Owner claims house not unique and had been altered. On April 18, 2006, Landmarks held a hearing on the proposed designation of the Mark W. Allen house in Staten Island. The house exemplifies craftsman-style architecture, an indigenous American style that originated in California and became popular throughout the United States following World War I. The Allen house, one of very few craftsman bungalows built in Staten Island, is typified by its overhanging eaves, asymmetrical roof planes, and stone work. The house was built in 1920-21, for Mark W. Allen, a prominent Staten Island politician. Allen was known as the father of the Goethals Bridge and the Outer Bridge Crossover for his instrumental part in their development. Allen also served in the State Senate, as president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, and unsuccessfully ran for Staten Island Borough President.

Proponents of designation included Council Member Michael McMahon, who called the bungalow “historically and architecturally significant,” and spoke of it serving as “a bridge to Staten Island’s pastoral past.” McMahon asked Landmarks to “act now to preserve the house for future generations of New Yorkers.” Community resident Michael Morrell, who also urged swift designation, spoke of Allen’s impact on the history of Staten Island’s North Shore, and called the house a “centerpiece of the neighborhood.”

Owner claims to be unaware that contractor built home larger than permit authorized. Yitzchok Shindler applied to Buildings for a permit to enlarge the first, second and third floors of his home at 1231 East 21st Street at Avenue K in Brooklyn. Buildings received complaints about the construction and, upon inspection, found that Shindler had demolished most of the home and built beyond the permit’s scope. His home was now over 1,600 sq.ft. larger than the zoning permitted and had increased from 2,569 sq.ft. to 4,135 sq.ft.

Shindler applied to BSA to legalize his new 4,135-square-foot home, explaining that his contractor illegally constructed floors in areas proposed to have rooms with towering, double-height ceilings. Shindler claimed to be unaware that the work was illegal and said it was caused by the fact that during construction the contractor found that termite damage and age required the demolition of the home’s framing. Shindler submitted affidavits from the plumber and contractor explaining the extent of the termite damage and the poor condition of the house.

BSA reduces project size by almost 7,000 sq.ft. SoHo Island, LLC applied to BSA for a use variance to construct a nine-story, 73,645- square-foot residential and retail building on Sixth Avenue between Canal and Grand Streets in SoHo. The 11,300-square-foot development site consists of three merged lots zoned for manufacturing. Currently, the site contains the Moondance Diner, a paved parking lot and a two-story building with a garage and a photography shop, all of which would be demolished for the new development.

SoHo Island argued that weak soil conditions, gasoline contamination, the area’s high water table and the proximity to the A, C and E Subway tunnel made construction costly and rendered manufacturing uses cost-prohibitive.

Since most neighboring lots faced similar issues, SoHo Island submitted an analysis of 12 neighboring sites, four of which had received BSA variance approvals, showing that no site faced the conditions as severely as it did. At the site, the subway extends past the street’s curb line and under the sidewalk, providing little buffer between the tunnel and the building’s foundation. Due to this tight proximity, SoHo Island explained that the Transit Authority would require a soil test along the tunnel wall and would prohibit SoHo Island’s use of the more inexpensive, but heavier, crawler crane. SoHo Island’s engineer added that, due to the site’s poor soil conditions, the building would need deep foundations, but the TA would prohibit driven piles. The developer would drill the foundation piles at a greater expense.

BSA okays hotel only after reduction of 18,000 sq.ft. After four proposals and five public hearings, BSA approved development of a 48-foot tall, four-story transient hotel in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. The site of the hotel, at 806/814 Coney Island Avenue, is comprised of five contiguous lots totaling 32,153 sq.ft., split by commercial (C8-2) and residential (R5) districts and currently contains a one-story garage. The owner required a variance to permit the hotel’s proposed size in the commercial portion of the site and other variances to permit a meeting room, catering hall, and parking lot in the residential portion of the site.

The hotel was originally proposed as a 57,244-square-foot, six-story structure with 75 rooms and 62 parking spaces. Between September 2005 and March 2006, BSA requested three proposals to further reduce the number of hotel rooms and the catering hall’s capacity to ensure that the hotel’s size would be appropriate for its location within a commercial and residential zone. Upon BSA’s request, the owner submitted studies showing that retail development would not provide a reasonable return.

Owner sought variance to construct catering facility and 89-room hotel. Tikvah Realty LLC, owner of Le Marquise Caterers, a catering facility located at 815 Kings Highway in Homecrest, Brooklyn, applied to BSA for a variance to construct a new catering facility with 89 hotel rooms, ground floor retail, and 394 below-grade accessory parking spaces. The project exceeded the limits on floor area and failed to provide sufficient parking. The proposal called for the catering facility to be located on the first through third floors and the hotel rooms on the fourth through sixth floors. The existing catering facility, which has served the Jewish community in the area for more than 50 years, would be demolished because, according to Tikvah, it could not be altered to provide adequate parking or accommodations for weddings with 700-1,200 guests.

Following several public hearings, Tikvah reduced the proposal to 94,379 sq.ft. by eliminating a full floor of catering and replacing it with a mezzanine area. In so doing, it reduced the number of required parking spaces to 304, which eliminated the need for a parking waiver. However, the proposal still exceeded the allowable floor area by 24,523 sq.ft.

City designated lot to become part of Hudson Boulevard and city park. Affirmation Arts Ltd. received building and demolition permits in 2004 to add an additional story and mezzanine totaling 3,206 sq.ft. to the three-story building at 523 West 37th Street. In January 2005, before Affirmation finished the work, the City approved the Hudson Yards rezoning, its massive land use initiative for Manhattan’s west side.

Under the Hudson Yards rezoning, Affirmation’s lot at West 37th Street, located between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues, was to become part of the City’s proposed new street, Hudson Boulevard, as well as new park space. The new Hudson Boulevard will extend from West 33rd to West 38th Streets between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues and will have two 50-foot wide roadways separated by a linear park containing green spaces, seating, playgrounds and restaurants. 1 CityLand 36 (Dec. 2004). The City would acquire Affirmation’s lot as part of Phase 2 of the City’s park and boulevard plan, which is planned to commence in 2012.