NYC Council Land Use Committees Approve Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan That Will Deliver Nearly 10,000 New Homes, with over $488 Million for Investments in Garment District Industries and Neighborhood Benefits

 

Council’s approval of historic Midtown neighborhood rezoning is largest residential rezoning in 20 years, building on record of advancing housing solutions to address affordability crisis

Today, the New York City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and Committee on Land Use voted to approve the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan (MSMX), a neighborhood rezoning that will bring over 9,500 new homes, including over 2,800 permanently affordable homes, to the Manhattan districts of Council Member Erik Bottcher and Council Member Keith Powers. Amidst a citywide housing crisis with historically low vacancy rates, the MSMX plan will enable residential development in a part of Midtown Manhattan, where housing is generally not currently allowed, and maps Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) onto the neighborhood for the first time in history. This historic plan will be accompanied by $488 million in community benefits and infrastructure improvements, such as targeted investments to support the Garment District industry and businesses, parks, public transit, and other neighborhood resources.

“To confront the citywide housing and affordability crisis, our city must build more homes and invest in housing solutions that allow generations of New Yorkers to remain in this city,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council is proud to advance the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan that will deliver more new homes than any residential rezoning in 20 years, while investing to preserve and support our city’s Garment District industries and invest in the needs of the surrounding communities. I thank Council Member Bottcher, Council Member Powers, Land Use Chair Salamanca, and Zoning and Franchises Chair Riley for their partnership to bring this project to the finish line.”

Through the negotiation process, the Council secured over $120 million in economic development resources to protect and support the historic fashion and garment industries located in the Garment District. These include Midtown Made, an EDC-coordinated campaign to connect businesses to expanded tools, a Local Production Fund to incentivize fashion designers to use local garment manufacturers, investing $50 million in the Greenlight Innovation Fund to help eligible nonprofit organizations secure and develop permanent, below-market space for the garment industry, and reopening of the Manhattan Commercial Revitalization (M-CORE) program. This area of Midtown is home to legacy industries of fashion, garment manufacturing, and wholesale distribution, with the Garment District remaining a unique cluster of fashion designers, showrooms, wholesalers, and manufacturers that benefit from proximity to each other and the nearby Theater District.

The Council also secured over $340 million for street and public realm improvements, upgrades to parks and playgrounds, local MTA subway stations and bus routes, and funding for local hospitals and emergency medical services.

This is the City’s first use of new high-density residential zoning districts (R11 and R12) above 12 Floor Area Ratio (FAR), which were created by last year’s City of Yes zoning text amendment after the 12 FAR cap was lifted by the State. The City Planning Commission will now review the modified proposal for scope approval prior to it being voted on by the full Council.

Highlights of the approved rezoning and negotiated agreement include:

Housing Production

•   Over 9,500 new homes, including more than 2,800 that are permanently affordable under Mandatory Inclusionary Housing

Support for Garment District Industry and Businesses

•   Midtown Made, a campaign and website to elevate local designers, manufacturers, and creative entrepreneurs
•   CFDA Local Production Fund Pilot, with over $1.8 million in public and private funding to support designers and garment manufacturers
•   Greenlight Innovation Fund: $50 million to help nonprofit organizations develop permanent, below-market space for the garment industry and other key sectors
•   Reopen the M-CORE tax incentive program to encourage renovations of aging commercial office buildings in Manhattan to attract fashion brands to the area
•   Appoint a dedicated point person from New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to support the continued vitality of the Garment District

Public Realm Improvements

•   Investments in 380 trees with tree guards to increase tree canopy and native plantings, restore habitat, and strengthen climate resilience
•   Lighting upgrades to St. Vartan Park in Murray Hill and $13.5 million full renovation of McCaffrey Playground on West 43rd street
•   Family-friendly designs across all MSMX public realm projects

Transportation and Infrastructure Upgrades

•   Establishment of a car-free busway on 34th Street between 9th and 3rd Avenues for the M34 and M34-A Select Bus Service
•   Subway station renovations, including accessibility improvements, to make more than 80% of the 26 stations in this area accessible
•   Completion of the Broadway Vision Plan to transform 21 blocks, including two new car-free blocks on Broadway between 22nd and 23rd streets and 24th and 25th streets, making Broadway from 22nd to 25th streets completely car free
•   Street safety enhancements — including raised crosswalks and shortened pedestrian crossing distance, protected bike lanes, hardened barriers that prevent conflict between motorists and more vulnerable road users, turn calming, and lower speed limits – in accordance with Vision Zero best practices
•   Completion of bike lane from 30th to 34th streets along 7th Avenue to create a continuous bike lane from Central Park South to Houston Street.

Community Investments

•   School improvements, including new playground equipment at PS 11, upgraded auditorium and technology improvements at PS 33 and PS 430, modernized science lab at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, and new fabric, textiles, and fiber arts lab at the High School of Fashion Industries
•   $12 million to revitalize Bellevue Hospital’s ambulance bay to meet the needs of the growing community
•   Accelerated development of Emergency Medical Services Station 7 at West 29th Street between 11th and 12th avenues

The Council, under Speaker Adams since 2022, has prioritized the advancement of housing solutions by approving land use proposals that create over 120,000 new units of housing, more than 50% of which are affordable, and securing over $8 billion in additional housing-related investments. These include the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity citywide zoning reforms with the Council’s City for All housing plan, as well as the Atlantic Avenue Mixed Use Plan and Bronx Metro North rezonings and InnovationQNS – the largest privately developed affordable housing project in the history of Queens.