A price to pay for going tall

   It was a new and controversial zoning concept when first introduced by New York City in 1961.

   Provide incentives for private developers to build public amenities in exchange for the right to construct buildings that are taller than would normally be approved.

   In the decades that followed, plazas, enclosed atriums and other public goods were paid for throughout Manhattan by developers who wanted to exceed height limits.

   Modified versions of the bonus system have since been adopted in other cities across the country.

   Now, Niagara Falls is considering taking a crack at incentive zoning.

   A proposal to rewrite the city's comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances includes provisions that would create a tiered system of downtown building heights, with bonuses given to developers who add certain public amenities.

   It would work like this: Add an underground parking lot, you can build taller. Add a public plaza with trees and a water feature, you can add even more stories to your building.

   Critics of the plan say any downtown building restrictions are a bad idea in neighborhoods already desperate for development. Proponents believe the tiered bonus system will help guide the right type of development in downtown Niagara Falls.

   You can read both the comprehensive plan and the proposed zoning ordinances on the city's Web site at www.niagarafallsusa.org.

   Incentive zoning led to the development of more public amenities in New York City and in other large cities because developers wanted to build skyscrapers. In Niagara Falls, Ont., incentive zoning has helped pay for a new arena and other projects.

   But can it work in Niagara Falls, USA?

- Denise Jewell Gee

Comments

[Steve in Wheatfield]

But can it work in Niagara Falls, USA?

Uhh no. See: dead horse, beating a