Testimony was heard on a wide range of issues spanning from decreased parking requirements to increased building height limits. On February 10, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Zoning for Quality and Affordability proposal. The hearing was held in the City Council Chambers in City Hall to accommodate the capacity audience.
Search Results for: Andrew Berman
Proposed Changes to Landmarks Law Garner Interest, Stir Controversy
Landmarks Chair testified that changes could be better promulgated through agency rule-making rather than by legislative fiat. On September 9, 2015 the City Council held a hearing on two potential bills that would alter the Landmarks Law section of the Administrative Code. The hearing drew a crowd that filled the main Council chamber, with over 100 people filling out forms to testify on the proposals.
New York State Court of Appeals Permits NYU Expansion Plan
Court found no implied dedication of target parcels as parkland. In 2012, the City Council approved a plan by New York University to develop two “superblocks” bounded by West 3rd Street, Houston Street, Mercer Street, and LaGuardia Place in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan as part of an expansion plan for the campus. Assemblymember Deborah Glick, joined by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Historic Districts Council, and other local … <Read More>
Commission Designates Stonewall Inn as an Individual Landmark Immediately After Hearing
After acclaim from many quarters to recognize important site in the history of the LGBT-rights movement as a City landmark, Chair Srinivasan stated, “The people have spoken.” On June 23, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the potential designation of the Stonewall Inn, at 51 Christopher Street. In an unusual step, immediately following the hearing, Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan moved that the Commission proceed directly to a vote on designation. As with … <Read More>
Legislation Proposed to Establish Time Limits on Landmark Designation
Proposed law sets requirements for holding hearings and decisions or risk automatic decalendaring. On April 28, 2015 a bill was introduced for consideration at the City Council’s stated meeting to create time limits on the City landmarking process. The bill, Intro 775, was introduced by Councilmembers Peter Koo and David Greenfield.
Elected Officials, Community Groups Rally Against Mayor’s Citywide Rezoning Plan
Speakers argued the plan eliminates residential zoning protections with little affordable housing benefit. On March 25, 2015 the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed citywide rezoning plan, “Zoning for Quality and Affordability”. According to the Department of City Planning, the plan was created in response to zoning barriers identified by DCP and the Department of … <Read More>