Emily Moyer, “is to create an inclusive Tribeca that honors its past, embraces socioeconomic diversity, and thrives as a community for generations to come.” She adds that the coalition aims to provide information and resources “to preserve and enhance Tribeca’s character. We are advocating for thoughtful development that respects the neighborhood’s scale, historical integrity, and environment, while also fostering an increase in the amount of permanently affordable housing available.”
Eric Anderson, also a CFDC board member, notes, “our first priority is the Independence Plaza tower, but our four pillars are permanent affordable housing, the scale and architectural integrity of the neighborhood, preserving its environment, and enhancing quality of life.”
“We are not against development,” offers a third CFDC board member, Renee DeSantis. “What we’re trying to do is build consensus and educate community on the complexities on zoning. We want to lay out options. Every one of these planned developments raises questions about related issues, such as infrastructure – meaning the capacity to handle sewage, garbage, and package delivery.”
Mr. Anderson observes, “Tribeca has some of the worst neighborhood zoning anywhere in New York City, with potentially unlimited heights” and notes a similarity to 57th Street, where three enormous towers have been built on a four-block stretch – now dubbed “Billionaire’s Row” – in the last decade, with more now on the drawing board.
He continues, “a recurring problem is that current City policy requires up-zoning to trigger mandatory inclusionary housing,” a legal mechanism for creating affordable homes as part of new development. “We are concerned that no voluntary affordable housing will be built in this community under the City of Yes universal affordability preference.”
Mr. Anderson points to one possible strategy that could provide relief, which will be a focus of CFDC’s efforts at consensus-building. “City law provides for 197-A plans, which are zoning revisions created at the community level, from the bottom up instead of the top down. Since 1992, 13 community-initiated 197-A plans have been adopted by the City Planning Commission, in communities like East Midtown and Chelsea in Manhattan, and Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Red Hook, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn.” In addition to community-led zoning efforts, the coalition will also explore options involving litigation, policy recommendations, and the expansion of existing, legally protected historic districts. (There are five such zones within Tribeca.)
“Our goal is to gather, educate, and activate Tribeca residents, organizations, media, and elected officials,” Ms. Moyer says, “to build information-sharing and consensus as it relates to the Independence Plaza tower and potential future real estate developments in the area.”
The agenda for tonight’s meeting will include and introduction to CFDC and its board, updates on the organization’s activities thus far, and remarks from City Council member Christopher Marte, who says, “the proposal for the new supertall at Independence Plaza is ridiculous. This tower is an egregious example of poor planning. Zoning in Tribeca has been too patchwork – with residents fighting to preserve some of the City’s oldest and most remarkable buildings while developers try to extend their Financial District-style footprint into this historic community.”
Mr. Marte adds that he wants to work with CFDC “to develop alternative plans that center our City’s critical need for affordable housing and prevent the displacement of Tribeca’s long-time residents with fixed incomes.”
For more information tonight’s meeting, please email info@cfdcoalition.org, or browse: https://cfdcoalition.org.