A plan for a $200 million New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) garage on First Avenue and East 25th Street is in the works.
The roughly 450,000-square-foot facility will take the place of Hunter’s Bellevue School of Nursing, which is moving from Kip’s Bay to the Upper East Side.
The 135-foot high garage is set to be built in the middle of the block and will house 150 trucks including collection trucks, street sweepers and salt spreaders. It is not slated to store any trash or salt.
The DSNY first put forth the plan in 2012 so that it could store trucks that serve the east side there.
But the plan was met with fierce opposition by Kips Bay residents, particularly those who live near to the proposed site.
“It will bring its own transportation issues,” said Molly Hollister, a resident and member of the local Community Board 6. “They say it’s for empty trucks to park but of course the trucks will be dirty, there will be issues with rats and it’s next to schools and hospitals.”
In December, CB6 and a consulting firm it hired, BJF Planning, proposed two alternatives to the DSNY plan: First, to construct a partially underground garage allowing other uses above ground like affordable housing, senior housing or health-related facilities. Second, to move the garage to Avenue C and 16th Street, a Con Edison site.
According to CB6, Con Ed has no plans to sell that property, but DSNY and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), which would be involved with the development, are open to the first suggestion.
A process to get community feedback for how to use the property is currently underway.
According to the NYCEDC, community outreach will continue through 2015. After the plan for the site is finalized, it would have to go through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and get approved by the City Council.
