Zoning Update

With neighborhood development stunted by restrictive zoning, the FCBID was heartened this winter when the NYC Department of City Planning announced its intentions to amend the zoning to allow a broader range of ten- ant uses. The FCBID has always advocated for a more equitable plan to assist the fashion industry, while protecting the rights of property owners and promoting overall goals of the City.

The district’s current zoning restricts most side street space to manufacturing uses. Today, however, much more space is reserved for manufacturing than there are manufacturers to fill it. No one – not the industry, not owners, and certainly not the City – has benefitted from this burden.

City Planning, working with the Economic Development Corporation, has worked to create a fairer set of regulations and has met with representatives from all interested parties to secure the broad support necessary for any new initiative to succeed. To date, however, response from garment union representatives, acting on behalf of the industry, has been disappointingly slow and less than encouraging. As a result, the promised progress on a zoning change has been stymied. The FCBID, which has facilitated the process by con- ducting surveys and providing data and district information to the city, and creating forums for discussion, will continue to press for meaningful support for the industry and more productive and beneficial uses for space in the district. We’ll keep all of our district constituents up-to-date on developments on this matter.

Mayor's Transportation Plan

In April, Mayor Bloomberg released PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York. The plan aims to protect the environment and prepare New York for an estimated one million more people by 2030. To do that, the city must tackle a growing problem: congestion.

The Mayor has proposed a com- prehensive transportation plan to ease congestion and expand mass transit options. The plan calls for congestion pricing, the practice of charging drivers a user fee to enter the central business district during peak travel hours.

The mayor has proposed a three- year congestion pricing pilot project. Using E-Z Pass technology, drivers would pay $8 to drive into Manhattan south of 86th Street weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Large trucks would be charged $21. Cars and trucks driv- ing only within the zone would be charged $4 and $5.50 respectively. Travel along perimeter routes such as the FDR and West Side Highway would be exempt from the charge, as would taxis, liv- ery cabs, buses, and emergency and handicap-licensed vehicles. Revenue generated from conges- tion pricing would create a dedi- cated revenue stream for critical transportation projects. To learn more about PlanNYC, visit www.nyc.gov.

Fashion Week Press Event

On February 8, just prior to Fashion Week, the FCBID hosted a press briefing for foreign journal- ists. Participating with the FCBID’s Barbara Randall and Jerry Scupp were the US Dept. of Commerce, FIT, and Alan Sealove of Victoria Royal. Thirty journalists attended.

Tools of the Trade

The FCBID Tools of the Trade small business seminars will be offered again this fall in conjunc- tion with the Enterprise Center at FIT. To obtain information on course offerings and to enroll, contact the Enterprise Center at 212.217.7250. Space is limited.

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