Planning Comm. reduced Hudson Square plan

Further study needed before as-of-right residential conversions in West Village. The Planning Commission voted on June 4, 2008 to significantly reduce the area subject to the private rezoning application of KMG Greenwich LLC for Hudson Square in Manhattan. The vote followed a contentious public hearing before the Commission, where residents and elected officials called the rezoning piecemeal, and warned that it would result in a loss of needed businesses and jobs. 5 CityLand 56 (May … <Read More>


Related Companies to redevelop Kingsbridge Armory

Historic armory to become retail center, complete with movie theaters and restaurants. On April 21, 2008, the City selected Related Companies to convert the Kingsbridge Armory, a City landmark located on the corner of 195th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, into a $310 million shopping center. The center will include a large department store, up to 35 smaller shops, a movie theater, and restaurants.

The Armory features two battlement towers, Romanesque arches, and … <Read More>


Testimony heard on Special Hunts Point District

 

Hunts Point proposed rezoning. Image: Courtesy of NYC Department of City Planning.

Borough President testified against the rezoning because of as-of-right hotel use and “big box” retail provisions. On April 9, 2008, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone a 75- block area in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. The proposed rezoning would establish the Special Hunts Point District, bounded by … <Read More>


BSA finds no hardship despite 26 year vacancy

Owner sought to convert cellar space on St. Marks Place to retail. The owner of an East Village residential building sought to amend an existing variance to allow retail use in a vacant cellar space. The space, a 1,000-square-foot portion of a cellar located at 8 St. Marks Place, is currently under a 1970 variance which allows office use, but prohibits any business signs on the exterior of the building other than a small, … <Read More>


Developer wins right to convert floors to residential units

Twelve-story mixed-use building to be partially converted. The owner of a building on West 30th Street in the Garment District received a variance from BSA to convert three-and- a-half floors from commercial/ manufacturing use to residential use. The proposed conversion would add three new residential units and enlarge an existing unit, giving the 26,900-square-foot mixed-use building a total residential floor area of 17,504 sq. ft.

The owner argued that the present commercial/manufacturing zoning was not … <Read More>


Two Harlem projects approved despite opposition

Council member for the district supported projects. On May 30, 2007, the City Council approved two housing projects proposed for Harlem by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development despite residents’ criticisms over the affordable housing components.

HPD submitted a proposal by BRP Development for a 38-unit condominium project called The Savannah to be built at 2110 Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The nine-story mixed-use building would also include 5,273 sq.ft. of commercial space and 815 sq.ft. … <Read More>