BSA grants variance for Harlem church project

Church sought approval for 35 market- rate residential units in East Harlem. BSA granted a variance to the Church of the Resurrection, permitting an eight-story residential building at 325 East 101st Street, in East Harlem, Manhattan. The new 47,984-square-foot building will be located on an 8,629-square-foot lot that currently contains a two-story church, which will be demolished. The new building will contain a church and elementary school on the first and second floors, and 35,552 … <Read More>


North Tribeca blocks rezoned over opposition

Site of new 260,000-square-foot residential development at 88 Laight Street in North Tribeca. Photo: Shane Tattan.

A private developer sought to rezone four city blocks of Tribeca. Truffles, LLC applied for a zoning map amendment to rezone four waterfront blocks along the western edge of Manhattan’s North Tribeca neighborhood to enable construction of a 260,000-square-foot residential development at 88 Laight Street. Truffles also applied for a text amendment to increase the maximum streetwall and building … <Read More>


Silvercup Studios’ East River project proceeds

Proposed 2M-square-foot Silvercup West complex in Long Island City, near the Queensboro Bridge. Used with permission of The Marino Organization. All rights reserved.

2M-square-foot complex with apartments, office, commercial and production studio space sent to Council. Silvercup Studios, through Terra Cotta LLC, obtained Planning Commission approval for several rezoning and special permit applications to enable the development of Silvercup West, a 2.07-millionsquare- foot complex that would occupy six acres along the East River waterfront in … <Read More>


Vested rights case lost

BSA rejects owner’s argument that case can be based on erroneously certified permit. Trevor Fray applied to BSA to continue construction of a three-family, four-story building at 84-24 168th Place in Briarwood, Queens after the City Council down-zoned Fray’s lot to a zoning that restricted development to oneand two-family detached housing. Fray argued that he had a common law right to continue development of the entire building based on foundation and demolition permits issued before … <Read More>


Forest City Ratner’s 75-story project to contain public school

Lower Manhattan to get 630- seat primary/intermediate school. The City Council unanimously approved the New York School Construction Authority’s proposal for a new 100,000-square-foot primary/ intermediate school to be located within Forest City Ratner’s proposed residential development on a site at Beekman, Gold, Spruce and Nassau Streets in lower Manhattan. Currently, the 44,532- square-foot site contains a privately- owned surface parking lot, which Forest City will replace with its 75-story condominium and rental apartment building.… <Read More>


134-block rezoning approved

Planning Department proposed application of inclusionary housing text to Queens neighborhoods. On May 24, 2006, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning impacting 134 blocks of the Maspeth and Woodside neighborhoods. The rezoned area is comprised mostly of one- and two-family homes as well as a few walk-up and elevator apartment buildings, and includes higher density development along Queens Boulevard. A steady increase in out-of-scale residential development triggered the City’s action.

Density would be decreased … <Read More>