Embedded — costs buried in shared lines
The Civic Issue
The SoHo/NoHo rezoning — approved in December 2021 and projected to produce 1,829 new housing units within 10 years — has produced zero completed units after 3+ years. Only 3 projects have been permitted, totaling roughly 300 units. Residents and housing advocates are frustrated that a politically contentious rezoning pitched as a housing solution has generated no tangible supply, while the neighborhood's character continues to shift toward luxury retail and tourism.
Headline Spending
$56.8M
identifiable in budget
Budget Lines (Adopted)
$15.0M
8 lines
Vendor Spending
$2.6M
5 vendors
| Line | Adopted | Spent |
|---|---|---|
EIS (Tax Levy) DCP - OTPS | $6.5M | $736.0K |
PRO-Jamaica Neighborhood Rezoning DCP - OTPS | $2.5M | $277.9K |
EARD (Tax Levy) DCP - PS | $2.1M | $1.3M |
Zoning/Urban Design (CDBG) DCP - PS | $1.6M | $878.0K |
LAND USE REVIEW DCP - PS | $1.1M | $779.8K |
Dev Inclusionary Housing - TL HPD - OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT | $1.2M | $621.7K |
SoHo-NoHo Facilitation SBS - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. | $0 | $0 |
SOHO/NOHO Art Fund DCLA - OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER - OTPS | $0 | $0 |
| AKRF INC (environmental review) | $1.5M | 17 txns |
| CONNECT ENGINEERING DPC | $625.8K | 13 txns |
| STV INC. | $231.4K | 7 txns |
| WSP USA INC | $96.4K | 4 txns |
| LOUIS BERGER & ASSOC PC | $92.5K | 3 txns |
Total Identifiable Spending
$56.8M (DCP total budget — SoHo/NoHo implementation is embedded in general planning operations with no dedicated appropriation)
DCP's total budget is $56.8M — a small agency whose entire output is land use and zoning decisions. The EIS line ($6.5M) and EARD staff ($2.1M) process environmental reviews for all rezonings citywide, not just SoHo/NoHo. Two SoHo/NoHo-specific budget lines exist but are completely zeroed out: "SoHo-NoHo Facilitation" under SBS/EDC ($0/$0/$0) and "SOHO/NOHO Art Fund" under DCLA ($0/$0/$0). The Art Fund was a concession to the arts community during rezoning negotiations — an unfunded promise. HPD's Inclusionary Housing line ($1.2M) administers MIH compliance for all rezonings citywide, not just SoHo/NoHo. The Jamaica Neighborhood Rezoning line ($2.5M adopted, cut to $925K modified) is the only rezoning with its own dedicated consulting budget — SoHo/NoHo never received equivalent funding.
The rezoning's failure is not a budget problem — it's a market and regulatory problem. Development economics in SoHo/NoHo (high land costs, MIH affordability requirements, loft conversion complications, community opposition) make projects financially marginal. The city cannot force private developers to build. Construction permits are filed with DOB, but DOB data doesn't track which permits are the result of rezonings. The real cost of the SoHo/NoHo rezoning was political capital and DCP staff time spread across 2019-2021 — entirely invisible in FY2026 data. The SOHO/NOHO Art Fund's $0 appropriation is the clearest budget signal: a promised community benefit that was never funded.
Key Context
The SoHo/NoHo rezoning was one of the most contentious land use decisions under de Blasio, approved over significant community opposition. It replaced the area's unique manufacturing zoning (M1-5A/M1-5B) with residential zoning and MIH requirements. The projection of 1,829 units over 10 years assumed a market response that hasn't materialized — zero completed units in 3+ years. By contrast, the Jamaica Neighborhood Rezoning received dedicated consulting budget ($2.5M) for community planning, while SoHo/NoHo's budget line is a placeholder with $0. The two zeroed-out lines (Art Fund and Facilitation) are a case study in rezoning commitments that evaporate after City Council approval.