
Image credit: DCP
City Planning proposed a new special permit to limit the spread of hotels in light manufacturing districts. The New York City Department of City Planning has begun the public review process for a proposed zoning text amendment to limit the proliferation of hotels in districts zoned for light manufacturing. The amendment would require that proposed hotel developments in M1 zoning districts receive a special permit from the City Planning Commission. A public scoping meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2017, at Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street in Downtown Manhattan. (read more…)

Image credit: New York City Bar Association
A centennial symposium will celebrate the Nation’s first comprehensive zoning resolution: Leaders will look to past and future impact of zoning on the shaping of better cities. The Department of City Planning, in partnership with the New York City Bar Association, announced an all-day symposium titled Zoning at 100: A Symposium for the Future to take place on September 15, 2016. The symposium marks the 100th anniversary of the City’s Zoning Resolution which, when established in 1916, was the Nation’s first comprehensive regulation controlling land use and development.
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Department of City Planning. Image credit: DCP
City Planning revamps website for the first time since 2012; hopes to foster public engagement. On January 29, 2016, the Department of City Planning announced its new and revised website. The new site has a more attractive user interface, improved site navigation and revised content that better presents the Department’s priorities, work program and processes.
City Planning Director Carl Weisbrod said, “As the world moves more and more online, having an accessible and informative website is essential for any government agency. DCP’s more efficient website will make it easier for the public to become knowledgeable about our various initiatives, studies and research found online. Thanks to the hard work of our Information Technology division, DCP’s digital presence is stronger and more useful than ever.”
“Community engagement is a core objective.” The new website has a “get involved” page, allowing citizens to stay current on public meetings and community plans. Each page now allows for one-click sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Tumblr, and email to better disseminate City Planning content.
“Moving forward, DCP will continue to introduce new features to its website in order to improve the users’ experience, to increase transparency and to encourage community engagement,” according to a public statement issued by the Department.
This is the first time that the Department of City Planning has revamped the site since 2012. The site was built within the overall NYC.gov website architecture and therefore delivers to the public a look and feel that is uniform across City agencies. The new website can be located here.

Department of City Planning. Image credit: DCP
All land use applications and general inquires will be handled at new address; the City Planning Commission, however, will continue holding public meetings at 22 Reade Street. As of November 23, 2015, the Department of City Planning is no longer conducting its operations at 22 Reade Street in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan.
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City Planning failed to prepare a waste prevention and recycling plan and failed to submit annual reports to Sanitation. On September 24, 2014, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit finding that the New York City Department of City Planning did not comply with Local Law 36. Local Law 36 was enacted in 2010 to amend the City’s recycling provision in Local Law 19. (read more…)