QUESTION
What is the city doing to incentivize the creation of new industrial space in the transition district?
1:47:42
·
161 sec
Department of City Planning senior planner explains the city is using an as-of-right tool with a 0.5 to 0.75 Floor Area Ratio (FAR) bonus, the largest ever used, to incentivize new industrial space in the transition district.
- The city looked at examples from other cities across the country to inform this approach
- Many tools other cities use are not very effective at incentivizing industrial space
- This is the first time the city has used an as-of-right tool for this purpose
- Council member argues the bonus is still too weak to properly incentivize industrial use and suggests a mandate of 25% FAR for industrial use instead
Alexa Avilés
1:47:42
I have very grave concerns about the transition district and the fact that the bonuses that are identified in that are very weak.
1:47:52
I mean, we have I think a 2.5 chair, if I may, just complete.
1:48:00
I may be misrepresenting the actual number, but the bonus that is identified to incentivize industrial use in the transition district is weak at best.
1:48:11
I'd love to understand where the point 75 bonus f a r for industrial use has ever materialize incentivizing industrial development?
Matt Waskiewicz
1:48:25
Yeah.
1:48:25
Thank you, council member.
1:48:27
The transition district is one where we looked not just for examples within New York City but across the country, seeing what other cities are doing to and incentivize the creation of new industrial space.
1:48:38
It's really hard to do, and a lot of the tools that other cities have frankly are not very effective.
1:48:45
So what we've tried to do is build off of those examples and create a bonus that creates an as of right tool to build new industrial space in the city.
1:48:52
It's the first time we've ever done that.
1:48:54
For an as of right tool, and the bonus of point 5 to point 75 is in fact a larger bonus than we've we've have.
1:49:01
And any other example, that we've used to this point in in this city.
1:49:06
So it has gone further, but I think we'll continue to look at this.
Alexa Avilés
1:49:11
I'll just note in Guyana's This bonus was, I think, put forward, and we have not seen any industrial real incentivization of it.
1:49:22
So in fact, what what we're seeing is actually this is a very weak tool.
1:49:26
We need a stronger incentivizing bonus in terms of FAR in order to actually make that happen.
1:49:34
So either 25% of the FAR to be actually mandated for industrial use is really important.
1:49:43
And as far as the growth as far as the growth district, we we feel that that's everything else.
1:49:50
That is everything that is creating real challenges for industrial manufacturing.
1:49:57
We have the data to know that that is a problem in industrial zones.
1:50:01
And so I'm not sure what an additional tool, how that is supporting what we are trying to do.
1:50:08
It feels it's an indirect conflict.
1:50:10
I think a strong transitional district with commitments strong commitments to industrial and light manufacturing in them is critical and having a core strong a strong core.