Image Credit: 2019 City Charter Revision Commission.

Starting this week, public hearings are being held throughout the five boroughs to solicit feedback on the report’s recommendations. In April of 2018, the NYC Council created a Charter Revision Commission. The 15-member commission, which was granted a wide mandate to review the City Charter from top to bottom, is considering possible amendments to be placed on the November 5, 2019 ballot in New York City. The Commission’s focus has been on four areas of City government: elections, governance, finance, and land use. The Commission is Chaired by Gail Benjamin, who served for 25 years as Director of the New York City Council’s Land Use Division. Also among the commissioners is Carl Weisbrod, former Director of the Department of City Planning. (more…)

827-831 Broadway rendering. Image credit: LPC.

Revised application redesigned and lowered addition over historic facades, shifted bulk of new floor area to third, non-designated building. On May 15, 2018, Landmarks considered and approved additions to 827 and 831 Broadway, collectively designated an individual City landmark as the 827-831 Broadway Buildings. The Commission held a hearing on additions to the buildings on January 9, 2018, and considered a revised proposal on April 24, 2018. Landmarks voted to designate the buildings in October 2017, both for their 19th-century palazzo-inspired architecture, and for their 20th-century history, when they housed the homes and studios of artists associated with Abstract Expressionist movement, particularly Willem De Kooning. (more…)

Image Credit: Inhabitat.com

City Council’s good faith attempt to provide standards for green roofs falls short. On October 28, 2016, the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection held a hearing regarding Introduction 0835-2015, which would amend the building code to establish standards for the selection, installation and maintenance of plants for green roof systems. The proposed legislation would incorporate into the building code a manual by the American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM E 2400, which offers fluid guidelines and non-distinct recommendations on green roof planting and maintenance.

New York City is a prime example of the urban heat island effect which is defined as a metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas due to human activities. The primary cause of this effect is the accumulation of infrastructure. Dark surfaces, like asphalt, absorb significantly more solar radiation, and concrete and other building materials used in the construction of buildings and roofs commonly have significantly higher thermal bulk capacity. The heat effect is only secondarily a result from heat generation by a City’s inhabitants. (more…)

Council Member Antonio Reynoso introduced legislation to expand HPD’s Alternative Enforcement Program. Image credit: William Alatriste, New York City Council

Proposed laws would expand the Alternative Enforcement Program and impose new fines on repeatedly-cited landlords. On October 1, 2014 the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings held a public hearing on Intro 345-A and Intro 348-A, collectively known as the Quality Housing Act. The bills are sponsored by Council Member Antonio Reynoso and Council Member Ritchie Torres respectively, and seek to improve the quality of maintenance of New York City apartments.

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Every month CityLand creates a comprehensive set of charts to track land use applications undergoing public review. This includes new applications filed with the Department of City Planning and the Board of Standards & Appeals, applications certified into the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, and applications before the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

We track these applications throughout the review process and until a final decision has been made by the competent City Agency. The majority of these decisions are available on the Center for New York City Law’s CityAdmin database (found at www.CityAdmin.org). When possible, we have provided a link within our Filings and Decisions chart to provide easy access to the relevant documents (i.e. application materials or a final decision).

New Filings and Decisions chart May 2012