Proposal would permit Council by a majority vote to review variances and special permits. The City Council’s Land Use Committee heard public testimony on July 24, 2007 on Local Law Intro. 261 to amend the City Charter’s review procedures on BSA decisions. The amendment, sponsored by Council Member Tony Avella, would give the Council the power to review BSA variances and special permit decisions if a majority of the full Council votes to take review. … <Read More>
Search Results for: Special Permit
Solow files applications for former Con Edison site
Plan includes seven mixed-use buildings and public parking facilities. On June 12, 2007, Solow Properties filed 17 linked applications to permit major new developments on two large parcels along First Avenue roughly extending from East 35th to East 36th Streets, and East 38th to East 41st Streets. The applications propose to rezone the full city block along First Avenue between East 35th and East 36th Streets and the FDR Drive from manufacturing to a commercial … <Read More>
Solow’s 37-story East Side tower starts public review
Tower site located on York Avenue just north of Queensboro Bridge. On May 27, 2007, Solow Management’s application to construct a new 37- story mixed-use tower on York Avenue between East 60th and East 61st Streets started the City’s land use review process when the Planning Commission certified the applications as complete. As proposed, the 211-unit residential tower would sit adjacent to a 41- story as-of-right development built by Solow in 2002. The buildings would … <Read More>
Potential Sunnyside Gardens district proves divisive
Opposing sides report neighborhood friction, allegations of spying and harassment. On April 17, 2007, in front of an audience exceeding the hearing room’s capacity, Landmarks heard testimony on the potential designation of a Sunnyside Gardens Historic District. Sunnyside Gardens, a planned community built between 1924 and 1928, features a mixture of single-, double-, and multi-family dwellings arranged around large, landscaped open courtyards. Funded by a limited dividend company, the development provided high-quality housing for the … <Read More>
Council approves 190-space garage on West 59th
Opposition to garage led to reduction in public parking spaces. On April 23, 2007, the City Council voted to approve the special permit application of developers Continental Equities and Brack Capital for a 190- space public parking garage to be located within the 200-unit, as-of-right luxury condominium project currently under construction at 555 West 59th Street between Amsterdam and West End Avenues.
The original proposal called for the entire garage to be public parking. It … <Read More>
To David West, the Increased Sophistication of the Land Use Process Leads to Better Design
When architect David West joined Costas Kondylis and Parteners LLP in 1995, its founder suggested that he become the firm’s expert on the City’s zoning resolution. West, now a partner, shepherds the firm’s zoning analyses, responding to nearly 300 yearly requests regarding what a site’s zoning will allow and handling the firm’s appearances before BSA, Landmarks and the Planning Commission. In the past few years, he worked on the Plaza Hotel’s complicated conversion, the complex … <Read More>