An example of a residence enlarged pursuant to a BSA-approved application in Brooklyn Community District 10 (original residence shown on the left). Image credit: Brooklyn Community Board 10

The approved proposal would remove Brooklyn Community District 10 from applicability under Section 73-622, while allowing three applications to go forward. On October 5, 2016, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises heard testimony on an application from Brooklyn Community Board 10 to amend the New York City zoning text relating to special permits issued by the Board of Standards and Appeals. These special permits allow property owners in R2 zoning districts to enlarge family residences beyond what is otherwise prohibited by the Zoning Resolution. Currently, Section 73-622 only applies to four of the fifty-nine Community Districts in New York City. For CityLand’s past coverage on the application, click here and here. (more…)

Council Member Carlos Menchaca speaks in opposition to the Industry City application at the Subcommittee hearing on September 15, 2020. Image Credit: NY City Council

Many elected officials questioned whether the developers could follow through on promises of job creation. On September 22, 2020, the developers of the proposed Industry City Rezoning pulled their application after receiving opposition from many elected officials and community members. Industry City is a 5.3 million square foot mixed-use complex with commercial, manufacturing, and community uses in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The complex is located in an area bounded by 32nd Street to the north, 41st Street to the south, Third Avenue to the east, and the Brooklyn Waterfront to the west. The application called for four land use actions to allow for the addition of several buildings, lifted restrictions on the types of retail and other uses allowed. For CityLand’s prior coverage of the Industry City project, click here. (more…)

1510 Broadway Rendering Image Credit: City Planning

The proposed mixed-use development looks to activate vacant land near the Halsey Street Subway station. On August 17, 2020, the City Planning Commission held a remote public hearing on a City application that would facilitate the construction of an eight-story mixed use development in the Ocean Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. The site is currently a vacant, trapezoidal block situated mainly along Broadway to the northeast, Hancock Street to the southeast, and Saratoga Ave to the west. The site is directly across from a raised subway platform and the Halsey Street subway station that serves the J/Z subway line. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services brought the application on behalf of the City.

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Houses on the west side of the proposed East 25th Street Historic District. Image Credit: LPC

Residents on the block worked with Landmarks leading up to the calendaring. On August 11, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the East 25th Street Historic District for designation. The East 25th Street Historic District consists of 56 row houses on both sides of East 25th Street between Clarendon Road and Avenue D in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The historic district consists of the houses between 314 – 378 East 25th Street. (more…)

Harriet and Thomas Truesdell House Image Credit: LPC

LPC seeks to honor Brooklyn’s abolitionist history with Downtown Brooklyn landmark. On June 30, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the designation of the Harriet and Thomas Truesdell House located at 227 Duffield Street in Brooklyn. The property is situated in Downtown Brooklyn, between Willoughby Street and Fulton Street. The designation is sought to preserve the historical significance the Truesdells played into the pre-civil war abolitionist movement, having lived in their 227 Duffield home for more than a decade.

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