Search Results for: West Harlem, Manhattan

Landmarks’ John Weiss on Combating Demolition-by-Neglect

John Weiss has served as deputy counsel for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission since 2001. Weiss leads Landmarks’ efforts to protect landmarked structures from demolition-by-neglect, and each of his cases reveals a fascinating tale of New York City real estate.

After earning his undergraduate degree in political science and public policy from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Weiss was torn between studying law or architecture. He took time off while at Hampshire to … <Read More>

Bedford-Stuyvesant historic district considered

New district would include 825 buildings primarily built at the turn of the 20th century. On August 2, 2011, Landmarks heard testimony on the proposed Bedford-Stuyvesant/ Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District in Brooklyn. The proposed district is generally bounded by Halsey and Macon Streets to the north, Fulton Street to the south, Malcolm X Boulevard to the east, and Tompkins Avenue to the west, and would surround the 1971-designated Stuyvesant Heights Historic District. The new … <Read More>

Changes to 125th Street’s sidewalk cafe rules proposed

125th street street cafe. Image: Courtesy of NYC Department of City Planning.

Amendment would tighten sidewalk cafe regulations within Harlem’s Special 125th Street District to address local congestion concerns. On June 7, 2011, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved the Department of City Planning’s proposal to modify sidewalk cafe regulations within the Special 125th Street District in Harlem, Manhattan. The Special District comprises 24 blocks of East, Central, and West Harlem generally bounded by … <Read More>

Sugar Hill project OK’d

Thirteen-story building would house the Faith Ringgold Children’s Museum, a day care center, and provide 124 affordable housing units. On September 15, 2010, the City Planning Commission approved Broadway Housing Communities’ rezoning proposal to facilitate the development of a thirteen-story affordable housing project in the Sugar Hill section of West Harlem. Broadway Housing proposed rezoning the northwest portion of a block bounded by West 155th and 153rd Streets and St. Nicholas Place and St. Nicholas … <Read More>

Court upsets Columbia’s eminent domain option

Property owners challenge ESDC’s authority to use eminent domain on behalf of Columbia. Looking to expand in West Harlem, Columbia University teamed up with the City’s Economic Development Corporation in 2001 to redevelop the area. Not long after, EDC issued a West Harlem Master Plan. The plan stated that West Harlem could be redeveloped through rezoning, and did not mention any blighted conditions in Manhattanville. Columbia began purchasing property in the area in 2002 for … <Read More>

Commission modifies 125th Street rezoning plan

Building heights and densities reduced along Harlem’s primary thoroughfare. In an effort to preserve the scale and character of Harlem’s 125th Street, the City Planning Commission approved a text amendment on October 7, 2008 that lowers building heights and reduces densities for residential, commercial, and community facility uses. The affected area is located on the north side of West 125th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and a point 545 ft. east of Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X … <Read More>