Injunction against DOB reversed

Staten Island civil court judge issued injunction against Buildings over C of O’s. In 2005, Judge Philip S. Straniere addressed a recurring issue in Staten Island where developers were failing to obtain final certificates of occupancy for new homeowners who, upon expiration of the temporary certificates, were unable to legalize their occupancy. Some of these homeowners, who had been cited by Buildings and ECB, sued the developers to compel them to obtain final certificates and … <Read More>


Permit denied to developer who cheated on demolition

Developer caught on video demolishing building with mechanical excavator and without a permit. In July 2005, Isaac Katan, of Global Development, received demolition permits to dismantle the building at 182 15th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn to make way for a new 62-unit, 11-story residential building. Buildings issued a stop-work order and then rescinded, stopping Katan’s work for almost a month from October 4th to November 11th. On November 16th, the City Council rezoned Park … <Read More>


Council designates despite owners’ objections

Owners claim financial hardship. The full Council approved Landmarks’ designation of two Staten Island homes over the protest of the current owners. Landmarks had unanimously approved the designation of the 1850-built DeHart House in Tottenville at its May 16th meeting and later voted on June 13th to make the Mark W. Allen house, a 1920s Craftmans style bungalow in West New Brighton, an individual landmark. 3 CityLand 78 (June 15, 2006); 3 CityLand 96 (July … <Read More>


Landmarks designates P.S. 64

Owner’s opposition and valid permit to strip exterior fails to stop designation. On June 20, 2006, Landmarks voted unanimously to designate former Public School 64 at 605 East 9th Street in the Lower East Side, despite the fact that its current owner, Gregg Singer, remained opposed to the designation and holds a valid Buildings permit to remove exterior details. 2 CityLand 152 (Nov. 15, 2005); 3 CityLand 80 (June 15, 2006).

Reading a lengthy, emotionally- … <Read More>


Two Brooklyn developments grandfathered

BSA extends time to complete construction based on common law, not the zoning code. Brooklyn’s South Park Slope neighborhood was rezoned in November 2005 to prevent out-of-scale development, forcing some developers to stop work on projects that no longer conformed to the new zoning. 2 CityLand 161 (Dec. 2005). Two developers in South Park Slope, with projects at 639 Sixth Avenue and 400 15th Street, requested permission to extend their construction time, filing two applications … <Read More>


Manhattan College gets market/parking garage

Manhattan College and Pathmark partner on new supermarket and campus parking garage. On June 21, 2006, the Planning Commission unanimously approved an application made by Manhattan College to permit construction of a six-level parking garage/supermarket structure on Broadway and Manhattan College Parkway in the Bronx. The Commission also approved a revocable consent to allow a pedestrian bridge to connect the market and garage to the Manhattan College campus.

The college partnered with the Pathmark supermarket … <Read More>