Save The View community group argues new evidence shows rooftop bulkheads are not mechanical. On July 22, 2015, community group Save The View Now filed to renew their motion for a preliminary injunction against construction of the Pierhouse development in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The group’s initial challenge, arguing the development’s rooftop mechanicals violated an agreed-upon height cap, was dismissed on June 10.
Breakfast Archive: Adrian Benepe and City Parks
On July 6, 2015 the Appellate Division, First Department voted unanimously to enjoin construction of a shopping mall and movie theater on the site of the former Shea Stadium in Willets Point, Queens. The suit was brought in part by advocates of New York City’s parks, the latest in a long history of actions by New Yorkers to represent their valued open spaces. On October 21, 2005 Adrian Benepe, then Commissioner of the Department of … <Read More>
Nonprofit’s Parking Facilities Ruled Subject to Property Tax
Court of Appeals reversed decision of Appellate Division recognizing a tax exemption. In 2011, the Department of Finance revoked a property tax exemption granted for five public parking facilities owned by the nonprofit Greater Jamaica Development Corporation and its LLC, Jamaica First Parking. The exemption, granted in 2007 pursuant to RPTL §420-a in recognition of Greater Jamaica’s mission to spur development and growth in the downtown Jamaica area, was revoked on the grounds that operating … <Read More>
Wide Community Support Voiced for Extension to Mount Morris Park HD
276-property proposed extension shares developments history, scale and architecture with existing historic district. On July 21, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on a possible extension to the 1971-designated Mount Morris Park Historic District . The extension is composed of 276 properties and lies east of Lenox Avenue, between 117th and 124th Streets. The extension shares its development history with the existing historic district as one of the first residential areas in Harlem, … <Read More>
Council Amends Zoning Text to Accelerate Sandy Recovery
Amendment streamlines process for reconstruction, elevation of homes. On July 23, 2015 the City Council approved an amendment to the zoning text relating to homes in areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The amendment is designed to remove complications faced by 2,000 owners of one- and two-family homes in Staten Island, Southern Queens, and Southern Brooklyn who have been working to rebuild and elevate their homes in the event of another flood, while lowering the cost … <Read More>
Council Approves Hospital for Special Surgery Expansion
Expansion is designed to increase Hospital’s operating-room capacity. On July 23, 2015 the City Council approved a special permit for expansion of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The expansion will increase HSS’ lot coverage by 2,820 square feet. The permit was unanimously approved by the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises on July 20 and by the Committee on Land Use on July 21.