Opponents claim Hunter’s Point South will not adequately address lack of affordable housing in Queens. On August 13, 2008, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on the Hunter’s Point South Redevelopment Plan. The plan aims to create an affordable, middle-income community and waterfront park on 30 acres of Long Island City waterfront.

Originally owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the City purchased the site in 2006 and assigned the New York City Economic Development Corporation to create a plan that would increase the affordable housing stock in Queens. In 2007, EDC announced a plan that included low-, mid-, and high-rise residential areas, 11 acres of open space, ground-floor retail, and approximately 5,000 new housing units, 60 percent of which would be affordable to middle-income families.

At the Planning Commission’s public hearing, an EDC representative stated that, out of all the major U.S. cities, New York City has the smallest number of middle-income families, and that the EDC plan, the largest affordable housing project in the last 30 years, will allow the City to prevent more middle-income families from being priced-out of living in Queens. Helen M. Marshall, Borough President of Queens, testified that without more affordable housing, City workers, who provide vital services and “represent an important part of our tax base,” will continue to leave the City. According to Marshall, EDC’s plan can help reverse that trend. (more…)

Neighborhood adjacent to Atlantic Yards characterized by 19th Century rowhouses. On July 15, 2008, Landmarks moved to calendar 21 blocks in Prospect Heights, the first step in designating a new historic district. With 870 buildings, the proposed district would be Brooklyn’s largest. Bordering Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development, as well as Prospect Park, the area is characterized by residential 19th Century rowhouses, predominantly in Neo- Grec, Italianate, Second Empire, and Renaissance Revival styles.

Development of Prospect Heights began in the mid-19th Century, spurred by its proximity to downtown Brooklyn, the East River, and later, the Brooklyn Bridge. Prospect Heights experienced several waves of development, and, in addition to its characteristic brownstones, is home to neo-Classical apartment buildings, including the 1889 Prospect View apartments, as well as various institutional buildings. (more…)

DOB stop-work order of no consequence in vested rights analysis. On April 25, 2007, the Department of Buildings issued a permit to the owner of 1447 Rosedale Avenue to construct a three-story, two-family home. Two weeks later the City Council approved a rezoning in Park Stratton which changed the zoning on the owner’s lot from R6 to R5, thereby rendering the proposed project out-of-compliance with maximum permitted floor area, parking, lot coverage, residential density, and front yard parameters. The owner filed an appeal with BSA to continue construction.

The owner argued that he was entitled to continue construction as planned because he had already excavated the site and had completed the footings, foundation, and back-filling. The owner also proved that he had already spent $47,940 on the project and could not recoup his loss if required to comply with the new zoning. In opposition, Buildings claimed that the owner had performed unauthorized work in violation of a stop-work order, and that his application should be denied on that basis alone. (more…)

Community and Stringer criticize EDC for initiating land use process before selecting developer. On July 23, 2008, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on a plan to redevelop a six-acre site in East Harlem roughly bounded by East 125th and East 127th Streets between Second and Third Avenues. The plan before the Commission resulted from a controversial RFP process shepherded by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

EDC first released an RFP for the site in 1999, awarding Urban Strategic Partners LLC the right to develop its “Uptown New York” plan, a proposal that included 700,000 sq. ft. of retail and commercial space along with four towers containing 1.5 million sq.ft. of residential space. The community strongly opposed the proposal for its lack of affordable housing and its failure to adequately consider the local culture. Community Board 11, Borough President Scott Stringer, and Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito formed a task force to oppose the plan and to propose a new one that, in its view, would better fit the community’s needs. EDC subsequently withdrew the proposal and released a new RFP shaped by suggestions from the task force. The new RFP called for a 1.7 million sq. ft. development including up to 1,000 units of housing along with a national retail anchor, restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs, a hotel, and not-for-profit space. 3 CityLand 159 (Nov. 15, 2006). (more…)

At least 30 speakers testified on proposal backed by residents and local elected officials. On June 4, 2008, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to define an area of Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens as having “narrow streets” under the zoning law. The proposal would result in a lowering of the permitted building heights and densities, making as-of-right development consistent with neighborhood character. Currently zoned R6, with portions covered by a commercial overlay, the area consists mostly of three and four-story brownstones built in the mid-19th century. Two of the affected blocks lie within the Carroll Gardens Historic District.

Carroll Gardens, according to City Planning, has seen rising property values and out-of-context development due to permissive zoning. In response to community concerns, the proposal would apply to First through Fourth Places, between Henry and Smith Streets, as well as Second, Carroll, and President Streets between Smith and Hoyt Streets. (more…)