M1-6D
Chief Urban Designer, New York City Department of City Planning
New York City
How do you make a New York City zoning district? Like anything big in a city, it requires aligning policy, finance and design. Alexandros Washburn, as the Department of City Planning's Chief Urban Designer was in charge of design.
As to policy, M1-6D's policy purpose is a new zoning district intended to facilitate the creation of vibrant mixed-use areas by preserving existing concentrations of Class B and C office and light industrial space, while allowing contextual, infill residential development, with ground floor retail, on underbuilt sites. M1-6D also created opportunities for affordable housing development through the Inclusionary Housing Program.
As to finance, M1-6D's financial purpose was spearheaded by a private rezoning application for an area south of Penn Station on the midblock portions of two blocks bounded by West 28th Street, Eight Avenue, West 30th Street, and Seventh Avenue in Community District 5, Borough of Manhattan.
By successfully aligning policy, finance and design and going through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the City Council voted to adopt the text and create M1-6D as a new New York City zoning district on September 21, 2011.
