For Immediate Release
June 6, 2019
Contacts:
Rachaele Raynoff, Joe Marvilli – press@planning.nyc.gov (212) 720-3471
Six-month series of public meetings and consultation with local stakeholders are shaping a community vision for the future of SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods
NEW YORK - Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Marisa Lago, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Margaret Chin will convene the sixth and final public engagement event for visioning the future of SoHo and NoHo to share findings and preliminary recommendations distilled from the engagement process.
The event is set for Thursday, June 13, 6 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., at Scholastic auditorium, 130 Mercer Street in SoHo.
Underlying the collaborative planning work is a shared desire to honor SoHo/NoHo’s history, ensure its continued social and economic vitality, promote its arts and culture, and protect and improve quality of life for its residents and the workforce.
“I am continually impressed by the passion and commitment to planning that SoHo and NoHo’s residents, artists, workers, and property and business owners put into this joint effort to protect and improve the beauty, strength and resiliency of their neighborhoods. Next up, a summary report from this engagement process that will help focus us all on potential next steps,” said DCP Director Marisa Lago.
“We have been listening and working towards solutions to protect the neighborhood—and this is not the end of the road,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “We look forward to presenting these preliminary findings and listening to the community to help guide more discussions.”
“The community leaders, stakeholders, residents, artists and property and business owners of SoHo and NoHo worked together for six months to chart the future of these two iconic neighborhoods,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin. “The sixth and final public engagement session will share the preliminary recommendations distilled from the past months. I want to thank Department of City Planning Director Marisa Lago and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer for partnering with me on this effort to protect the history of SoHo and NoHo, maintain the area’s economic vitality, improve the quality of life and promote its incredible arts and culture.”
Thursday’s event and the presentation of findings and preliminary recommendations build on information and priorities developed through an initial Open House on February 6, and public workshops held on February 28, March 20, April 11 and May 2. The SoHo/NoHo Team also looks forward to hearing feedback on the presentation from the public at the meeting. After the meeting, the presentation will be posted at https://www.envisionsohonoho.nyc. Additional feedback can be submitted through the website and to soho-noho@planning.nyc.gov. That feedback will inform a report forthcoming this summer by the SoHo/NoHo Advisory Group as well as potential next steps.
Format/agenda of June 13 public event, 6 to 8:15 PM:
The purpose of the engagement process, and “why now?”
SoHo and NoHo are dynamic mixed-use neighborhoods with an established residential population, strong office markets with growing creative firms, and one of the city’s biggest retail centers. At the same time, the existing zoning, established nearly five decades ago to balance the needs of a declining manufacturing sector and a growing artist community, presents challenges to the continued vitality of these historic neighborhoods.
Today, the two neighborhoods are:
The intent of the SoHo/NoHo public engagement process is to strategize and collaborate on crafting ideas that address on-the-ground challenges faced by businesses and residents of these two historic Manhattan neighborhoods, while enhancing and preserving neighborhood assets.
Highlights of the previous public workshop held on May 2:
Highlights of earlier public engagement sessions and more information on the SoHo/NoHo initiative can be found in press releases available here, here, here, here, and here as well as at https://www.envisionsohonoho.nyc.
Other engagement meetings
To further ensure participation by business owners, long-term certified artist residents, residential and commercial property owners, as well as Chinese-speaking stakeholders in the southeastern portion of the study area, the Process Sponsors, with the help of the Advisory Group, have hosted additional focus group meetings between March and May. Takeaways from these meetings, as well as summaries for Advisory Group working sessions, will be shared on the SoHo/NoHo engagement website at https://www.envisionsohonoho.nyc/other-meetings.