Council Members Tony Avella and Melinda Katz secure exemption for certain one- and two-family homes from new street tree requirements. On April 30, 2008, the City Council modified the Department of City Planning’s proposals to amend the zoning requirements for street trees and yards. The proposals are designed to create green streetscapes, increase open space, and ameliorate storm water runoff problems.
Under the old zoning, property owners were required to plant street trees in a … <Read More>
Council Members Dickens and Jackson defend plan despite vocal opposition from local residents. On April 30, 2008, the City Council modified the Department of City Planning’s plan to rezone the 125th Street corridor, a 24-block area in the Harlem section of Manhattan.
The plan will rezone large portions of the east and west ends of the corridor to encourage arts, entertainment, and retail uses. The plan will also impose height limits, street wall continuity requirements, … <Read More>
Fresh from a business trip in Europe, John Belle, founding partner of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP, and Richard Southwick, partner and director of the firm’s preservation department, recently sat down for an afternoon with CityLand. Joined by Olivia, Belle’s mild-mannered golden retriever, the two architects discussed the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission and the impact of preservation on land use.
Self-described as “one of those immigrants,” Belle was born in Cardiff, Wales, … <Read More>
Former Deputy Mayor holds new position at Bloomberg LP. On January 11, 2008, Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff left City Hall to become President of Bloomberg LP, which has a landlord-tenant relationship with Vornado Realty. On January 14th, First Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris sought a waiver from the Conflicts of Interest Board that would allow Doctoroff to continue to serve the City as an unpaid adviser for PlaNYC 2030, Moynihan Station, Queens West, and as … <Read More>
Lawsuit intended to keep 19th century landmark from falling into a state of disrepair. In 2005, Landmarks designated the Windermere Apartments, three buildings located on West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue, in order to preserve its Queen Anne-style architecture and to recognize its storied history as a residence for young, self-supporting women entering the workforce in the mid-1800s. The owners claimed that the buildings were in an “unsafe condition” and did not warrant designation; preservation … <Read More>
Red Hook Chamber of Commerce sued BSA and City but failed to name owner. In 2003, BSA granted a use variance to 160 Imlay Real Estate LLC to convert a vacant six-story industrial building into 150 luxury condominiums. The Red Hook-Gowanus Chamber of Commerce then filed an Article 78 suit to annul the variance, but failed to include Imlay as a party within the allotted time.
The Supreme Court allowed the case to move forward … <Read More>