Planning Commission Approves Retail Use in Canal Street Ground Floor

The City Planning Commission approved the conversion of a Canal Street ground floor into retail use. On April 26, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application from Canal Associates, LP, a subsidiary of United American Land, owner of 361 Canal Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The application sought a special permit to exempt the location from certain requirements of Section 42-14D(2)(b) of the Zoning Resolution to allow for the conversion … <Read More>


Owner personally liable for corporate violations

Confusion existed in the closely held Limited Liability Corporation. In 2005, two tenants from 13 E. 17th Street filed a complaint with the Loft Board, claiming the building’s owner failed to install sprinklers as required and requesting fines. The tenants named Nathan Silverstein as the owner.

In Silverstein’s first letter to the Loft Board, he listed the correct owner as “13 E. 17 LLC,” but all remaining documents, including his formal response to the tenants’ … <Read More>


Zoning for Housing Opportunity Amendment Aims to Address City’s Housing Shortage

Still in its early stages, Mayor Adams’ proposed zoning text amendment aims to increase affordable housing in the city. On June 1, 2022, Mayor Adams announced his “City of Yes” plan consisting of three citywide zoning text amendments. One of these initiatives, “Zoning for Housing Opportunity,” addresses the city’s housing shortage. Although the text amendment has not yet been drafted, Mayor Adams listed four key housing proposals in his announcement.


City Planning Commission Approves Application to Increase Building Height in Tribeca

Applicants will continue to preserve and restore the building in exchange for the approval to increase the building’s height. On August 28, 2019, the City Planning Commission voted to approve an application for a special permit for 121 Chambers Street in Tribeca South Historic District, Manhattan. The special permit would allow for the addition of two stories to the existing five-story building.


City Council Approves SoHo Residential Conversion

The residential conversion project includes the restoration of cast-iron building in SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District. On September 7, 2017, the City Council voted 45-0 to approve an application for a special permit to allow residential and retail uses at 40 Wooster Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The applicant, 40 Wooster Street Restoration LLC which is a subsidiary of the Northwind Group, sought the special permit to allow for residential and retail uses in what was … <Read More>


Extensive Revisions Demanded for Canal Street Development

Developers proposed to demolish five heavily altered 19th-century structures to make way for a new 8-story-plus-penthouse residential building with retail base. On June 6, 2017, Landmarks considered an application to redevelop five lots at 312 through 322 Canal Street in the Tribeca East Historic District. The five buildings were originally constructed in the 1820s, at two-and-a-half stories, but saw repeated additions, reductions and alterations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and currently stand … <Read More>