Court of Appeals reversed First Department’s strongly worded opinion. In 2001, Columbia University contacted the City’s Economic Development Corporation in an effort to redevelop West Harlem as part of a campus expansion. Not long after, EDC issued a West Harlem Master Plan that stated that West Harlem could be redeveloped through rezoning. EDC, after it issued the master plan, hired a private firm to examine the neighborhood conditions of West Harlem. The study concluded that … <Read More>
Council Member Leroy Comrie Discusses His Role as Land Use Committee Chair
Council Member Leroy Comrie, Chair of the City Council’s Land Use Committee and representative of Queens’ 27th District, is not afraid to raise his voice or make his opinion known. For the most part, however, Comrie is known as a quiet, thoughtful, and fair-minded civic leader.
Comrie was born in Jersey City, but he was raised in the same southeast Queens community he now represents. His parents, Jamaican immigrants, helped spark Comrie’s interests in politics … <Read More>
Three-story addition approved for Village building
Landmarks rejected owner’s initial request to build five-story addition to 1990s structure. On June 1, 2010, Landmarks approved a revised proposal to construct a three-story addition on top of a three-story structure built on a triangular lot at 115 Seventh Avenue South in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The existing building, referred to as a “modern commercial building” by Landmarks, was completed in 1994 and is occupied by Gourmet Garage and a New York Sports … <Read More>
Replica of illegally removed balcony approved
Condo board demolished eleventh-floor balcony during facade restoration without Landmarks’ approval. On June 15, 2010, Landmarks approved a proposal to reconstruct an illegally demolished balcony on a twelve-story condominium at 105 West 72nd Street in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District. The condominium board removed the eleventh-floor balcony of the building in 1992 without Landmarks’ approval. In 2004, Landmarks denied the board’s application to legalize the demolition. Four years later, the board filed … <Read More>
Japan Society, Loew’s theater among 12 buildings heard
Landmarks considered eclectic mix of architectural styles built over the last two hundred years. On June 22, 2010, Landmarks held hearings on eleven potential individual landmarks in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. The buildings under Landmarks’ consideration were all built between 1800 and 1971 and represent a range of architectural styles. The buildings included the Modernist Japan Society Building on the east side of Manhattan, a Spanish Baroque Revival theater on Canal Street, and a … <Read More>
Grand Concourse Historic District considered
Elected officials,residents,and preservationists supported Landmarks protection for proposed district’s 73 properties. On June 22, 2010, Landmarks heard testimony on the designation of the Bronx’s Grand Concourse Historic District. The district would encompass 73 properties along the Grand Concourse between 153rd and 167th Streets and portions of Walton and Gerard Avenues. The “Grand Boulevard and Concourse” was designed by French engineer Louis Reiss and completed in 1909 to connect Manhattan residents to the Bronx. The area … <Read More>