Hotel continued to operate transient use despite amendments to the Multiple Dwelling Law. The Royal Park Hotel, located at 258 West 97th St., Manhattan, operates as a transient use hotel. On July 5, 2012, Buildings issued a notice of violation to the Royal Park Hotel charging that it was operating as a transient hotel in violation of its 1964 certificate of occupancy. The 1964 certificate of occupancy classified the building as class A, a … <Read More>
Landmarks Denies Plan to Reinstate Pre-Designation Building Permit for Rooftop Addition
Despite reductions in addition’s scale and visibility, and promises to install a diorama commemorating escape of abolitionists from Draft Riots mob, Commissioners determined that any rooftop interventions were inappropriate. At its meeting on May 23, 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission disposed of an application for facade alterations and rear and roof additions to 339 West 29th Street in the Lamartine Place Historic District. In the 19th century, the building was home to prominent abolitionists … <Read More>
New Development to Surround Interior Landmarked Flushing Theater
Long-gestating plan for new residential and retail development will require the removal and offsite restoration of salvageable features of interior landmark. On May 16, 2017, Landmarks considered an application to re-authorize a certificate of appropriateness for work to the RKO Keith’s Flushing Theater, an interior City landmark. The Churrigueresque former theater, designed by Thomas Lamb, stands at 135-29 Northern Boulevard in Flushing, Queens. The surrounding structure, which is not landmarked, will be demolished, with … <Read More>
Subcommittee Considering Entirely Affordable Project in Crown Heights
Zoning Subcommittee heard proposal on new Brooklyn nine-story affordable building. On May 30, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony on an application by Bedford Arms, LLC, to develop a nine-story building with 48 income-restricted dwelling units and 46 government assisted units in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood. Stuart Beckerman, of Slater & Beckerman P.C., presented the project to the subcommittee. The applicant sought to up-zone the development site and to designate the site as … <Read More>
Council Members Critical of Proposed Amendment in Little Italy for Larger Retail Use
An amendment to expand ground floor retail use received harsh criticism from Council Members, tenants, and the community board. On May 30, 2017, the City Council’s Subcommittee heard testimony on an application to expand the Special Little Italy District to abolish rear yards to expand retail use. The applicant, JBAM TRG Spring LLC, proposed to build a one-story addition to the rear yards of 55-57 Spring Street—eliminating empty ground floor residential units—to create an expanded … <Read More>
City Council Subcommittee Considering Three Building Complex on Edgewater Street
Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony on proposed 371-unit complex on Staten Island. On May 30, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony regarding an application submitted by Pier 21 Development, LLC, to construct a mixed-use development with 371 residential units in three buildings in Staten Islands’ Rosebank neighborhood. The applicant sought to rezone the development site from manufacturing to residential with a commercial overlay and to expand the Special Stapleton Waterfront District to cover the … <Read More>