City Planning Commission

Rezoning sought to allow air rights sale

Developer to buy 58,005 sq.ft. of air rights from Broadway’s Hirschfeld Theatre. An application to transfer additional air rights from the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, formerly the Martin Beck Theater, on West 45th Street started the City’s public review process on April 24, 2006 when the Planning Commission certified the applications of Allen Goldman of Fifth Street Holdings, LLC and SJP Residential Properties.

In 1998, the City enacted zoning rules aimed at preserving Broadway’s historic theaters. … <Read More>

New text approved for historic districts

Amended text needed for 85-unit apartment building, 150-space garage to be built on SoHo parking lot. United American Land, LLC applied for a text amendment and three special permits to allow a 137,000-square-foot, mixed-use development on a lot at 311 West Broadway within Manhattan’s SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The 28,200-square-foot site currently contains a 206-space parking lot and a two-story building.

Before applying to City Planning, United sought Landmarks approval. Landmarks suggested that United eliminate … <Read More>

SI church obtains approval for 941-car parking lot

Special permit is associated with major church addition. Gateway Cathedral, located on a 22.5 acre site at 200 Boscombe Avenue in Richmond Valley, Staten Island, applied for a special permit to allow a total of 941 accessory parking spaces. Gateway plans to expand its current 34,493-square-foot church by an additional 87,870 sq.ft. Once the expansion is completed, the church’s capacity will be 3,454 people, up from its current capacity of 820. The expansion plan also … <Read More>

New DOT maintenance yard approved

Ozone Park DOT facility will have green components and noise buffers. The DOT sought a map amendment and site selection approval to allow construction of a new maintenance facility at 88-20 Pitkin Avenue in Ozone Park, Queens. The proposed 46,812-square-foot project site would require elimination of a portion of Linden Boulevard that has not been open to the public since the existing DOT facility was built in 1939. The site’s current facility, consisting of two … <Read More>

Area rezoned to preserve one and two family homes

Residents sought rezoning to halt subdivisions and out-of-character residential development. On March 22, 2006, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning impacting 82 blocks of the Bayswater and Far Rockaway neighborhoods in Queens. The rezoned areas are predominately residential and border the Far Rockaway commercial district. The rezoning was proposed in response to overdevelopment concerns caused by the subdivision of large lots and replacement of one- and two-family homes with multi-family homes.

Existing R2, R3-2, … <Read More>

Manhattan’s Toy Center to become apartments

Rezoning will allow Chelsea’s International Toy Center to be converted for residential use. 200 Fifth, LLC applied to rezone 200 Fifth Avenue and 1107 Broadway in Chelsea, Manhattan, to allow conversion of manufacturing/commercial buildings to residences with an expected 500 units. The buildings, located between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, along West 23rd and 25th Streets, are home to The International Toy Center and nearly 300 toy companies, many of which have been tenants since 1938. … <Read More>