FRESH program would create incentives to encourage developing full-line grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods. On October 26, 2009, the City Council’s Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee heard testimony on the City’s proposed Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH) program. The program would provide zoning and financial incentives to encourage grocerystores in neighborhoods identified in a 2008 study as being underserved by stores offering a full range of fresh food. These neighborhoods are located primarily in northern Manhattan, southern Bronx, central Brooklyn, and areas of Queens.

The program would apply to manufacturing and commercial districts within the underserved communities. Stores qualifying for benefits would be required to provide at least 6,000 sq.ft. of space for food and non-food products, and at least 2,000 sq.ft. or 30 percent of space, whichever is greater, for perishable goods. Currently, grocery stores up to 10,000 sq.ft. are permitted in M1 districts, but under the proposal stores up to 30,000 sq.ft. would be permitted as-of-right. (more…)

New standards and guidelines intended to improve public use. The City Council approved City Planning’s proposal to update, improve, and consolidate rules for privately owned public spaces.

Under the old zoning, a developer in parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens can generate a floor area bonus of up to 20 percent if it builds an adjacent publicly-accessible open space, such as a plaza, arcade, or galleria. In practice, however, many of these privately owned public spaces do not adequately serve the public, and some even discourage public use. (more…)

New users limited to community services. On May 30, 2007, the City Council approved DCAS’ plan to dispose of four FDNY firehouses that the City closed for budgetary reasons in 2003 and 2004. DCAS originally proposed to sell the four firehouses at public auction with no restrictions. This resulted in opposition by local community boards and Borough Presidents Scott Stringer and Marty Markowitz. Prior to the Planning Commission’s hearing, the Mayor’s office proposed the formation of community steering committees to determine the best use for each firehouse. The Planning Commission thereafter approved the DCAS plan without modifications, in deference to the steering committees’ future determinations. 4 CityLand 55 (May 15, 2007).

At the hearing before the City Council’s Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions & Concessions, its chair, Council Member Daniel Garodnick, opened the hearing by explaining that the subcommittee would add restrictions to each application. With the firehouses at 120 East 125th Street in Manhattan, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Queens, and Brooklyn’s 136 Wythe Street, the Council would limit the sale to a community service provider. With Brooklyn’s 299 DeGraw Street, the Council would prohibit its sale, limiting DCAS to a ten-year lease to a community service provider, with two five-year options to renew. (more…)

Council overrode mayor’s veto, claiming Cass Gilbert-designed building is unworthy of designation. On December 5, 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the City Council’s vote rejecting the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of a Williamsburg, Brooklyn warehouse. The Council gathered sufficient votes on December 8th to override the mayor, calling the building simply unworthy.

Landmarks had unanimously designated the Austin Nichols & Co. Warehouse building in September 2005 over the objection of the owner and Council Member David Yassky, Williamsburg’s representative. 2 CityLand 139 (Oct. 15, 2005). The 1913-built, 500,000-square-foot warehouse was designed by Cass Gilbert and is viewed as his first substantial concrete warehouse construction. It sits along Williamsburg’s East River waterfront and within the 183-block area rezoned by the City in May, 2005. (more…)

Council unable to override Mayor’s veto. The proposed sites of three marine waste transfer stations were approved after the City Council failed to get sufficient votes to override Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s veto.

The Department of Sanitation had sought separate site selection approvals through ULURP applications to construct four new marine transfer stations. The four transfer stations were a component of Mayor Bloomberg’s 20-year Solid Waste Management Plan, which at the time of the applications was still pending approval before the City Council. (more…)