City Council Denies Proposed Development Next to Merchant House Museum

Supporters of preserving the Merchant House Museum rejoice in victory, but the battle may not be over as future demolition and construction is possible. On September 26, 2018, the City Council voted to disapprove the application for a rezoning at 27 East 4th Street in Manhattan. The Application would have allowed for an 8-story, 28-room hotel or office building with a restaurant and lobby below the second floor, with approximately 17,141 square feet of … <Read More>


Council Subcommittee Hears Proposal for Two Mixed-Use Towers in Long Island City

Community members voiced concerns about infrastructure and affordability for the proposed addition of almost 500 units. On September 17, 2018, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises heard an application by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) for a proposed two-building mixed-use, mixed-income project on Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, Queens. The developers, Lions Group NYC, and Fetner Properties, also applied … <Read More>


135-Foot-Tall Building Proposed for Corner of Broadway and Canal

Application would see demolition of 3 structures, construction of new 8-story development, and restoration of an 1823 Italianate building. On October 24, 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application concerning three properties at the corner of Canal Street and Broadway in SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The applicant proposed to demolish existing buildings, at 419421 Broadway and 301 Canal Street, and develop a new 135-foot-tall commercial structure. The new building … <Read More>


Commissioners Stymied by Century Association Special Permit

A City Planning application, which required report from Landmarks, would see the restoration and maintenance of the Century Association Building in exchange for special permits to develop 21-story tower. On July 18, 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application from Tishman Realty for a restoration and maintenance plan for the Century Association Building, an individual City landmark, as part of a 74-711 special permit application to City Planning. In a 74-11 application, … <Read More>


Commission Addresses Demolition of Fire-Damaged Individually Landmarked Synagogue

Commissioners allowed demolition to proceed, but mandated that any material that can be retained or salvaged must be preserved. On July 12, 2017, Landmarks decided on application filed by the owners of the Beth Hamerdash Hagodol Synagogue, an individual City landmark, at 60 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side.  The building was severely damaged by a fire in May of 2017, believed to have been set by a teenage arsonist who gained access … <Read More>


A Better Path for East Midtown

Early in January 2017 the City of New York began the official public approval process for a proposal to rezone East Midtown Manhattan. The proposal was based in part on a report by the East Midtown Steering Committee co-chaired by the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and the District 4 Council Member Daniel Garodnick.

The new 2017 proposal is the third proposal for rezoning East Midtown. In 2013 the Bloomberg Administration proposed to rezone East … <Read More>