Appellate Division Provides Major Win for Two Bridges Developers

Two Bridges development gets Appellate Division ruling but two lawsuits remain pending. On August 27, 2020, the First Department’s Appellate Division unanimously ruled in favor of a Lower East Side development that would consist of four towers, 11,000 square feet of retail, and over 2,700 residential units. Of the 2,700 residential units, approximately 700 units will be dedicated to affordable housing and 200 units will be set aside for senior housing. The project’s development group … <Read More>


City Planning Votes to Approve Proposed Industry City Expansion

The highly contested project was originally heard prior to the COVID-19 pause on the ULURP timeline. On August 18, 2020, the City Planning Commission voted to approve the application for four land use actions to expand bulk and use requirements for Industry City. Industry City is a 5.3 million square foot mixed-use complex with commercial, manufacturing and community uses in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The complex is located in an area bounded by 32nd Street to … <Read More>


City Planning Commission Resumes Hearings

The full ULURP process will resume on September 14th. On August 3, 2020, the City Planning Commission resumed hearings for the first time since March 16th. Hearings had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order halting the ULURP process which allowed the City Planning Commission to cancel its meetings. While other agencies started resuming public hearings virtually in June and July, the City Planning Commission has <Read More>


ULURP Remains Suspended, What Next?

Why did ULURP remain suspended when so many City agencies and public bodies took to virtual operations? On March 16, 2020, the Department of City Planning announced that, pursuant to an executive order from Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and all relevant public hearings and votes were suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the suspension, Community Boards, Borough Presidents, and the City Council have virtually convened to … <Read More>


UPDATED: Construction Shutdown: Preserving Land Use Approvals

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive orders issued in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency halted non-essential construction throughout the City of New York. Many of the halted construction projects enjoyed land use approvals granted by City agencies, and the Governor’s orders did not toll the expiration dates of these approvals. (Update:) Subsequent to the construction shutdown, Mayor Bill de Blasio on April 29, 2020 issued an emergency executive order tolling the expiration dates … <Read More>


Landmarks Holds Public Hearing for New Senior Housing Near Kreischer House

Landmarks expressed support for the proposed senior housing complex but raised some concerns regarding the new buildings’ impact on the Kreischer House site.  On February 4, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on a Certificate of Appropriateness for three actions to facilitate the development of a new senior housing complex, comprised of eleven buildings, surrounding the Kreischer House. The Kreischer House is located at 4500 Arthur Kill Road in Charlestown, Staten Island. … <Read More>