315 West 103rd Street (Center building). Image Credit: Google Maps

Neighbor asks the Landmark Preservation Commission to review their neighbor’s completed renovations. Richard Robbins lives in an apartment on West 103rd Street. Robbin’s next-door neighbors at 315 West 103rd Street received permission in 2008 from the Department of Buildings to enlarge their home. In 2009, Buildings ordered the neighbor to stop working on the addition, at a point when only the roof and the backyard expansion had been completed. In 2015 The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the neighborhood. The new Riverside-West Historic District included both Robbins and his neighbor’s homes, and both homes contributed to the historic status. (more…)

Some of the new renovations at the Spuyten Duyvil Playground. Image Credit: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila

The upgrades include native plants and accessible water sprays. On August 31, 2020, NYC Parks Bronx Borough Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, New York City Council Member Andrew Cohen, New York State Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Bronx Community Board 8 Parks Chair Rosemary Ginty unveiled a $1.2 million upgrade to Spuyten Duyvil Playground in the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood of the Bronx. (more…)

CPC Chair Marisa Lago speaks during the August 3rd Review Session, the CPC’s first meeting in months. Image Credit: CPC

The full ULURP process will resume on September 14th. On August 3, 2020, the City Planning Commission resumed hearings for the first time since March 16th. Hearings had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order halting the ULURP process which allowed the City Planning Commission to cancel its meetings. While other agencies started resuming public hearings virtually in June and July, the City Planning Commission has been a notable holdout until now. For CityLand’s prior coverage of the COVID-19 impact on the ULURP process, click here.  (more…)

The community center within 816 Soundview Avenue will be renovated as part of an investment of $22 million reallocated from NYPD capital funds. Image Credit: Google Maps

The funding will help four community centers. On July 21, 2020, Mayor de Blasio announced that three NYCHA community centers will be renovated, and a fourth will receive expense funding for programming, using $22 million in capital funding shifted from the NYPD to NYCHA in the Fiscal Year 2021 Adopted Budget. This project is a part of the Mayor’s commitment to reinvest $450 million in NYPD capital funds to community centers across the City. (more…)

Some areas of Staten Island that would be affected by rule changes. Image Credit: NYC DCP

The changes allow homeowners to bypass the lengthy review process for certain types of projects. On July 2, 2020, the Department of City Planning announced new proposed zoning rules for some Staten Island neighborhoods that make zoning rules more efficient and homeowner-friendly, and that reflect recent advances in environmental science. (more…)