Leroy Comrie

Council Member Leroy Comrie, Chair of the City Council’s Land Use Committee and representative of Queens’ 27th District, is not afraid to raise his voice or make his opinion known. For the most part, however, Comrie is known as a quiet, thoughtful, and fair-minded civic leader.

Comrie was born in Jersey City, but he was raised in the same southeast Queens community he now represents. His parents, Jamaican immigrants, helped spark Comrie’s interests in politics and government. After studying political science at the University of Bridgeport, Comrie returned to Queens and became active in local government. He served simultaneously as district manager for former Council Member Archie Spigner and as president of his local school board. When term limits forced Spigner to yield his seat in Council, Comrie was elected to replace his mentor in 2001. (more…)

Domino Sugar Factory

Council restored office tower’s height cut by the City Planning Commission. On June 30, 2010, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved a modified version of CPC Resources Inc.’s proposal to build a mixed-use project at the Domino Sugar plant site along Williamsburg’s East River waterfront. The project site includes the plant’s 9.8-acre waterfront parcel north of the Williamsburg Bridge and south of Grand Ferry Park, and a 1.3-acre upland parcel across Kent Avenue between South 3rd and 4th Streets.

The original proposal included converting the landmarked Domino Refinery Building into market-rate housing, building four towers on the waterfront parcel, and developing a fifth building on the upland site. Each of the towers would include low-, mid-, and high-rise components. CPC Resources planned to build two towers on the northern and southern edges of the waterfront site that would reach 30 stories along the river, two centrally located 40- story towers, and a fourteen-story building on the upland site. The project would have provided 2,200 residential units, including 660 affordable units; 125,000 sq.ft. of ground floor retail; 99,000 sq.ft. of office space primarily located in the northern tower; four acres of public waterfront; and 1,600 underground parking spaces located Elliottin four separate facilities. (more…)

The Vision 2020 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan

Proposal is part of inter-agency effort to develop blueprint for managing the City’s shoreline. On April 8, 2010, the Department of City Planning held a public hearing on the Vision 2020 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. Vision 2020 builds on the City’s original 1992 waterfront plan, and Planning is required by local law to submit a new waterfront report by December 31, 2010 and revise it every ten years thereafter.

2020 plan is part of a broader City-wide initiative to establish a long-term blueprint for sustainable management of the City’s 578 miles of shoreline. Known as the Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy, the plan also includes the City Waterfront Action Agenda, created by the Economic Development Corporation, to identify high-priority initiatives that could be implemented within the next three years.

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Proposal is part of interagency effort to develop blueprint for managing the City’s shoreline. On April 8, 2010, the Department of City Planning held a public hearing on the Vision 2020 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. Vision 2020 builds on the City’s original 1992 waterfront plan, and Planning is required by local law to submit a new waterfront report by December 31, 2010 and revise it every ten years thereafter.

The Vision 2020 plan is part of a broader City-wide initiative to establish a long-term blueprint for sustainable management of the City’s 578 miles of shoreline. Known as the Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy, the plan also includes the City Waterfront Action Agenda, created by the Economic Development Corporation, to identify high-priority initiatives that could be implemented within the next three years. (more…)

Joshua Benson

Joshua Benson, the 33-year-old Acting Director of Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs for the New York City Department of Transportation, admits to being particularly fond of the basket sitting at the front of his simple single-speed bike, noting how it allows him to carry anything from groceries to his laptop and projector on the bike. Benson started riding a bike as a student at NYU and now commutes to Downtown Manhattan every weekday from his home in Prospect Heights.

“Biking to work really does help me do a better job. On a bike, I get to see the streets more often and get a feel for what works and doesn’t work out there,” he said. After receiving a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University, Benson began his career in City government at the Department of City Planning. After a year, Benson had the opportunity to move to DOT and implement the very same biking and greenway plans that he had already drafted on a purely conceptual level. (more…)