Bowery SRO not a hurdle to designation

Whitehouse Hotel. Photo: Kristin Daggan.

Council votes to include Bowery SRO in NoHo historic district extension. On September 4, 2008, the City Council voted to approve the proposed NoHo historic district extension and ended the debate over whether the Whitehouse Hotel should be included within the district. The approval adds 56 more buildings, all between Lafayette Street and Bowery, to the district. Landmarks voted to designate the area in May after hearing testimony from residents … <Read More>


Rockaway rezoning approved without change

Beach 116th Street included in Rockaway rezoning. Photo: CityLand.

Avella’s plan to remove Beach 116th Street defeated. On August 14, 2008, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s rezoning proposal for the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. The rezoning plan impacts 280 blocks, extending six miles from the Nassau County line to Beach 130th Street, including the neighborhoods of Rockaway Park, Rockaway Beach, Somerville, Far Rockaway, and Edgemere.

Zoning in the Rockaways has remained … <Read More>


Proposed Hudson Yards changes arouse opposition

Stringer, the community board, and Council Members Katz and Avella voice strong opposition;vote planned for August. The Department of City Planning initiated a proposal for twelve text changes to sections of the Hudson Yards zoning text which the Council passed in 2005 and impacts West Midtown below 42nd Street. The proposed changes encompass design points, such as applying sidewalk widening rules along Eighth Avenue and waiving window glazing for projects along a portion of Hudson … <Read More>


Text change approved protecting Carroll Gardens

Landscaped front yards in Carroll Gardens. Photo: Molly Brennan.

City Council approves “narrow streets” characterization. On July 23, 2008, the City Council approved a text amendment designed as a stopgap to curb out-of-character development in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. The proposal amends the zoning text to identify six blocks of Carroll Gardens as having “narrow streets,” addressing a unique situation in that Brooklyn neighborhood. The affected blocks have deep, landscaped front yards that … <Read More>


Rezoning of Mott Haven block approved

Development plan said to spur future development in community. On July 23, 2008, the City Council voted to approve the zoning map amendment proposed by developer Ebling Partners LLC for a full block in Mott Haven bounded by East 159th Street, Eagle Avenue, East 156th Street, and St. Ann’s Avenue. The proposal called for the area to be rezoned from M1-1 to R7X with a commercial overlay of C2-3. The rezoning will facilitate the developer’s … <Read More>


Hudson Square rezoning compromise passes Council

Last minute compromise worked out by Speaker Quinn. The City Council voted on July 23, 2008 to approve the rezoning proposal of KMG Greenwich LLC after Speaker Christine Quinn, who represents the district, worked out a last-minute agreement with the developer.

KMG’s original application sought to rezone over five blocks of the manufacturing-zoned Hudson Square to a zoning which would permit residential construction as-of-right. On KMG’s lots, the plan will facilitate conversion of the vacant … <Read More>