The Board of Standards and Appeals recently reached a verdict on a developer’s request for a variance at 92-94 Greene St./109 Mercer St., and members of Gang Greene are calling it a major victory. According to Jim Solomon of Gang Greene, in its July 20 decision, the B.S.A. responded to the group’s concerns about the planned new building on the Soho parking lot and forced the developer to “dramatically revise” his original plan.
“To residents in the adjacent buildings, it will mean — relative to the developer’s first proposal — more air and light, less congestion, garbage and noise [and] fewer windows blocked…,” said Solomon.
The project is the first of the new zoning put in place permitting residential development on Soho and Noho’s 16 empty lots.
Specifically, among other changes, while the developer applied for a variance for a floor-to-area ratio of 6.12, the B.S.A. approved 5.0; similarly a request for 40-ft. rear yards was modified by the B.S.A. for 55-ft. rear yards; 40 proposed residential units were reduced to 15; a proposal for balconies was nixed; and a proposed usable lower roof area of 1,500 sq. ft. was reduced to less than 750 sq. ft.
