NEW YORK CITY—More than 200 people packed into the PS 20 auditorium in the Lower East Side, for Community Board 3's vote on the development of the 21-story, mixed-use commercial building that will house a tech hub. The majority of attendees supported the creation of the tech hub, but as local residents they are wary about overdevelopment it may bring to the neighborhood.
David Mulkins referenced a gutted church on E. 12th Street between Third and Fourth avenues. “They cynically kept the front façade for a characterless NYU dorm that rises 26-stories behind it. It's like a big raised middle finger saying 'Screw you!' to the community that opposed it," he said.
Mulkins supports the tech hub. However, he said if the city does not enact sensible, contextual zoning protections, hyper-gentrification will displace residents, small businesses and the historic character of the neighborhood.
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Betsy Kim
Betsy Kim was the bureau chief, East Coast, and New York City reporter for Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. As a lawyer and journalist, Betsy has worked as the director of editorial and content for LexisNexis Lawyers.com, a TV/multi-media journalist for NBC and CBS affiliated TV stations in the Midwest, and an associate producer at Court TV.
