CORRECTED NOTICE OF PUBLIC SCOPING
New York City Educational Construction Fund
Draft Scope of Work for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
ECF East 96th Street Project
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT a public scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 beginning at 5:30 PM at the Park East High School, 230 East 105th Street, New York, NY.
The purpose of the scoping meeting is to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on the Draft Scope of Work proposed to be used to develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed ECF East 96th Street project. Comments on the Draft Scope of Work are invited and may be presented at the public scoping meeting and/or may be submitted in writing to the NYC Educational Construction Fund (ECF) until Monday, July 10, 2016 at the email and contact addresses below.
Directing that an Environmental Impact Statement be prepared, the Environmental Assessment, Positive Declaration, and Draft Scope of Work were issued by ECF on June 10, 2016, and are available for review from the contact person listed below and on the ECF website at http://schools.nyc.gov/community/facilities/ecf/default.htm.
The co-applicants, ECF and AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (AvalonBay), are seeking a rezoning and other actions to allow the construction of a mixed-use building, a replacement facility for the existing School of Cooperative Technical Education (SCTE), a new facility for the relocation of two existing neighborhood public high schools, and relocation of an existing jointly-operated playground on Block 1668, Lot 1, in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. The proposed project involves the construction of a mixed-use tower on Second Avenue containing a 135,000-gross square foot (gsf) public technical school—a replacement facility for the existing SCTE on the project site—as well as approximately 25,000 gsf of retail space, and approximately 1,015,000 gsf of residential floor area (1,100-1,200 units), of which 70 percent will be market rate and 30 percent will be permanently affordable. Following the demolition of the existing SCTE, the co-applicants will construct a 135,000 gsf building on First Avenue that will house two public high schools. The jointly-operated playground currently on the western portion of the project site would be relocated to the center of the project block. It is anticipated that site preparation and construction for the project would commence in 2018 and is expected it would be complete and operational in 2023.
The proposed project will require several discretionary actions, including: a zoning map amendment to change the portion 100 feet east of 2nd Avenue from R10A and R7-2 to a C2-8 District and the remainder of Block 1668 from R7-2 and R10A districts to a R10 district; amendments to the Zoning Resolution to allow distribution of lot coverage and to establish a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing designated area; a special permit to allow distribution of lot coverage and waiver of height and setback restrictions; a special permit to reduce parking requirements applicable to non-income restricted residences; certifications to modify restrictions on location of curb cuts; and a certification that a transit easement is not required. The proposed project also will require approval of a home rule message by the New York City Council and legislation by the New York State Legislature to authorize the alienation and disposition to ECF of the existing jointly-operated playground, and its replacement with an equivalent amount of jointly-operated playground. The project also involves a transfer of the City-owned property (the site) to ECF, which would lease a portion of the property to the designated developer, AvalonBay. ECF would convey the schools to the City (acting through the NYC Department of Education (DOE) and re-convey control of the jointly-operated playground to DOE and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. To facilitate construction of the schools, ECF would issue tax-exempt bonds.
Lead Agency: New York City Educational Construction Fund
Sponsoring Agency: New York City Educational Construction Fund
Contact: Jennifer Maldonado, Executive Director
New York City Educational Construction Fund
RE: COOP Tech @ East 96th Street
30-30 Thomson Avenue, First Floor
Long Island City, NY 11101
E96thStreet@schools.nyc.gov
SEQRA/CEQR Classification: Type I
Location of Action: The project site is Block 1668, Lot 1, the full block bounded by East 96th and 97th Street and First and Second Avenues in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. It is located in Manhattan Community District 11. The western portion of the project site is currently occupied by the Marx Brothers Playground, which is jointly operated by DOE and DPR. The playground area facing Second Avenue is currently in use by MTA as a staging area for Second Avenue Subway construction. The eastern portion of the project site is occupied by a 4-story school building, currently in use by SCTE, a DOE facility for high school students.
This Notice of Public Meeting has been prepared pursuant to Article 8 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law (the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA)), its implementing regulations found at 6 NYCRR Part 617, and the Rules of Procedure for City Environmental Quality Review found at 62 RCNY Chapter 5, and Mayoral Executive Order 91 of 1977, as amended (CEQR).