Encouraging Sensitive Development

The real estate economy is a major factor defining the growth of New York City, especially with respect to the physical and functional “recycling” of the built fabric.

Looking broadly at the Study Area, we identified different economic trends prevailing on West 14th Street, Union Square, and East 14th Street, respectively. West 14th Street supports the widest range of economic activity, from discount stores to haute-couture fashion houses. Diversity in the area’s historic fabric attracts people and provides rich opportunities for entrepreneurs. Union Square, on the other hand, has traditionally accommodated larger businesses because of its central location, its role as a major transit hub for the city, and the large scale of the existing building fabric. 14th Street east of Union Square fosters economic activity on a much more local level because of the smaller scale of building fabric and the prevalence of residential use.

Example: Merchants’ Association

The Meatpacking District is a model of successful adaptive reuse of industrial buildings for high-end retail use, and our plan seeks to encourage this trend through the formation of a Merchants’ Association (Figure 8). A Merchant’s Association would strengthen a sense of investment in the special identity of the area, and serve as a magnet for similar high-end businesses by setting the example of how incorporating innovative store design into existing historic fabric can be an effective marketing tool. Development of the High Line Park and the opening of the “Italian Craft Village” on Pier 57 could lead to a major increase in density for the area, and the presence of a Merchants’ Association would help the local economy sustain the impacts of increased daytime and nighttime population.

Example: Business Improvement District

The Union Square Partnership (a Business Improvement District) has guided the redevelopment of Union Square over the past twenty years, achieving remarkable success in improving the physical appearance of the streetscape and Union Square Park and also in attracting major retail chains to occupy buildings with large square footage. One model of their success is Barnes & Noble’s use of federal tax credit money to restore the landmark Century Building on the north side of Union Square. Upon its inception, the primary goals of the Union Square Partnership were street maintenance and security, but it has evolved to become a major player in real estate and economic development for the area. Although some citizens feel that the Partnership has overstepped its founding mission, its increasing financial leverage has allowed it to expand its focus to include community services like educational programming.

While Union Square is a natural location for high commercial volume sustained by national and regional chains, the blocks east of Union Square are home to small-scale commerce. The economic health of the area has improved in recent years, but capacity for further development exists in the form of underbuilt nonhistoric buildings, vacant lots, and generally cheaper real estate. Our proposal is to lay the groundwork for economic revitalization of the blocks east of Union Square –specifically, the blocks east of First Avenue— by establishing a Business Improvement District (BID). The primary mission of the Business Improvement District would be street maintenance and security, based on the principle that an attractive streetscape contributes to lively street life, which in turn contributes to retail and residential stability.

The BID would evolve towards more proactive methods for retail stabilization, like facilitating façade improvements and “brokering” the purchase of retail space by merchants. The BID would also actively recruit businesses to fill vacant storefronts; targeted businesses could range from individual merchants (to complement the quirky array of existing small businesses) to “chainlets” and franchises, such as a stationary store (to serve the increasing student population) or sports club. The importance of attracting small businesses to an area like East 14th Street is simply the fact that local merchants are more inclined to care about their street and their storefront than employees of a chain or franchise. Small businesses, in order to survive, must recognize and take advantage of the particular assets and markets existing within the local community; they are able to adapt to the existing character and in so doing often extend the life of old buildings without compromising the “sense of place.” Finally, the goal of the BID could evolve to incorporate advocacy for affordable housing development funded in part by the city’s Housing Preservation Department. Increased residential population would help to sustain increased economic activity.

Example: Sensitive Design

Design is another way to affect sensitive development, especially with respect to new construction. The goal of sensitive design is not to homogenize the built fabric of the street, nor to mimic the past in contemporary designs, but to respect the existing significant resources and enhance their presence towards enriching the identity and public perception of the street. Based on principles incorporated into design proposals produced during an intense three-day charrette undertaken by the Studio, the following is an explanation of how design can be used to both develop sites and help sustain historic resources.

The development of infill buildings in an area with a specific and defined architectural character or streetscape is relevant to various soft sites and empty lots along the street. A condition that occurs more than once within the Study Area is the presence of a series of intact rowhouses, creating a distinct character. The design of new buildings along these blocks must be particularly sensitive to issues such as scale, height, materials, rhythm, and streetwall. One of the two proposals addressing such a situation allows for a freer use of more modern materials while maintaining the basic façade composition, rhythm, entrance location, street wall, and scale of the surrounding rowhouses on the block. In effect, this continuity in several aspects creates a harmonious feeling within the block while the use of different materials does not try to feign historic relevance (Figure 9).

Another charrette proposal is located on a block that contains both rowhouses and tenements, but maintains the scale of four to five stories and twenty five-foot wide lots. Through its modern interpretation of the architectural elements and materials around it, such as bay windows, cornices, and brick, the new design is complimentary to but not indistinguishable from its surrounding historic resources. The building takes advantage of a throughlot to spread the institutional program over a wider area, thus maintaining the current rhythm of the twenty five-foot façade module on the street.

Potential development within a defined streetscape is relevant to other scenarios as well, such as the site on Union Square addressed by another proposal (Figure 10). This design addresses the dynamic and varying skyline of the block, emphasizing the piston-like composition of the adjacent buildings. The massing of the design embodies the dynamic skyline in its own form, as well as filling voids created by underbuilt surrounding buildings. The façade design itself is a study in fenestration patterns and rhythm in the historic context. The final outcome is one in which the new design helps unify the different buildings of the block.

In the instances where new buildings are developed in proximity to buildings of monumental character, the hierarchy in which these historic and contemporary designs are placed is important. An example is a proposed design for a site that is on the corner of an intersection dominated by three monumental banks (Figure 11). The proposal chooses not to detract from the monumental buildings, but instead compliments them with a building that relates proportionally to two of the buildings and fills the void that currently exists on the corner. The materials are modern, and do not subvert the high quality of ornament and construction of the three monumental banks with mimicry.