Thirty-block rezoning in South Bronx would encourage redevelopment of blighted waterfront. On June 19, 2008, the Department of City Planning held a public hearing on the draft scope of an environmental impact statement for the proposed Lower Concourse Rezoning. The proposal covers a 30-block area, generally bounded by the Harlem River on the west, East 149th to … <Read More>
At least 30 speakers testified on proposal backed by residents and local elected officials. On June 4, 2008, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Department of City Planning’s proposal to define an area of Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens as having “narrow streets” under the zoning law. The proposal would result in a lowering of the permitted building heights and densities, making as-of-right development consistent with neighborhood character. Currently zoned R6, with portions … <Read More>
Further study needed before as-of-right residential conversions in West Village. The Planning Commission voted on June 4, 2008 to significantly reduce the area subject to the private rezoning application of KMG Greenwich LLC for Hudson Square in Manhattan. The vote followed a contentious public hearing before the Commission, where residents and elected officials called the rezoning piecemeal, and warned that it would result in a loss of needed businesses and jobs. 5 CityLand 56 (May … <Read More>
Rockaway residents clash over plan for Beach 116th Street. After almost three years in development, the rezoning proposal for the Rockaway peninsula in Queens reached the City Planning Commission for a hearing on June 18, 2008. The plan entails a contextual rezoning of 280 blocks and impacts five neighborhoods: Rockaway Park, … <Read More>
Council questions owner’s grounds for opposition. On June 12, 2008, the City Council approved the landmark designation of Webster Hall, the East 11th Street theater now operating as a rock venue and music club. Landmarks designated the Renaissance Revival-style theater in March of this year. 5 CityLand 43 (April, 15, 2008).
The vote followed a hearing before the Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses. The current … <Read More>
DOB will report all construction injuries and fatalities and provide the state with names of sanctioned architects and engineers. On June 12, 2008, the City Council passed two local laws increasing the Department of Buildings’ reporting requirements.
One of the new local laws, Intro 754-A, requires the Buildings Commissioner to post every incident that results in an injury or fatality on a construction site. The posting must identify the owner, general contractor, the number of … <Read More>