Bed-Stuy Gateway BID awaits Council vote

Establishment of BID in Bedford- Stuyvesant appears successful. On February 11, 2009, the City Council’s Finance Committee held a hearing on the Department of Small Business Services’ plan to create a new Bed-Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District for 357 tax lots and 267 property owners. The BID’s boundaries would extend along Brooklyn’s Nostrand Avenue, from Halsey Street to Atlantic Avenue, and on Fulton Street, from Classon to Troy Avenues. The BID’s first year budget would … <Read More>


East New York shopping center gets OK from Council

Project approved after concerns over potential adverse effects on small businesses addressed. On February 26, 2009, the City Council approved a special permit application to facilitate construction of The Shops at Gateway, a retail shopping center at the corner of Flatlands and Fountain Avenues in East New York, Brooklyn. The developer, Morgan B. Realty LLC, intends to build three one-story buildings with about 230,000 sq.ft. of retail space for approximately 25 commercial tenants. The development … <Read More>


Commission Approves a Modified Willets Point Plan

 

Eminent domain supported if negotiations with local businesses fail. On September 24, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved a modified version of the Willets Point Redevelopment Plan, and sent the contentious plan to the City Council. EDC’s plan calls for the creation of the Special Willets Point District, an Urban Renewal Area designation, and a rezoning for the 61-acre area known as the “Iron Triangle” in Queens. 5 CityLand 57 (May 15, 2008).

The … <Read More>


BSA variance on Staten Is. residential site upheld

Appellate Division reverses lower court in a three-two opinion. GAC Catering Inc. purchased a one-family home on the corner of Otis Avenue and Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island, across the street from its catering business. GAC demolished the house, and applied to BSA for a variance from residential zoning in order to construct a two-story commercial building to be used as a photography studio in conjunction with GAC’s catering hall. In support of its application, … <Read More>


4-story addition approved for Tribeca, design praised

Architect of pre-designation renovations also chosen to design new residential addition. On October 14, 2008, Landmarks voted to approve the construction of a four-story addition with a penthouse to the two-story structure at 172 Duane Street in the Tribeca West Historic District. The site was originally home to an 1872 store-and-loft building, used for a wood importing business.

More recently, in the 1980s, owners of 172 Duane hired architect Vincenzo Polsinelli and undertook extensive renovations, … <Read More>


Court upholds City’s approval of Columbia’s plan

Mini-storage owners unsuccessfully challenged FEIS. Columbia University proposed an expansion plan that would allow it to construct a new 17- acre campus in the Manhattanville neighborhood of West Harlem. The plan would create academic building space, university housing, as well as a contiguous below-grade facility, or “bathtub,” to support campus functions. After the City Planning Commission determined that Columbia’s plan might have a significant impact on the environment, Columbia prepared a final environmental impact statement … <Read More>