Council Members Appear Critical of Controversial Vinegar Hill Up-Zoning

Zoning Subcommittee received testimony on a controversial eight-story residential building in Brooklyn’s Vinegar Hill neighborhood. On May 16, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony regarding an application from 251 Front Street Realty Inc. The Constellation Group is the developer. The project would result in a new eight-story residential building at 251 Front Street in Vinegar Hill.


Comptroller Reveals that Half of Privately Owned Public Spaces, Including Three Trump Properties, Were In Violation of Law

Comptroller’s audit finds that the City has fallen substantially short in its duty of overseeing Privately Owned Public Space agreements, including agreements with Trump Tower, Trump International Hotel, and Trump Plaza. On April 18, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of how adequately the City oversees Privately Owned Public Space agreements with developers and building owners. Privately Owned Public Space agreements are created by developers in … <Read More>


Zoning Committee Hears Testimony on New 22-Story Building in West Chelsea

City Council’s Zoning Committee discusses proposed construction of a 22-story building next to U-Haul depot on West 23rd Street. On March 28, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony on an application to modify bulk regulations within the Special West Chelsea District in lower west Manhattan. The applicant, 23rd and 11th Associates LLC, sought a zoning text amendment to permit the distribution of floor area across different commercial zoning districts and subarea boundaries for … <Read More>



Elected Officials Challenge Skyscraper’s Skirt of the Zoning Law

The development of a skyscraper on the Upper East Side has provoked the ire of City officials and neighborhood groups. The developer, DDG Partners, planned to construct a 524-foot skyscraper at 180 East 88th Street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The building would be 31 stories, with 16 feet per story, and would be the tallest skyscraper north of 72nd Street. The developer is currently in the process of selling units in the skyscraper, ranging … <Read More>


City Council no Longer a Rubber Stamp on Zoning Proposals

Panel of City Officials and industry leaders discussed NYC zoning and recent developments like Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability. On November 30, 2016, the Center for Real Estate Studies hosted a the breakfast forum, “Celebrating 100 Years of NYC Zoning: Setting the Future Agenda for Developers and Policy Makers.” Ross Moskowitz, a Partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, moderated a panel consisting of Commissioner Vicki Been, from the Department … <Read More>