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CB2 Landmarks backs Canal/Broadway redevelopment with mitigation requests after height concerns
Summary
Manhattan Community Board 2’s landmarks discussion approved a Canal Street/Broadway redevelopment that used zoning bonuses for transit improvements and SoHo rezoning, but board members and the public objected to the increased height and urged design changes and life‑safety review around rear‑yard uses.
Landmarks committee members reviewed a redevelopment at the Canal Street and Broadway corner (a former early‑century movie theater) that, under SoHo rezoning and a transportation bonus for proposed subway access through the building, rose substantially in permitted height.
Board members said they found the proposed building "a bit sterile and out of character" and recorded widespread public concern that the structure was too tall. Members noted that the transportation bonus (linked to providing subway access) is separate from the SoHo bonus that contributed affordable housing units; together the bonuses increased permitted floor area and height even though the affordable unit count did not change.
The board approved the application with recommendations to mitigate the apparent height and harmonize the façade with neighborhood character. Discussion also focused on a previous board request that the developer explore using an entrance through the building to create an accessible connection to the two converging subway lines; while some support the accessibility gain, speakers cautioned that Canal Street’s constrained sidewalks and station geometry limit where elevators and accessible paths can be sited.
Separately, the committee flagged two rear‑yard outdoor dining applications (heard on different evenings for SLA1 and SLA2) for denial because applicants did not provide evidence of a certificate of occupancy or a letter of no‑objection demonstrating safe egress; the board expressed life‑safety concerns.
Members asked staff to continue documenting the board’s mitigation suggestions in the resolution and to monitor future Canal Street applications as upzoning yields more high‑rise proposals.
Next steps: staff will finalize the landmarks resolution with suggested design mitigations and track related upcoming Canal Street filings.
