By Tara Kyle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HELL'S KITCHEN — West Side residents, business owners and other stakeholders will get their chance to weigh in on an 18-block rezoning proposal at a public hearing Wednesday night.
The chief goals of the West Clinton Rezoning plan include bringing more housing and commerce to the once desolate vicinity of Eleventh Avenue.
If passed, the proposal would, for the first time, impose a height limit on development in the area, bounded by 43rd and 55th Street. It would also outlaw hotels and prevent new strip clubs from moving in — patrons of existing gentleman's establishments, fear not — you can stay.
The public hearing, slated for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Roosevelt Hospital at 1000 Tenth Avenue, is one piece of the city's seven-month public review period, formally known as the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP).
After the neighborhood weighs in, Community Board 4 will issue a vote on its recommendations. The next step for the rezoning proposal is Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's office, followed by the City Planning Commission, City Council and Mayor.
One lingering issue likely to dominate the conversation is the lack of anti-harassment protections for people living between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues, in the current proposal. Without provisions of this kind, many neighborhood activists say landlords can try to force out tenants without fear of penalties.
