City Officials Want To Change Midtown's Vibe

MIDTOWN, NY — This week, city officials kicked off the plan to transform 42 blocks of Midtown from underutilized office buildings and vacant storefronts into a neighborhood with affordable housing and thriving business corridors.

City officials say that by tweaking the residential and commercial zoning in the area between 23rd Street and 40th Street, they would be able to create an estimated 9,700 new homes — including up to 2,900 permanently affordable homes — in an area where housing is largely not allowed today.

"This plan will unlock badly needed housing in an area that historically hasn't allowed it, transforming Midtown into a vibrant live-work neighborhood humming with activity," Councilmember Keith Powers, who is in support of the plan and represents the area, said.

City officials launched the public review process for the plan — which is called the Midtown-South Mixed-Use Plan — on Tuesday.

The public review process is the first step in tweaking neighborhood zoning to allow for more housing and businesses.

The public review is a roughly seven-month discussion period where city planners will present the plan to local community boards and the borough president, followed by public hearings.

These boards and stakeholders will make their official recommendations to the city, and once the process is complete, the plan will go before the City Council for a vote.

“Today marks an important step forward for a plan that could help create badly needed housing and reinvigorate some of Manhattan’s core,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said on Tuesday.

"The public review process will be important for balancing our desperate housing need with public realm improvements and support for local businesses, and I encourage New Yorkers to share their thoughts and help shape the future of Midtown South."

Learn more about the Midtown-South Mixed-Use Plan — and how to make your voice heard — here.

For questions or tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.