NEW YORK CITY-Just before the entrance of the Holland Tunnel, a half-acre site slated for construction on Canal Street between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street has become LentSpace, a temporary public art park. On the Lower East Side, a stalled construction site on 145 Ludlow St. has morphed into a rentable ‘backyard’ with grills, sprinklers, wading pools and live bands. In Downtown Brooklyn, a stalled mixed-use development has been transformed into Dekalb Market, home to six urban farms, independent retailers, eateries and work-sell spaces.
These are just some of the many examples cited by “Arrested Development: Breathing New Life Into Stalled Construction Sites” released by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer on Monday, available for download here. The report calls for creative land use solutions and new policies to help transform stalled places into vibrant public spaces that generate revenue and create real estate opportunities.
"New York should be encouraging such projects and follow the lead of cities like Seattle, which have passed laws that streamline approvals for temporary uses,” Stringer says, advocating that the city should introduce legislation that would allow the city to partner with developers to convert stalled construction sites to become temporarily accessible to the public. “Imagine a city where stalled construction sites are not simply inactive, dead vacant lots, but one where they boost the health and vitality of a neighborhood,” he says, in a statement. “That’s the kind of sidewalk renaissance we need in New York City."
The need for new city policy comes at a time where many construction sites were affected by the economic downturn of 2008, the report explains. Based on a citywide analysis, construction spending fell 23% in 2010 from peak years, with the number of construction jobs dropping 15%. This phenomenon resulted in the stalling of hundreds of private projects. As of July 31, 2011, the city’s Department of Buildings reported 646 stalled construction sites across the five boroughs, down slightly from the peak of 709 stalled sites in November 2010.
Much of that building bust has taken place in Brooklyn, where 44% to 48% of the total stalled construction sites are concentrated. The report says that Brooklyn’s Community District 1, which includes the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, has 92 stalled construction sites, more than any district in the city. The borough with the second highest amount is Queens, followed by Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx.
The higher concentration of these sites has lead to increased safety and vandalism concerns. A survey of site conditions conducted by Stringer’s office in June found that out of 129 sites surveyed, 37% were identified as having some litter, 60% had fencing that was in disrepair or vandalized and half had sidewalk obstructions that left eight feet or less of sidewalk space.
However, 32 of the surveyed sites were identified as vacant and had not been excavated, all of which that can serve as a canvas for temporary uses, similar to the Dekalb Market and Ludlow St. examples. The report recommends that the city should streamline approvals for uses such as space for food vendors, parking, performing arts, flea markets, farmers and other for-profit entities.
In addition, Stringer is calling for a stronger, more accessible record of stalled construction activity throughout the boroughs, as well as a reduction of regulatory barriers for developers wanting to redevelop a stalled site by streamlining the approvals process.
The report also advocates the use of the Housing Asset Renewal Program (HARP), a $20 million pilot program administered by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development, which focuses on turning newly-completed projects that are vacant and projects that have stalled mid-construction into affordable housing opportunities. GlobeSt.com previously reported that only two projects citywide have benefited from HARP, the most recent being the revitalization of a stalled market-rate condominium project at 23-10 41st Avenue in Long Island City, Queens into affordable rentals.
"The good news is that we don’t have to shrug our shoulders and resign ourselves to stalled construction sites that become breeding grounds for rats, send a message of abandonment that breeds crime and turn neighborhoods into blighted areas,” Stringer says. “We have a dazzling opportunity to transform these sites, if only temporarily, if we work together and make this a true citywide priority."
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