DOB Launches Online Service Levels Tracker for Checking Wait Times

The tracker helps members of the public understand expected timelines. On October 14, 2020, the Department of Buildings launched an online Service Levels Tracker which allows New Yorkers to see average wait times for Department of Buildings Services. This tracker centralizes information that had previously been available to New Yorkers while also clearly setting forth the different Department of Buildings metrics allowing the public to better understand expected timelines for projects both citywide and by … <Read More>


Review denied of neighbor’s alterations

Neighbor asks the Landmark Preservation Commission to review their neighbor’s completed renovations. Richard Robbins lives in an apartment on West 103rd Street. Robbin’s next-door neighbors at 315 West 103rd Street received permission in 2008 from the Department of Buildings to enlarge their home. In 2009, Buildings ordered the neighbor to stop working on the addition, at a point when only the roof and the backyard expansion had been completed. In 2015 The Landmarks Preservation Commission … <Read More>


Council Holds Hearing on DOT COVID-19 Response

Council looks to revamp the private street mapping process in hopes of addressing private streets in disrepair. On September 8, 2020, the City Council Committee on Transportation held a public hearing on the Department of Transportation’s response to COVID-19, the Open Streets Program, and two introductory bills. The bills would effectively establish permit requirements for the mapping of private streets and additionally provide for their maintenance. The bills are sponsored by Council Members Steven Matteo, … <Read More>


Appellate Division Provides Major Win for Two Bridges Developers

Two Bridges development gets Appellate Division ruling but two lawsuits remain pending. On August 27, 2020, the First Department’s Appellate Division unanimously ruled in favor of a Lower East Side development that would consist of four towers, 11,000 square feet of retail, and over 2,700 residential units. Of the 2,700 residential units, approximately 700 units will be dedicated to affordable housing and 200 units will be set aside for senior housing. The project’s development group … <Read More>


City Planning Holds Public Hearing on 100% Affordable Mixed-Use Development in Brooklyn

The proposed mixed-use development looks to activate vacant land near the Halsey Street Subway station. On August 17, 2020, the City Planning Commission held a remote public hearing on a City application that would facilitate the construction of an eight-story mixed use development in the Ocean Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. The site is currently a vacant, trapezoidal block situated mainly along Broadway to the northeast, Hancock Street to the southeast, and Saratoga Ave to the … <Read More>


City Planning Votes to Approve Proposed Industry City Expansion

The highly contested project was originally heard prior to the COVID-19 pause on the ULURP timeline. On August 18, 2020, the City Planning Commission voted to approve the application for four land use actions to expand bulk and use requirements for Industry City. Industry City is a 5.3 million square foot mixed-use complex with commercial, manufacturing and community uses in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The complex is located in an area bounded by 32nd Street to … <Read More>