New York & Tri-State + Apartments | May 3, 2021

Lawsuit Seeks to Halt SoHo/NoHo rezoning

A Manhattan State Supreme Court judge will hear arguments Monday calling for a temporary restraining order against the city’s rezoning application for SoHo and NoHo. The lawsuit was filed Friday by community activists, who charged that the de Blasio administration violated the City Charter by holding public hearings virtually rather than in-person.

“Clearly, the de Blasio administration is taking advantage of the pandemic to limit the anticipated public opposition and objections to his controversial proposal,” the plaintiffs said in a press release.

A City Hall spokesman said in a statement, “We’re confident that remote hearings are inclusive and fair, and we will deliver a rezoning plan that moves SoHo and NoHo forward.”

The SoHo/NoHo suit follows a similar action taken recently against the Gowanus rezoning in Brooklyn. However, a judge lifted the temporary restraining order against the Gowanus application, allowing the rezoning there to begin the mandatory public-review process.

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).