TESTIMONY
Paula Crespo, Senior Planner at the Pratt Center for Community Development, on Modifications to the City of Yes Economic Opportunity Text Amendment for New Manufacturing Districts
4:06:57
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125 sec
Paula Crespo advocates for modifications to the City of Yes Economic Opportunity text amendment to support a more equitable and sustainable local economy.
- Supports the amendment's potential to address outdated zoning that limits industrial business growth
- Urges limiting non-industrial uses in new core districts to 10,000 square feet to reduce displacement pressures
- Recommends creating additional districts with specific Floor Area Ratios to balance industrial and commercial uses
- Calls for increasing incentives for developments that allocate 15-25% of space to manufacturing
- Suggests requiring a portion of ground floor space be dedicated to industrial uses with proper facilities
Paula Crespo
4:06:57
Good afternoon.
4:06:58
I'm Paula Crespo.
4:06:59
I'm with the Pratt Center for Community Development.
4:07:02
We work for more just equitable and sustainable New York city through participatory planning, applied research, and policy advocacy.
4:07:10
Thank you for this opportunity to testify on the city of yes economic opportunity, text amendment for new manufacturing districts.
4:07:19
We've been a longtime advocate for the city's industrial sector.
4:07:23
And the Pratt Center along with the Industrial Jobs Coalition that we're a member of is largely supportive of this text amendment because it addresses outdated zoning that can limit the ability of industrial businesses to expand and to grow in place.
4:07:38
However, there are critical changes we are urging the city council to make before approving it.
4:07:44
For the new core districts, all non industrial uses should be limited to 10,000 square feet to reduce the speculative and displacement pressure that things like entertainment and big box retail stores put on their manufacturing business neighbors.
4:08:01
Also, 2 additional districts with FARs of 4.05.0 should be created.
4:08:09
The new growth and transition districts must support a true sustained balance of industrial and commercial uses as opposed to a predominance of the latter.
4:08:20
As such, the incentive bonus for devoting space to manufacturing uses should be increased.
4:08:27
To encourage development that devotes 15% 25% of newly developed space to manufacturing and the growth in transition districts respectively.
4:08:39
Finally, each of these new districts should include requirements that at least a portion of the ground floor be dedicated to industrial uses with access to loading docks and freight elevators.
4:08:52
I'll conclude by thanking you for your time and consideration of these important changes to this text amendment that if passed will contribute to a more diverse and equitable local economy.
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Brenda Lau, Assistant Project Manager at Greenpoint Manufacturing And Design Center, on Proposed Modifications to the Manufacturing District Tax Amendment
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Leah Archibald, Executive Director of Evergreen, on Proposed Improvements to New Manufacturing (M) Zoning Districts in NYC