The City Council approved the application to rezone the Far West Village on October 11, 2005, and the zoning changes have been in effect since. The rezoning plan covers a 14-block area of the Far West Village in Manhattan bounded roughly by “Horatio Street to the north, Washington Street to the east, Morton Street to the south, and West Street to the west” according to the Department of City Planning. Prior to the City Council’s approval, the plan was approved with conditions by Manhattan’s Community Board 2 and the Manhattan Borough President. The goal of the rezoning was to restrict high-rise development and encourage new development to stay within the 19th century-era character of the neighborhood.

In conjunction with the rezoning efforts, in the spring of 2006, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted to approve an extension of the Greenwich Village Historic District. The extension is bounded by Perry Street and Christopher Street to the north and south, respectively, between Washington Street and Greenwich Street to the west and east, respectively.

In addition to the rezoning passed in 2005, several community groups are urging the City Planning Commission (CPC) to rezone another section of the Far West Village. These groups are concerned that the zoning (currently a C6-1) is promoting “oversized commercial development.” The area being proposed by these community groups is a thin strip to the east of Washington Street between Gansevoort Street to the north and West 10th Street to the south. The Department of City Planning is doing preliminary review of the proposal and Manhattan’s Community Board 2 is also expected to consider the plans.

Last Updated: April 8, 2009