Commission modifies Hunts Pt. Special District

Alterations are designed to restrict big-box retail and hotel developments. On May 21, 2008, the City Planning Commission voted to approve, with modifications, the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone a 70-block area in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. The area City Planning proposes to rezone is bounded by the Bruckner Expressway, Halleck Street, and Ryawa and Oak Point Avenues.

Consisting of 690 acres, the Hunts Point peninsula is characterized by … <Read More>


Commission hears Columbia’s and CB 9’s plans

Columbia University proposes northward expansion; CB 9 seeks industrial jobs and affordable housing. On October 3, 2007, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on Columbia University’s and Manhattan Community Board 9’s competing plans for the future of West Harlem.

Under Columbia’s plan, the City would rezone 35 acres of Manhattanville, a section of West Harlem currently zoned primarily for manufacturing, and create a Special Manhattanville Mixed-Use District stretching from West 125th to West 135th … <Read More>


Bedford-Stuyvesant rezoning advances to Council

Two new zoning districts created under plan can be applied citywide. The Planning Commission voted unanimously on September 5, 2007 to approve the 206-block rezoning plan for Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, sending it to the City Council.

Initiated by local residents, the plan crafts contextual zoning districts for low-density row house blocks, and higher density mixed-use districts for commercial corridors on Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street. On a majority of the 206- block area, the rezoning would … <Read More>


CPC approves 51-block Westside plan

Inclusionary housing bonus proposed for Broadway above West 97th. Alarmed by the construction of two apartment buildings exceeding 30 stories on Broadway between West 99th and West 100th Streets, Upper West Side residents asked the City to consider rezoning the area and setting stricter height limits. This started a two-year collaborative planning effort by City Planning, HPD, Landmarks, the Manhattan Borough President’s office and local residents. The efforts focused on a 51-block rezoning plan for … <Read More>


Upgrade of Hunts Point pollution plant approved

Borough President and community board had raised concerns about odor, traffic and views from nearby park. The Planning Commission on July 25, 2007 unanimously approved the Department of Environmental Protection’s plan to upgrade and expand the Hunts Point water pollution control plant by constructing two, 130-foot tall, egg-shaped digester buildings. The plan includes the transfer to Parks of 1.2 acres of land which, during construction, will be used for staging. After completion of construction, Parks … <Read More>


HPD proposes large complex for South Bronx

Plan for seven buildings includes Boricua College campus, 679 residential units and over 36,000 sq.ft. of retail. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development proposed to amend the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area Plan in the Bronx to facilitate a large, seven building, mixed-use, residential and commercial complex called Boricua Village to be constructed on a 4.2-acre lot in the northeast corner of Melrose Commons.

HPD’s plan called for 18 changes to the existing Melrose … <Read More>