The Municipal Art Society released a set of online maps that illustrate where development rights are available in New York City.
The original maps (http://mas.org/accidentalskyline) allow New Yorkers to assess where new development might occur and how it could impact their neighborhood.
Created in response to the super-tall towers rising along the southern border of Central Park, these user-friendly maps allow the public to easily access this information online for free.
“New Yorkers should have a voice in major development decisions that will impact their neighborhoods,” said Margaret Newman, executive director of The Municipal Art Society.
“Too often, these decisions happen behind closed doors and most residents only hear about them once the deal is done. These maps are a step toward demystifying the city development process and bringing the public into that conversation from the start.”
The maps are provided as part of The Municipal Art Society Accidental Skyline initiative that highlights the impacts of development on parks, open space, infrastructure, and skyline.
The maps were made possible by the Department of City Planning’s public release of MapPLUTO data last year, and were updated to include transportation routes, parks, and New York Housing Authority land overlays to present a more comprehensive picture of planning issues. The construction of the super tall buildings near Central Park has raised public concerns about whether current regulations provide the appropriate balance between the public good and private benefit. Many of the buildings are going up as-of-right, meaning they required no public or environmental review.
Developers amass development rights by combining numerous adjacent lots or purchasing available development rights, or “air rights,” from neighboring buildings.
The assembling of land and air rights does not require notification to local elected officials, community boards or other members of the public.
And until now, there has not been a tool that allowed communities across the city to easily track where development rights are available.
To address the issues, MAS will be working with the City to make regulatory changes. These recommendations include making the process of assembling adjacent plots of land (zoning lot mergers) more transparent, establishing height, or other restrictions near small parks, and finding ways to offset the impacts of out of scale development on open space.
