Historic Districts Council’s annual preservation conference celebrated City history, identified priorities, and looked forward to new battles and a new administration. The Historic Districts Council hosted its 19th Annual Preservation Conference over three days from March 1 to 3, 2013. The conference featured receptions, guest speakers, panel discussions, and walking tours. The American Institute of Architects also provided continuing education credits. New York Law School hosted the conference on Saturday, March 2nd. Participants from various fields spoke on panels regarding preservation campaigns in the public and private sector. Panelists presented individual talks on preservation issues and took questions from the audience and panel moderators. The event attracted people actively engaged in preservation advocacy and sought to strengthen connections between disparate groups pursuing a common cause. In her introduction, HDC President Francoise Bollack called the preservation of historic architecture “a collective endeavor.” Panelists and speakers repeatedly criticized the Bloomberg Administration and City Planning Commission Chair Amanda Burden for their perceived lack of consideration of preservation issues.

(more…)

New zoning district created to protect existing commercial uses will also facilitate private developer’s mixed-use project. On September 21, 2011, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s proposal to create the new M1- 6D manufacturing zoning district. The Council also approved an accompanying proposal by Edison Properties to apply the new M1-6D district to the mid-block portions of two blocks bounded by West 28th and West 30th Streets and Seventh and Eighth Avenues. The rezoning will facilitate Edison Properties’ proposed two-building mixed-use project on a through-block lot at 249 West 28th Street.

Planning proposed creating the new M1-6D zoning district after Edison Properties expressed interest in redeveloping its property with a residential use prohibited by the area’s M1-5 zoning regulations.

The area was once part of the City’s industrial center and home to a thriving fur industry. Over the years, the area transitioned from manufacturing and production uses into commercial office uses. The rezoning area is characterized by parking lots and a lack of ground floor retail. Recent development in the area includes hotels lacking the setbacks and articulations of the remaining pre-war buildings. Planning proposed the M1-6D district to establish use and bulk regulations that would protect existing office and light industrial uses and encourage new development that would reflect the area’s architectural character.  (more…)

Andrew H. Kimball

Andrew H. Kimball, CEO and president of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, is responsible for overseeing the redevelopment of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre industrial park on the Brooklyn waterfront. The not for-profit corporation manages the Navy Yard on behalf of its owner, the City.

Kimball, a New York City native, earned a bachelor’s degree in History and Government from Hamilton College in 1987. After graduation he was accepted to the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. One of his fellowship placements focused on urban economic development policy at the New York State Urban Development Corporation (now known as the Empire State Development Corporation). The placement evolved into a full-time position where Kimball worked on streamlining ESDC’s loan and grant programs.  (more…)

Ross Moskowitz

Ross Moskowitz’s legal career, focused on land use and real estate development, has provided him with the chance to work on both sides of the public/private partnerships used to promote the City’s economic development. This experience has served him well in leading the Real Estate Group at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP.

When asked how he became interested in land use and development, Moskowitz explained that after graduating from New York Law School he worked for a solo practitioner specializing in land use law who “taught him the ropes.” The experience was invaluable, but it was a “one person shop,” and Moskowitz soon found himself looking for more. In 1987, he decided to branch out and accepted a position at Stroock. Over the next few years, Moskowitz honed his land use skills helping developers and institutional investors navigate through the City’s land use process. In 1992, Moskowitz was introduced to the world of public/private real estate transactions while assisting the United States Tennis Association build its National Tennis Center in Queens. (more…)

Willets Point, as envisioned by EDC. Image: EDC.

Eminent domain supported if negotiations with local businesses fail. On September 24, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved a modified version of the Willets Point Redevelopment Plan, and sent the contentious plan to the City Council. EDC’s plan calls for the creation of the Special Willets Point District, an Urban Renewal Area designation, and a rezoning for the 61-acre area known as the “Iron Triangle” in Queens. 5 CityLand 57 (May 15, 2008).

The plan has drawn criticism from local businesses and elected officials, and has led to the filing of at least one lawsuit against the City. At the June 13, 2007 City Council Land Use Committee and Economic Development Committee joint oversight hearing on EDC’s proposal, Land Use Chair Melinda Katz criticized EDC’s decision to begin the land use process before selecting a developer, while other Council Members questioned EDC’s plan to develop the entire site as opposed to a more stepped approach that would allow existing businesses to remain in the area. 4 CityLand 87 (July 15, 2007). (more…)