NEW YORK CITY- Nestled just below Penn Station, Manhattan’s once bustling Fur District located between West 27^th and West 30^th streets in Midtown South may receive a zoning makeover this year. The Department of City Planning launched a public review process on Monday for the rezoning of the neighborhood, which would change its current zoning designation from manufacturing to mixed-use.

A DCP spokeswoman tells GlobeSt.com that the proposed M1-6D zone would permit a variety of new uses here, including affordable housing in targeted areas and retail services. At the same time, the designation would protect the neighborhood’s existing building stock to be utilized as class B and C office space. “As the Fur District left the area, it is still a resource for affordable office space,” the DCP spokeswoman says. “It also has not seen much investment or reinvestment because it is currently zoned for manufacturing. The character of this area really called out for some intervention to try and reinvigorate it.”

While unavailable for comment, DCP commissioner Amanda Burden says in a statement that the proposed zoning “would provide a new tool to enliven business districts that have older office and loft buildings,” allowing them to “evolve as vibrant places to both live and work.”