Proposed Development Raised Community Ire, Deemed Out-of-Scale by Commissioners

Commissioners asked for revisions to proposal, which would see two garage buildings converted− one to an apartment building and the other into two townhouses. On March 28, 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a proposal for two adjoining lots at 536 Halsey Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District. The midblock site is occupied by two early-20th-century utilitarian buildings; a three-story Queen Anne-style structure built in 1904 and a one-story building. Both were … <Read More>


Zoning Committee Hears Testimony on New 22-Story Building in West Chelsea

City Council’s Zoning Committee discusses proposed construction of a 22-story building next to U-Haul depot on West 23rd Street. On March 28, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony on an application to modify bulk regulations within the Special West Chelsea District in lower west Manhattan. The applicant, 23rd and 11th Associates LLC, sought a zoning text amendment to permit the distribution of floor area across different commercial zoning districts and subarea boundaries for … <Read More>


One Year Under Mandatory Rules Produces 4,700 Affordable Units

Mayor and City Council celebrate progress in production of affordable housing units since the passage of mandatory affordable rules one year ago. March 22, 2017, marked the one year anniversary of the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program. The program, which requires developers to include permanently affordable housing whenever a special permit or a rezoning significantly increases the underlying potential residential floor area, has received both praise and chastisement from advocates and Council Members.


New Building Approved Without Modifications for Vacant Lot

New development on triangular-shaped corner lot will employ passive house technology and have a facade clad with etched bronze panels. On March 7, 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and approved a certificate of appropriateness application for 14 White Street in the Tribeca East Historic District. The site is currently occupied by a parking lot and is being developed by the firm Nava. The development will house ten residential units with retail use … <Read More>


Eric Garner’s death: No Justice, No Peace

Three years have passed since Eric Garner’s choking death at the hands of police officer Daniel Pantaleo, and the episode remains unresolved. The grand jury’s secrecy and its decision not to indict anyone, along with Comptroller Scott Stringer’s unusually swift civil settlement with the Garner Family, have left the public with insufficient answers and a sense that justice has been denied. Civil rights organizations and governmental investigators have made additional attempts to obtain information, but … <Read More>


Almost 300 New Residential Units to be Added in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Planning Commission approves two new residential buildings in northeast Brooklyn with up to 88 affordable units. On March 8, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application to construct two new mixed-used buildings opposite of each other on Franklin Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The developer, Riverside Developers USA Inc., requested the upzoning of the two project sites from manufacturing zoning districts to joint residential and commercial zones. The … <Read More>