Redesign will feature a glass cube in the center of the plaza and a more accessible public space. On June 23, 2005, the City Council approved a text amendment to the Special Midtown District allowing renovations to the General Motors building plaza, located at 767 Fifth Avenue between East 59th and East 58th Streets. The text amendment was necessary to alter the street wall and retail continuity requirements, which require that larger developments be built at the street wall.

The most prominent feature in the plaza’s redesign will be the construction of a 32-foot transparent glass cube in the center of the plaza fronting Fifth Avenue. The cube will contain an elevator and a glass stairway and will serve as an entryway to a 25,000-square-foot underground retail space. Other renovations to the Fifth Avenue frontage include regrading the plaza to lower its overall height, and adding two reflecting pools, tables and chairs, trees and planters, and a wide stone ledge around its perimeter for added seating. Renovations will also take place on the Madison Avenue side of the building, which will lose its open area when the retail space is extended out to the property line. (more…)

Renowned fashion designer sought to increase light and space of studio. Designer Diane von Furstenberg sought alterations to her existing retail studio located at 440-442 West 14th Street in the Gansevoort Market Historic District. Developed in 1887, the building is an example of neo-Grec and Queen Anne style French flats, which contribute to the special architectural and historic character of the district.

Von Furstenberg and architect Daniel Wood of the Work Architecture Company proposed to alter the front facade by installing a new glazed storefront, a metal and corrugated glass wraparound canopy and new single-paned windows. Also proposed were a metal-clad rear yard addition, an asymmetrical rooftop addition and a laminated stone and glass skylight, to facilitate more natural light in the studio. (more…)

The Sheepshead Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Image Credit: Google Maps.

The application will add square footage in the basement but not change the height of the building. On July 14, 2021, the City Planning Commission heard an application for an upgrade in residential rezoning to allow for the construction of a dialysis center and other changes at the Sheepshead Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 2840 Knapp Street in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.  (more…)

Image credit: NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

Upgrades include new swings, sensory play equipment and new pavement. On July 15, 2021, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced the groundbreaking for renovations at Challenge Playground on 251 Street between 61st and 63rd Avenues in Little Neck, Queens. The upgrades will make the playground more accessible and inclusive. (more…)

Nostrand Avenue Pub, right, was fined for noise complaints from tenants in the adjacent building. Credit: Google Maps

Music from a Crown Heights Pub violated music noise level limits inside a residential building. A new tenant moved into a residential building in Crown Heights and complained about the music coming from the adjacent building, the Nostrand Avenue Pub located at 658 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn. The residential building owner had recently renovated the residential units. The Pub’s sound system included four Infinity speakers and one iPhone. Prior to the new tenant’s complaints, the Pub operated with the same sound system for seven years without any complaint. (more…)