City Council Speaker calls on Albany for direct City control of rent regulations from Albany. On November 18, 2014, the Alliance for Tenant Power held a rally on the steps of City Hall to urge Albany lawmakers to strengthen the New York State rent laws when they expire in June 2015. The Alliance was joined by over 20 State and local officials.
New Filings and Decisions Charts for October 2014 Available
CityLand tracks these applications through the review process to a final decision. The majority of these decisions are available on the Center for New York City Law’s CityAdmin database (found at www.CityAdmin.org).
Land Use Committee Approves Astoria Cove Project [Updated]
Approval came after negotiations increased the percentage of affordable housing. On November 12, 2014 the City Council Land Use Committee voted 18-0 to approve the Astoria Cove development project, with modifications. The vote was delayed several hours as negotiations between lead developer Alma Realty and Council Member Costa Constantinides continued into Wednesday afternoon over Astoria Cove’s housing affordability and other issues discussed in the initial hearing.
First World War-era Development Proposed As Historic District
Tudor Revival enclave consisting of 18 buildings to be considered as historic district. On October 28, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the Chester Court Historic District, formally entering its consideration as a landmarked historic district. The proposed district is comprised of 18 two-and-a-half-story rowhouses in two facing rows, located on a dead-end street built near the eastern edge of Prospect Park in 1914 & 1915.
Enlargement and Conversion of Commercial Building to Residential Approved
Board granted a use variance to expand and convert three-story building for residential use, but did not address existing cellar and ground floor uses. On September 16, 2014, the Board of Standards and Appeals partially approved a use variance for Susan Golick, the owner of a commercial building at 220 Lafayette Street in Manhattan. The variance permits Ms. Golick to convert the building’s second and third floor to residential use and to build an additional … <Read More>
City Comptroller Audit Finds DOB Failed To Fully Implement Crane Safety Report
In four years, Buildings has enacted eight of sixty-five safety recommendations after spending $5.8 million on a study. On November 7, 2014, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit finding the Department of Buildings has failed to act upon recommendations for crane safety that came from a report they commissioned, four years after the report was issued.