Jessica Lappin

Council Member Jessica Lappin represents Community District 5 in Manhattan, which includes parts of Midtown and the Upper East Side. She also chairs the Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses. A New York native and graduate of Stuyvesant High School and Georgetown University, Lappin was raised in a landmarked house in Gramercy Park. Well-regarded by preservation advocates, she has garnered accolades from the Friends of the Upper East Side and the Historic Districts Council for her proactive stance towards the protection of historic neighborhoods and buildings. During her tenure as Chair, the City has designated 67 individual landmarks and 11 historic districts. She has also crafted legislation in response to recent crane collapses, mandating additional safety measures at construction sites and training for crane operators.

On the landmarking process. When fellow council members elected her to Chair, Lappin was more than happy to accept since “the budget and land use are the two big, meaty issues that the City Council deals with,” and because it provided her with an opportunity to “have a real role in terms of shaping our landscape in New York City.” While she states that not all of her predecessors at the helm of the Subcommittee could be considered landmarks advocates, Lappin believes she comes from a position of real appreciation for preservation, looking at every item before the Subcommittee fairly and objectively. Lappin states the importance of continuing to evolve and grow as a City, but she is quick to add that we must always keep our character and history, and be mindful of our architectural jewels. When asked about whether an end to the construction boom will have an effect on the prioritization of landmark designations or protection in the City, Lappin responded that historic preservation, ideally, lies outside such considerations, and that “landmarking should not be used as an anti-development tool or as an alternative to zoning.” (more…)

Solow plan to include affordable housing, open space. On January 28, 2008, the Planning Commission voted to approve the development plans of Solow and Manhattan Community Board 6 for the former-Con Edison site on Manhattan’s East Side, located along First Avenue between East 35th and 41st Streets. Solow’s plan called for a mixed-use development consisting of new high-rise towers, parking facilities, and publicly accessible open space. Board 6’s plan, meanwhile, called for height, density, and parking restrictions as well as more open space, particularly along the waterfront. 4 CityLand 172 (Dec. 2007).

At 685 First Avenue, between East 39th and East 40th Street, Solow proposed to build a predominantly residential 721-foot tower. On the east side of First Avenue, at 700 First Avenue, Solow proposed three predominantly residential sheer-rise towers with heights of 705, 650, and 606 feet. To the north of 700 First Avenue, at 708 First Avenue, Solow proposed a 47-story commercial tower with a height of 688 feet. The shared cellar and sub-cellar of the 700 and 708 sites would contain 651 public and 499 accessory parking spaces. In addition, the plan calls for a 3.2-acre landscaped public plaza, open from 6am to midnight, to be located across the street from 685 First Avenue between 700 and 708 First Avenue. Solow also included a 630-seat public school and children’s playground as part of its plan. (more…)

YMCA sought to expand gym, install cardio center. YMCA of Greater New York sought a variance for its building at 69-02 64th Street from lot coverage and side yard requirements to facilitate its expansion. The building, a former courthouse characterized by a horseshoe-shape and a narrow central courtyard, is already out of compliance with lot coverage and side yard requirements for community facilities within an R5 zoning district. The expansion would fill in the open courtyard, further increasing the building’s lot coverage and minimizing its side yards.

YMCA argued that the building’s existing layout did not allow for efficient floor plates and hindered proper pedestrian circulation. According to YMCA, it was infeasible to expand the building as-of-right while abiding by lot coverage and side yard restrictions because it was already non-compliant. (more…)

IDA also approves tax -exempt bonds for 2 health care entities and 1 private school. On October 9, 2007, the New York City Industrial Development Agency voted to provide financial assistance to four entities.

IDA awarded the Bronx Parking Development Company $225 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance the design, construction, and renovation of three new parking garages, two existing garages and six surface lots that would serve the new Yankee Stadium. According to IDA, the parking project will create approximately 555 construction and operational jobs. (more…)

The day before CityLand met with Manhattan Community Board 9’s Pat Jones, Borough President Scott Stringer announced his recommendation in support of Columbia University’s expansion plan—the same plan Community Board 9 rejected because it conflicts with the proposed development plan Ms. Jones helped draft. While most people would be deflated by such a turn of events, Ms. Jones remained calm and focused, as she sat down with CityLand to discuss the future of Manhattanville.

Raised in Corona, and a graduate of Flushing High School, Ms. Jones has only left the city for the four years that she attended Michigan State University. She returned to New York to work for JP Morgan, eventually becoming a Managing Director. After settling into a brownstone in the Hamilton Heights Historic District, Ms. Jones volunteered to work at her community board in 2002. In addition to her position as Vice-Chair for Community Board 9, Ms. Jones is the Chair of the West Harlem Development Corporation and a board member of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. (more…)