Landmarks Designates New DUMBO Historic District

Local elected officials behind push for designation. On December 18, 2007, Landmarks voted to designate a portion of the DUMBO area as an historic district. DUMBO, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, served as a center for American manufacturing beginning in the 19th century. The architecture of its industrial buildings range in materials from brick and timber to reinforced concrete. In the 1970s, young artists began moving to the area and … <Read More>


Landmarks considers historic district in DUMBO

Residents, preservationists, and elected officials testify for designation. On October 30, 2007, Landmarks held a public hearing on a proposed historic district in the area known as Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, or DUMBO. The area is already on the National and State Registries of Historic Places, and featured in the National Trust’s list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” The district would include a unique mix of buildings, including some of the … <Read More>


DOT’s Schaller on Making Congestion Pricing a Reality

Bruce Schaller, DOT’s Deputy Commissioner for Planning and Sustainability, stands on the front-lines in the battle over the City’s congestion pricing plan. Hand-picked by Mayor Bloomberg a month after the City announced its intention to charge vehicles entering or leaving Manhattan below 86th Street, Mr. Schaller must present and implement a plan that satisfies City, state, and federal officials.

As a transportation consultant, he analyzed the impact of East River bridge tolls for the Straphanger … <Read More>


Proposed DUMBO district set for landmark hearing

Proposed DUMBO Historic District. Map: LPC.

Rapidly gentrifying neighborhood starts process towards landmark status. On July 24, 2007, Landmarks calendared a 15-block area on Brooklyn’s waterfront adjacent to the Manhattan Bridge approach as a potential historic district. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, DUMBO developed as a primarily industrial area at a time when Brooklyn was counted among the country’s largest manufacturing centers. DUMBO’s East River location attracted a wide variety of industries, … <Read More>


Domino Sugar environmental study gets first review

Community and preservationists comment on plan to construct 2.6 million sq.ft. of housing on former factory site. On July 31, 2007, City Planning held a public hearing on the draft scope of an environmental impact statement for the proposed transformation of the Domino Sugar Refinery into a large mixed-use development with 2.64 million sq.ft. of residential space, 120,000 sq.ft. of retail space, 100,000 sq.ft. of community facility space, and 1,450 below grade accessory parking spaces. … <Read More>


Rezoning approved for Dyker Heights and Ft.Hamilton

Community’s concerns over out-of-character development spurred down-zoning. Dyker Heights/Ft. Hamilton Rezoning: Proposed Zoning & Locator Map of Rezoning Area used with permission of the New York City Department of City Planning. All rights reserved.

Residents sought to end the replacement of single-family homes with large out-of-character apartment buildings. On July 25, 2007, the City Council unanimously approved the rezoning of 159 blocks of the Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Located at the … <Read More>