The 1st Spanish Methodist Church was removed from the Landmarks calendar. Image Credit: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Church removed from Landmarks calendar after complex history divides community members. On December 11, 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a discussion about the 1^st Spanish United Methodist Church located at 163 East 111^th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem. The Church was constructed in 1880 for the Lexington Avenue Baptist Church but was rebuilt in the mid-1960s after a fire destroyed most of the first floor. The Church was calendared in December 2017.

Rendering of proposed 40-story development (center) at 570 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Image Credit: CPC/ Hill West Architects.

The development which requires a significant upzoning, special permit, and several building envelope requirement modifications will now proceed to City Council for review and approval. On December 5, 2018, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on a proposed mixed-use development at 570 Fulton Street, located within the Special Downtown Brooklyn District. The applicant, 570 Fulton Street LLC, is proposing to build a 40-story, approximately 202,000 square foot building containing a mix of office space, residential apartments, and retail. To facilitate this development, the applicant is seeking three approvals including a zoning map change, a zoning text change, and the creation of a special permit that would unlock several building envelope waivers sought by the applicant. The project was presented by the applicant team comprised of Allison Curreri and Jay Segal of Greenberg Traurig, David West from Hill West architects, and David Schwartz of Slate Property Group. On January 9, 2019, the City Planning Commission approved the project, which will proceed to City Council.

On January 9th, 2019, the Center for New York City Law and the Impact Center for Public Interest Law of New York Law School hosted New Yorkers for Parks for their Open Space Dialogues: Healthy City, Active Places. This installment of the dialogues explored the ways New Yorkers have and want to create opportunities for active recreation and health. The discussion focused on answering questions such as: how parks contribute to different scales of health; what park designs and programming prevent or catalyze active recreation; how parks can balance changing user groups, sports popularity, and informal recreation demand; what are neighborhood knock-on effects for parks with an active recreation and health focus; and where are recreations needs of New Yorkers not being met? Video of the event can be found here.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces comprehensive plan to renovate NYCHA apartments and preserve public housing in New York City. Image credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

The plan will be divided into three programs to address the $24 billion in capital need for repairs and renovations. On December 12, 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a comprehensive plan named NYCHA 2.0 to renovate and preserve NYCHA housing, aimed to resolving $24 billion in vital repairs. NYCHA 2.0 is a ten-year plan that will deliver renovations for 175,000 residents, fund essential capital repairs across the rest of NYCHA’s portfolio, and launch new repair strategies for lead paint, mold, elevator, heat, and vermin issues.

Rendering of 43-80 Douglaston Parkway. Image Credit: NYC CPC/ Akerman LLP

Thirty-four affordable apartments for seniors will be created if the project is approved. On December 5, 2018, the City Planning Commission heard an application for the construction of two buildings off Douglaston Parkway in the Douglaston section of Queens. If approved, the buildings will be constructed at 241-15 Northern Boulevard and 43-80 Douglaston Parkway. Lisa Orrantia of Akerman LLP presented the application on behalf of 241-15 Northern LLC and North Shore Realty Group Corp.

Welcome to CityLand‘s seventh annual top ten stories of the year! We have selected a range of our most popular and prominent stories, and guest commentaries concerning New York City land use in 2018. Our 2018 coverage was highlighted by articles concerning approvals for affordable housing, proposals for rezoning developments, legislation providing the right to housing counsel, and a guide on barbecuing in the city. We at CityLand are excited to continue providing in-depth coverage of the latest land use projects, cases, and legislation in 2019 and look forward to seeing what the year will bring. Thank you for all of your support and have a happy new year!