City Planning Holds Thirteen-Hour Hearing on Citywide Affordable Housing Proposals

CPC held the hearing at the National Museum of the American Indian in an attempt to accommodate the large number of guests, however an overflow of testifiers waited on lines outside as the hearing began. On December 16, 2015, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, and Zoning for Quality and Affordability proposals, which are two components of the Mayor’s Housing: New York plan. The public … <Read More>


Commission Approves 29-Foot Elevation of Palace Theater, an Interior Landmark

Renovations will allow for better utilization of space, according to applicants, while preservationists expressed concerns about fragility of early-20th-century Baroque theater. On November 24, 2015, Landmarks approved an application to raise the Palace Theater, an interior landmark, 29 feet within its current footprint, as well as conduct restoration work and other associated renovations. The original building in which the theater stood was demolished, and a new hotel built over and around the theater … <Read More>


Commissioner Vicki Been on the de Blasio Administration’s Comprehensive Plan for Affordable Housing

At the CityLaw Breakfast on November 13, 2015 Commissioner Vicki Been outlined the de Blasio Administration’s recent actions and efforts to advance a coherent and far reaching housing policy for New York City, one that provides more affordable housing for low-income and working-class New Yorkers, strengthens neighborhoods, and at the same time protects those residents who are already benefiting from and have a continued need for affordable housing.


History in the Making: The New York City Landmarks Law at 50

Speakers spoke of the different priorities of City government and other stakeholders, examined preservation strategies of municipalities nationwide, and considered changes in the legal landscape that could affect landmarking. On October 26, 2015, , Meenakshi Srinivasan, Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and Jerold Kayden, Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, co-hosted an event titled “History in the Making: The New York City Landmarks Law at 50.” The event held at … <Read More>


A Pastor’s Plea Against Landmarking His Church

I presently serve as pastor, of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. The church, formerly St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church, 7558 Amboy Road in Tottenville, Staten Island, has been in existence for 156 years and has seen so many changes over the years that, to my mind, it truly does not meet the criteria of “historic landmark.” But the larger issue isn’t really about St. Paul’s UMC specifically, but about the nature of … <Read More>


CPC Approves Modifications to New York Wheel

The changes include a larger parking facility with rooftop open space and a reduction in the size of the Wheel’s terminal building.  On October 7, 2015, the City Planning Commission approved changes to the construction plan for the New York Wheel, which will be the largest Ferris Wheel in the Western Hemisphere.  The New York Wheel will be built on a City-owned plot of land that is located a half-mile from the Staten Island … <Read More>