2225 46th Street. Image credit: GoogleMaps

Owner who was required to build a protective fence during demolition could not get adjoining property owners to give access to property needed to build the fence. North 7-8 Investors, LLC, the owner of a warehouse located at 2225 46th Street in Astoria, Queens, sought to demolish the warehouse and construct a new building. Under the City Administrative Code the warehouse owner must during demolition erect a perimeter fence to protect adjoining buildings. The fence in this instance would encroach into the back yards of eighteen adjoining properties. When the owner of the warehouse and the owners of the adjoining properties failed to reach an agreement on access to install the fence, the warehouse owner filed a petition in the Supreme Court for an order granting a license to enter the adjoining properties to perform the work. (more…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a 10-year affordable housing plan that set the tone for land use in 2014. Image credit: NYC.gov

Welcome to CityLand‘s third annual top ten stories of the year! We have selected a range of our most popular and prominent stories, guest commentaries and profiles concerning New York City land use in 2014.  Our third year as an online publication was marked by a new Mayor, a new Council, and a massive push to address the City’s housing shortage.  We at CityLand are excited to continue providing in-depth coverage of the latest land use projects, cases, and legislation in 2015 and look forward to seeing what the year will bring.  Thank you for all of your support and have a happy new year!
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Owner completed 99 percent of building’s foundation before City Council approved Astoria Rezoning plan. Plaza Group 36 LLC obtained excavation and foundation permits to begin work on a four-story residential building at 30-86 36th Street in Astoria, Queens. On May 18, 2010, Buildings issued a new building permit to Plaza Group for the project. One week later, the City Council approved the Astoria Rezoning, changing the site’s R6 zoning to R5B and rendering the 6,565 sq.ft. eight-unit project out of compliance with the district’s maximum permitted floor area and number of dwelling units.

Buildings inspected the site two days after the rezoning and initially determined that Plaza Group had completed the foundation by the enactment date. Buildings, however, issued a stop work order the next month after finding that three interior footings for steel columns were not completed before the rezoning. (more…)

Vallone and Astoria residents argued that DOB lacked authority to grant cell phone equipment permits. In 2005, Omnipoint Communications received a Department of Buildings permit to install cellular phone antennas and equipment cabinets on the roof of an Astoria, Queens building. Council Member Peter F. Vallone Jr. and Astoria residents appealed the permit to BSA, arguing that Buildings lacked the authority to approve the cell phone equipment. According to Vallone, approval required a special permit from BSA.

Buildings disagreed. In 1998, it issued a technical policy notice interpreting a section of the zoning resolution. The notice stated that for cell phone equipment meeting certain specifications, including being less than 8.45 sq.ft. in diameter and needing less than six feet in height above a building’s roof line, Buildings could issue a permit. Since the zoning text required a special permit from BSA for “communication equipment structures” that posed “serious difficulties” in locating, Buildings reasoned that this meant much larger cell phone equipment. If the cell phone equipment exceeded the notice’s specifications, it needed a special permit from BSA, according to Buildings. (more…)

Rhinelander Avenue in Morris Park, Bronx, one of many streets open to pedestrians and cyclists under the Open Streets program. Image Credit: CityLand

The plan will aim to add 100 miles of open streets, widened sidewalks and protected bike lanes. Note: This article has been updated to continuously reflect the added streets as those announcements are made. Please continue to check back for further updates.

On April 27, 2020, the Mayor’s Office announced a plan along with Council Speaker Corey Johnson to implement street closures, sidewalk widening, and the addition of bike lanes as part of the City’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The plan aims to close off streets to cars to provide more space for social distancing for pedestrians and cyclists as the weather gets warmer and more people are expected to go outside.  (more…)