Factory on 5th
Rainey Street Density
RECEIVED Fri., March 19, 2021
Dear Editor,
Next week, City Council will be asked to give exception to three new developments in the Rainey Street District:
SP-2019-0465C, River Street to 22:1 FAR
SP-2020-0069C, 82-84 North IH 35 (East Avenue) 21:1 FAR
SPC – 2020-0121C, 90-92 Rainey St. 32:1 FAR
These, individually and as a group of high-density developments, threaten to build out the Rainey District to an intensity that is unsupportable by its local infrastructure and adds significant safety concerns. An appropriate response to the building boom within the Rainey District must consider the aggregate effects of that boom, to understand what is sustainable within the neighborhood on a holistic basis.
At 15:1 FAR, the new developments that are being approved by Planning without resort to a City Council exception, are already unusually dense (for example, the densest area in the US, Manhattan, has a maximum FAR of 12:1 as well as significant subway, bus, and other infrastructure to support the level of density). These new developments should not be approved by City Council.
Next week, City Council will be asked to give exception to three new developments in the Rainey Street District:
SP-2019-0465C, River Street to 22:1 FAR
SP-2020-0069C, 82-84 North IH 35 (East Avenue) 21:1 FAR
SPC – 2020-0121C, 90-92 Rainey St. 32:1 FAR
These, individually and as a group of high-density developments, threaten to build out the Rainey District to an intensity that is unsupportable by its local infrastructure and adds significant safety concerns. An appropriate response to the building boom within the Rainey District must consider the aggregate effects of that boom, to understand what is sustainable within the neighborhood on a holistic basis.
At 15:1 FAR, the new developments that are being approved by Planning without resort to a City Council exception, are already unusually dense (for example, the densest area in the US, Manhattan, has a maximum FAR of 12:1 as well as significant subway, bus, and other infrastructure to support the level of density). These new developments should not be approved by City Council.
Wally Pliszka
