August 30, 2021
Marisa Lago, Chair
NY City Planning Commission
Calendar Information Office
120 Broadway – 31st Floor
New York, NY 10271
Re: 250 Water Street ULURP Application
South Street Seaport Historic District
Dear Chair Lago:
The Lower East Side Preservation Initiative – LESPI – is writing to strongly oppose the Howard Hughes Corporation’s application for a special permit for a new 25 story mixed use tower at 250 Water Street, within the South Street Seaport Historic District.
Permitting the construction of a grossly out-of-scale building within one of Manhattan’s most important and popular historic districts is highly detrimental to the district’s collection of unique and irreplaceable four and five story early- to mid-19th century historic commercial structures. In no way can this proposal be determined to be in conformance with the district’s physical fabric and special sense of place.
Additionally, this use/abuse of the ULURP process – in effect a “gerrymandering” of the zoning map – to allow for an otherwise impermissible transfer of development rights sets a terrible precedent for historic districts as well as other neighborhoods throughout the city.
We respectfully ask the City Planning Commission to reject this application in its entirety.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Richard D. Moses
President
