New Local Law creates uncertainty for “as-of-right” development

Central to the concept of zoning is that a developer may rely on the text and build to the limits written into the zoning resolution.  The council has now tinkered with that expectation.  Under a new local law, the council can potentially overcome the “as-of-right” option by adopting a text change on an expedited basis.

The local law was a response to the controversial Two Bridges project, a proposal consisting of three residential towers … <Read More>


A tale of the lost glove and the efficiency of the 311 system

Returning home at 11 p.m. from a charitable fundraiser in a yellow cab on a Thursday night with my wife Alice Sandler, I lost my right glove. It fell to the floor of the cab as I paid the fare, retrieved the receipt, gathered my umbrella and shouldered my briefcase. I discovered that the glove had disappeared when I arrived home.


Speed Up the Redesign and Modernization of Privately-Owned Public Spaces

Over half the existing plazas and other public spaces located on private property lack the benches, vegetation, artwork, lighting and other amenities required by the City’s zoning code or promised by the developers in return for permission to build taller and larger buildings, as reported by Comptroller Scott Stringer in an April 18, 2017 audit. Stringer recommended more inspections by the Department of Buildings to bring these privately-owned public spaces (so-called “POPS”) into compliance. But … <Read More>


Wayne Barrett, R.I.P.

Wayne Barrett, who passed away on January 19, 2017, was in fact a “fierce muckraker” as described in the New York Times’ laudatory obituary published the day of Barrett’s death. Barrett’s unparalleled research scared the political people he wrote about, and his long articles in the Village Voice based on those facts frightened them even more.

Wayne Barrett had no peer when it came to ferreting out the full story of politicians’ tricks, compromises and … <Read More>


Civil Rights Laws in New York: Strength in a Time of Change

Following the Presidential election and reports of increased discriminatory harassment, many Americans have expressed concerns that the federal government may weaken its enforcement of civil rights laws. For those of us who live, work or attend school in New York, it is important to know and to enforce the strong civil rights protections that exist under New York City and New York State law.

Both New York State and New York City have enacted Human … <Read More>