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>
Search Results for: Environmental Impact Statement
Michael B. Gerrard Discusses His Career and the Future of Climate Change Regulation
Michael B. Gerrard, director of Columbia Law School’s Center for Climate Change Law, traces his passion for environmental protection back to growing up in Charleston, West Virginia, a city dominated by major chemical manufacturing companies like Union Carbide and DuPont. As a child, he lived on the banks of the Kanawha River, where large amounts of toxic chemicals had polluted the water and air.
After graduating from Columbia University, Gerrard worked for a local environmental … <Read More>
Court dismisses Lower East Side lawsuit
Residents and community groups unsuccessfully challenged the City’s 111-block rezoning. In May 2008, the Department of City Planning proposed a 111-block rezoning in the East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan. The rezoning sought to preserve the area’s low- and mid-rise character by applying contextual zoning districts establishing maximum building heights and channeling new construction to areas suitable for development. The proposal included applying the City’s Inclusionary Housing Program provisions to certain zoning … <Read More>
Union Square challenge to restaurant dismissed
- Union Square Park renovation plan. Image:Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
- Challenge to Union Square Park renovation dismissed. Image:Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.
Local group opposed Parks’ plan to relocate restaurant. Parks’ renovation of Union Square Park included a redesigned playground, a new comfort station, and a restored historic pavilion at the northern end of the park. The project also included moving a private seasonal restaurant, located south of the pavilion, into the pavilion. The Union Square Community … <Read More>
Court affirms dismissal of Atlantic Yards challenge
ESDC’s determination upheld that three blocks outside urban renewal area were blighted. In 2003, Forest City Ratner proposed to redevelop a 22-acre site in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. The site included portions of the Atlantic Terminal Urban Renewal Area and portions of three privately-owned blocks outside the renewal area. After Ratner’s proposal was accepted, the Empire State Development Corporation designated itself as lead agency for the project under state environmental law. ESDC prepared an environmental impact … <Read More>
Scoping hearing held for Vornado’s 15 Penn Plaza site
Vornado exploring new development options for current site of Hotel Pennsylvania. On January 27, 2009, the Department of City Planning held a public hearing on the draft scope of an environmental impact statement for the proposed developments at 15 Penn Plaza in Manhattan. Bounded by Seventh Avenue to the west, West 33rd Street to the north, and West 32nd Street to the south, the Vornado Realty Trust-controlled property currently houses the 1700-room Hotel Pennsylvania.
In … <Read More>