In 2006, the City Council rezoned 4 blocks in Tribeca, currently zoned for manufacturing, to allow residential and commercial uses. The area bounded by West, Washington, Watts, and Hubert Streets. The move was prompted by a development proposal put forward by the Jack Parker Corporation to build residential towers on one of the four blocks.
The proposal, however, encountered widespread community opposition based on the proposed scale of the development and the effect that it might have on the character of Tribeca.
In the last hours before the City Council vote on the rezoning with the outcome of the vote very much in the air, the Jack Parker Corporation, local Councilmember Alan Gerson, and residents groups reached a compromise that called for limited building height and other changes to the design in exchange for community support before the City Council. With the deal in hand, the City Council approved the zoning change.