The Department of City Planning this week certified into the city's Uniform Land Use Review Process a proposed rezoning for a large part of the Lower East Side and the East Village.

The area affected by the proposed zoning is bounded by the north side of East 13th Street, the west side of Avenue D, the north side of Houston Street, the west side of Pitt Street, the north side of Delancey Street, the east side of Essex Street, the north side of Grand Street and 100 feet in from the east side of the Bowery and 100 feet in from the west side of Third Avenue.

The rezoning would affect about 111 blocks are included in the area and eliminate bonuses for dormitories and hotels. Most of the area would be downzoned although Houston, Delancey and Chrystie streets would be upzoned.

According to the planning department, the intent of the rezoning is "to preserve the low- to mid-rise character of the East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods while concentrating new development towards specific corridors that are more suited for new residential construction with incentives for affordable housing." The objective of the rezoning, according to the department, is to "protect the low- to mid-rise streetwall that characterizes much of the project area; address the community's request for contextual zoning; reinforce use of several avenues as corridors for mixed retail/residential buildings; provide opportunities for housing development and incentives for affordable housing along selected wide streets and major corridors; and protect existing commercial uses in proposed R8B districts."

The department identified 205 projected development sites and 565 potential development sites. A "reasonable worst-case development scenario" (RWCDS) projected that the actions "could result in a net increase of 1,383 residential units (including 23 enlargements), 348 of which would be affordable, and a net decrease of 74,439 square feet of commercial space on the projected development sites compared to conditions in the future without the proposed actions."

According to the draft environment impact statement for the rezoning, the "proposed actions would not directly displace any public open spaces, and with the exception of the Orchard Alley community garden, which would be effected by incremental shadows cast by new buildings as part of the RWCDS, study area open spaces would not be impacted by shadows, air quality, or noise as a result of the proposed actions."

The proposed actions, the statement continued, "could result in significantly adverse direct impacts on up to fifteen known architectural resources and on up to twenty-four potential architectural resources."

A May 5, 2008 article by Lysandra Ohrstrom in the on-line edition of The New York Observeer said that Josephine Lee, spokeswoman of the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side said that the boundaries of the proposed rezoning discriminate against the Chinese and Hispanic populations represented by Community Board 3 living south of Delancey and east of Avenue D.