DEC denied access to State’s brownfield cleanup program on theory that contamination did not complicate development. In 2007, a developer purchased a 17,700 sq.ft. former parking lot at 29 Flatbush Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, intending to build a 342-unit residential building. An environmental assessment of the site’s subsurface revealed the presence of lead and at least seven semi-volatile organic compounds at levels exceeding regulatory standards. In April 2008, the developer filed an application with … <Read More>
Coney Island Redevelopment Clears Judicial Hurdle
Community group challenged City’s 47-acre Coney Island rezoning. In 2007, the City unveiled a comprehensive rezoning plan for the redevelopment of a 47-acre portion of Coney Island, Brooklyn. The plan sought to revitalize the iconic beachfront amusement area by transforming it into a year-round amusement and entertainment destination alongside new residential and retail uses. The proposal included rezoning nineteen blocks in order to permit new residential and hotel development around a 27-acre amusement and entertainment … <Read More>
Grants planned for local brownfield cleanup program
Remediating City’s contaminated sites is a goal of PlaNYC 2030. In 2007, it was estimated that as many as 7,600 acres of land in the City may be contaminated. The State has administered a brownfield cleanup program since 1994, but many of the brownfields in the City plagued by light or moderate contamination do not qualify for the State’s program. PlaNYC 2030 proposed the creation of an office dedicated to promoting the cleanup and redevelopment … <Read More>
City releases revised CEQR Technical Manual
Guidance for greenhouse gas emissions analysis and PlaNYC assessment among additions to manual. On May 17, 2010, the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination released the revised City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Technical Manual. The manual summarizes the City’s environmental review process and provides guidance on the analysis of potential environmental impacts from projects undertaken directly by the City, financed by the City, or that rely on permits or approvals from the City. The City published … <Read More>
New facade for historic district’s “no-style” building
Developer only needed approval for new building’s facade before demolishing existing no-style building. On May 11, 2010, Landmarks approved Orlandi Realty’s revised facade design for a townhouse at 12 East 76th Street in the Upper East Side Historic District. The five-story building occupying the site was built in the early 1880s and extensively redesigned in 1946. Orlandi Realty plans to demolish the majority of the existing structure and construct a new five-story building in its … <Read More>
Bluestone-clad, eight-story building approved
In 2008 Landmarks approved for the same NoHo site a similarly sized building that was to be clad in limestone. On May 11, 2010, Landmarks approved DDG Partners’ revised proposal to build an eight-story residential building at 41 Bond Street in Manhattan’s NoHo Historic District Extension. In 2008 and 2009, the lot’s former owner had obtained a certificate of appropriateness from Landmarks and a use variance from the Board of Standards & Appeals in … <Read More>