Earlier this week, Mayor de Blasio\u00a0stated\u00a0that the Domino proposal\u00a0does not sufficiently address affordable housing. \u00a0Although we agree that the current plan is imperfect, we support the proposal as it reflects a multi-year process of community involvement which helped to shape the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan requests a zoning change to permit construction up to 55 stories, and is up for City Planning Commission vote tomorrow. \u00a0Following the increased media attention to Domino this past week, there are\u00a0reports\u00a0of a last-minute change to the affordable housing component of the proposal \u2014 an increase to 537,000 square feet (700 apartments). \u00a0Up until this week, the developer\u2019s plan included 660 units set aside for affordable housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yesterday, prior to reports of the last-minute change, NAG board member Evan Thies\u00a0commented:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still a flawed plan, but it\u2019s superior in almost every way to what came before,\u201d said Evan Thies, a board member of Neighbors Allied for Good Growth. \u201cIt creates a neighborhood of its own that\u2019s not walled off from the rest of the neighborhood, like so many of these other projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He applauded Two Trees for crafting its plan in close consultation with the community over the past 18 months \u2014 a partnership City Hall seems to be ignoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want to ensure that the community-based process that happened is respected by City Hall,\u201d Thies said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s NAG\u2019s statement in full:<\/p>\n\n\n\n