Ross Sandler

Join us at the September 27th CityLaw Breakfast, featuring the Hon. David N. Dinkins, former New York City Mayor. This event is sponsored by the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School.  Click here to RSVP.

David N. Dinkins, New York City’s 106th mayor, now 86 years old, tells his story in his newly published autobiography, A Mayor’s Life: Governing New York’s Gorgeous Mosaic (Public Affairs 2013).

Dinkins is justifiably proud of becoming the first African American mayor of New York City, and summarizes his policies as “attacking the problems, not the victims.” He suggests that the public misunderstood his “measured manner and precise diction” as a lack of mayoral fortitude. He says that his administration failed to receive sufficient public credit for the Safe Streets, Safe City crime reduction program, a program which many believe was the foundation for New York City’s stunning decline in crime. He attributes his 1993 reelection loss to Rudolph W. Giuliani to “racism, plain and simple.” Of the falloff of his African American support, he writes that the black community had expectations of him that were “elevated almost to the mythical,” and which could not be met because of economics and the requirement that he be mayor of all New York. (more…)

Rendering of the proposed two-story addition at 101 West 78th Street, Manhattan. Image Credit: Montroy Andersen DeMarco.

Applicants testified that seven-story building was originally conceived as rising to nine stories, and that a two-story addition was approved in the 1890s. The Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application to construct a two-story plus bulkhead addition atop the Evelyn, an apartment building at 101 West 78th Street in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District, on July 23, 2013.  The 1886 seven-story Renaissance Revival apartment building stands at the corner of Columbus Avenue, across the street from the American Museum of Natural History. The proposal also included the installation of an access lift at the main residential entrance, which would necessitate the removal of some historic fabric.

The proposed addition would be clad in zinc, while a brick bulkhead would rise an additional story. Glass railings would surround the accessible rooftop areas. Portions of the addition would be visible from multiple viewpoints from public thoroughfares.

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The City was forced to halt construction on the pavilion at Union Square Park in 2008. Photo: Jonathan Reingold.

See below for update.

Neighborhood coalition sued Parks over proposed plan to open restaurant in Union Square. Union Square is comprised of 3.6 acres of dedicated municipal parkland, stretching three blocks in length and one block in width. Union Square Park’s pavilion has hosted a myriad of political events and recreational activities for over a century. In 2004, the City announced its plans to open a restaurant in the pavilion. In April 2008, the Union Square Community Coalition (Coalition) obtained a temporary restraining order proscribing the City from undertaking any construction activity associated with its pavilion proposal. (See CityLand’s past coverage here). In March 2009, the New York Supreme Court dismissed the Coalition’s lawsuit. The pavilion was subsequently renovated and is currently being used by the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation as office and storage space.

In March 2012, the City signed a licensing agreement with Chef Driven Market, LLC, (Chef) authorizing Chef to open a 200-seat seasonal restaurant in the pavilion. The restaurant would operate from April 15 through October 15 and boast entrée prices topping over $30. The agreement required Chef to pay the City an annual fee of $300,000 for the first year, increasing to the greater of either $457,777 or 10 percent of its annual gross revenues in the 15th year.

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Map of proposed Special Hudson Square district. Subdistrict B was eliminated from the proposal. Image Courtesy: DCP.

Trinity Church committed $5.6 million contribution for Dapolito Recreation Center renovations but open space issues remain at City Council. On January 23, 2013, the City Planning Commission approved Trinity Church’s application to create the Special Hudson Square District. The purpose of the Special District is to maintain commercial office space – mainly occupied by creative industries – that has made the Hudson Square neighborhood distinct while encouraging mixed-use development and a vibrant community. The proposal would retain the area’s M1-6 zoning, which permits only commercial, manufacturing and limited community facility uses, but would add and modify zoning regulations aimed to allow residential and increased community facility uses. The area is generally bounded by West Houston and Canal Streets, Avenue of the Americas, and Greenwich Street. Trinity Church owns approximately 39 percent of the lots within the 18-block proposed Special District. (See CityLand’s past coverage here).

The area’s M1-6 zoning currently does not provide building height limits and setbacks, which has led to out-of-character development in more recent years. The Special District would establish height limits of 185 feet on narrow streets and 320 feet on wide streets as well as setback regulations. The maximum floor area ratio would be 10.0 for non-residential uses and 9.0 for residential uses, with a possibility of 12.0 for participation in the City’s Inclusionary Housing Program. The proposal expects approximately 3,000 new residential units will be added to the Special District as a result of the rezoning.

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22 Central Park South

Eight-story building sharing same tax lot as Plaza Hotel was included in 1969 designation. On June 19, 2012, Landmarks approved a plan to rebuild the facade of, and build a rooftop addition to, an eight-story building at 22 Central Park South. The building was constructed in 1897, and was substantially modified and enlarged in 1909. It abuts the western wall of the individually landmarked Plaza Hotel, and was included in the 1969 landmarking of the Plaza Hotel because it shared a tax lot with the hotel at the time. At the hearing, Landmarks Chair Robert B. Tierney termed the building an “accidental landmark,” noting that it was not mentioned in the 1969 designation report.

Historic preservation consultant William Higgins, speaking on behalf of the owner, explained that 22 Central Park South shared the same tax lot with the hotel from 1965 until 1980, and claimed the proposal was before Landmarks as an “administrative technicality.” Higgins said the building had undergone significant changes since its 1909 enlargement; gaining a subway entrance, a rooftop addition, and a fire escape. According to Higgins, the Plaza Hotel acquired the property in 1915, but never physically incorporated it into the hotel. Instead, it was leased to commercial tenants or used as administrative offices.

Architect David West, of Goldstein Hill and West Architects, said the proposal intended to create a “well- (more…)