One of the buildings at Lenox Terrace on 132nd Street. ELIZABETH KIM / GOTHAMIST
Oct. 9, 2019
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Worries about commercialization have also surrounded Lenox Terrox. Under the rezoning plan, the amount of retail would roughly double. Daniel Carpenter-Gold, a staff attorney at TakeRoot Justice, which represents the tenants association, said the proposed commercial upzoning is tailored more for big box stores rather than the small to mid-sized retail that the company has said it would build. “Why would they need this [commercial] rezoning?” he said. “Their renderings showed a coffee shop.”
Olnick has argued that the ground floor storefronts surrounding Lenox Terrace have languished in recent years and that the area is badly in need of revitalization. Tenants have accused Olnick of intentionally keeping the spaces vacant and blighted to build its case for the rezoning…
