Edward Lauria testifies before the Board of Standards and Appeals. Image credit: BSA

Board approved a new commercial building on satisfying Fire Department requirements.  On July 14, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant a permit for the construction of a single-story commercial building at 47 Trioka Way in the Special South Richmond Development District of Staten Island.  The building will be concrete block with metal walls and roof, covering 15,120 square feet of floor area divided evenly among ten storage units and contractor’s establishments.

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Bernard Marson testifies before the Board of Standards and Appeals. Image credit: BSA

Board found complying with Multiple Dwellings Law prohibited full development of zoned area.  On May 19, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant the applicant, BBD & D Inc, a permit to construct a penthouse at 237 East 72nd Street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  The penthouse unit will expand the current building from four stories in height to five.

On April 8, 2014 the Department of Buildings denied the applicant’s permit to construct the penthouse because the Multiple Dwellings Law prohibited increase in height or stories.  On May 5, 2014 the applicant requested a special permit from the Board.

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Eric Palatnik testifies before the Board of Standards and Appeals. Image credit: BSA

Board approved construction after assurances from FDNY.  On January 13, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals approved a special permit for Carlo Saccheri to construct a two-story commercial building at 44 Marjorie Street in Charleston, Staten Island.  The building will be used for the receiving and storage of plumbing supplies, as well as associated office space and commercial truck parking.

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Eagle claimed huge sign visible from Queensboro Bridge was not an accessory sign.  The Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company, in 1936, constructed a 1,950 square foot sign on the rooftop of its plant located at 23-10 Queens Plaza South, Queens. The plant is located in the M1-9/R9 Special Long Island City Mixed Use zoning district and within 200 feet of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. Eagle ceased operations in 2000; the plant where the sign is located is currently vacant. In 1999, the sign was leased to Atlantic Outdoor Advertising, Inc. and has since been used to advertise different products. (more…)

Applicant claimed that a conforming residential development would not yield a reasonable return given the lot’s irregular shape, location, and sloping grade. Joseph Maza applied to BSA for a variance to build a one-story commercial building with 21 accessory parking spaces at 4553 Arthur Kill Road in Charleston, a Staten Island neighborhood located just north of the Outerbridge Crossing. The site was located within the Special South Richmond Development District, a district established in 1975 to guide the development of the southern portion of Staten Island. The proposal required a variance since Maza intended the building to be occupied by retail stores, which are prohibited within the R3-2 residential zoning district.

Maza claimed that the lot’s irregular triangle shape made it difficult to construct a conforming residential development, and that the lot’s 15-ft. upward slope, beginning at its Arthur Kill Road frontage, would increase sewer line installation costs. The proposed commercial development avoided these added costs since an on-site septic system would be utilized, eliminating the need for a new 700-ft. sewer line. Maza also claimed that a nearby 87,000 sq.ft. bus depot would render the site unmarketable for residential use given the depot’s task of servicing several hundred buses daily, seven days a week. The depot, Maza added, would increase traffic around Arthur Kill Road, a 60- ft. wide arterial road that provided access to New Jersey by way of the Outerbridge Crossing. The traffic-choked road, which touched the site, would further lessen the prospect of successfully marketing a conforming residential development. (more…)