Friday, October 25, 1996
by MICHAEL O. ALLEN and PETER GRANT, Daily News Staff Writers
In one of the most sweeping zoning changes in 35 years, the city Planning Commission yesterday approved Mayor Giuliani’s plan to open up the city to massive superstores.
But the unusually close 8-to-5 vote set the stage for what promises to be a bruising City Council battle over the measure, one of the cornerstones of the mayor’s economic strategy.
Opponents vowed yesterday to push for major changes in the plan to protect small businesses and neighborhood shopping areas.
Critics say that small businesses would be devastated by an invasion of as many as 57 superstores like Kmart.
Even Planning Commission Chairman Joe Rose, who has been spearheading the proposal, acknowledged that the administration faces strong opposition. “It’s going to be a tough battle, no question about it,” he said.
In yesterday’s vote, the commissioners selected by Mayor Giuliani and Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari voted in favor of the plan. Appointees of the other borough presidents and the public advocate were opposed.
Giuliani’s plan would allow construction, without review by the public, of superstores of up to 200,000 square feet on the hundreds of acres of underused manufacturing land in the city. Such developments now require a lengthy approval process.
Supporters contend the city loses some $1.5 billion a year in retail sales to the suburbs, where superstores abound.
They predict the rezoning would mean $50 million in additional sales tax and about 13,600 jobs.
But opponents claim that the lengthy approval process should be preserved so that the stores do not destroy neighborhoods.
“Superstores can be bad neighbors,” said Commissioner Amanda Burden, who voted against the plan.
To placate critics, the Planning Commission modified the proposal yesterday. Communities were given greater ability to review superstore plans and make suggestions on how they would be designed and how traffic would be routed. The changes also exclude five streets from the manufacturing zones covered by the proposal and would block megastore development in areas saturated with the so-called big boxes.
But opponents said the changes do not give community groups or elected officials ways to block unpopular plans.
Critics also charged that the excluded streets — such as Metropolitan Ave. in Queens — were picked because those areas voted heavily for Giuliani.
City officials denied the charge and said the areas were excluded because the plan is limited to sites on wide streets and the excluded streets do not meet that definition.
The Council will vote on the proposal before the end of the year. More than 20 of its 51 members have said they will vote against it unless it is changed dramatically.
Original Story Date: 10/25/96
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