Dean Anthony W. Crowell and Professor Ross Sandler, Director
cordially invite you to the 155th CityLaw Breakfast.
Corey Johnson
Speaker, New York City Council
Speaking on
“Moving Transit into the Future: Congestion Pricing, Our Subways and a new New York City”
Friday, September 7, 2018
Image credit: Real Estate Board of New York.
New law would hinder hotel conversions to residential use. On June 2, 2015, New York City adopted Local Law 50, placing a prohibition on owners of hotels with 150 or more sleeping units from converting more than 20 percent of their hotel space to full-time residential uses. The law is based on City findings that such conversions were adversely impacting the City’s multi-billion-dollar tourism industry, as well as hotel employment. The purpose of the prohibition is to allow the City to conduct a study of the impacts that such conversions have on these industries. Although the law provides that affected hotel owners can apply on an individual basis for waivers with the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA), under the law the BSA can award waivers only to “the minimum extent necessary” to afford relief.
Anita Laremont. Image credit: LinkedIn/Anita Laremont.
Current General Counsel is appointed Executive Director. On August 22, 2018, the Department of City Planning announced the appointment of Anita Laremont as its new Executive Director. Laremont is currently the Department’s General Counsel and Chief Analytical Officer. Laremont will succeed outgoing Executive Director Purnima Kapur. She will begin in her new role on September 4 and will continue to serve as the General Counsel until a replacement is named.
DUMBO Historic District marker unveiling group shot. From left to right, Doreen Gallo, president of the DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance; LPC Executive Director Sarah Carroll; Christina Davis, Co-Chair New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation; Basil Walter, Co-Chair of the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation; and Council Member Stephen Levin. Image credit: LPC.
Marker celebrates importance of manufacturing history of the district. On August 24, 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation, and the DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance, announced a historic district marker to promote and commemorate the 2007 designation of the DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) Historic District. The marker is located mid-block on Jay Street, between Water and Plymouth Streets, highlighting the boundaries of the district and its historic importance. To read CityLand’s prior coverage on the DUMBO Historic District, click here and here.
Rezoning area and project site. Image credit: CPC.
New development will include both residential and commercial uses. On August 8, 2018, the City Planning Commission approved a rezoning application by Quentin Plaza LLC for 1881-1883 McDonald Avenue in the Homecrest neighborhood of Brooklyn. The proposed zoning map and zoning text amendment will facilitate a new mixed-use building. The rezoning area is bounded by Avenue P to the north, East 2nd Street to the east, Woodside Avenue to the south, and McDonald Avenue to the west.
Rendering of 3901 9th Avenue. Image credit: CPC/Sheldon Lobel P.C.
Rezoning application will allow new residential building and bring non-conforming buildings to conformity. On August 22, 2018, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the 3901 9th Avenue Rezoning application submitted by 39 Group Inc. and represented by Matthew Schommer of Sheldon Lobel P.C. The applicants are proposing to a new building at the corner of 9th Avenue and 39th Street on the Sunset Park and Borough Park border in Brooklyn.
In a Reader
