The City Council finally, finally gave its approval yesterday to the SPURA redevelopment plan, which will bring housing, retail, a school, and more to a 1.65 million-square-foot swath of undeveloped parking lots. (The area used to be tenements.) The decision-making process has taken almost 50 years, and suggestions for the site have ranged from market-rate housing to an artificial ski slope. The actual plan is, compared to that, tame. Bowery Boogie has the full rundown.
There will be 1,000 apartments, half affordable, and additional affordable housing at 21 Spring Street, with tenants of SPURA pre-demolition getting priority for housing. There could be a 15,000-square-foot public school. The Essex Street Market will either remain where it is or move and give current vendors priority and "commensurate" rent. The plan calls for "retail diversity."
One question is perpetually unanswerable when it comes to SPURA: how long will it take? The city will take bids from developers beginning early next year, and the potential public school space will be reserved until 2023.
· City Council Unanimously Approves SPURA Plan [Bowery Boogie]
· SPURA coverage [Curbed]
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