Planning approves 57-story Fifth Ave. bldg.

Proposed 57-story hotel and condominium tower at 400 Fifth Avenue. Image: Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects.

Transfer of floor area from landmarked Tiffany Building facilitates construction. On September 19, 2007, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the special permits and text amendment needed for 400 Fifth Realty LLC to build a 57-story mixed-use building along Fifth Avenue, between West 36th and West 37th Streets. The proposed mixed-use building would rise to a height of … <Read More>


Proposal for Trader Joe’s on Atlantic Ave. approved

South Brooklyn Savings Bank building at 130 Court St. Photo: Sam Porter.

Opponents challenged 60-foot height. On September 17, 2007, the Planning Commission approved the special permit application of Two Trees Management Co. LLC, facilitating its controversial plan to build a six-story, 60-foot tall building adjacent to the South Brooklyn Savings Bank, a 1922 building located at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street within the Cobble Hill Historic District. Overall, the development would include 31,512 sq.ft. … <Read More>


Bedford-Stuyvesant rezoning advances to Council

Two new zoning districts created under plan can be applied citywide. The Planning Commission voted unanimously on September 5, 2007 to approve the 206-block rezoning plan for Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, sending it to the City Council.

Initiated by local residents, the plan crafts contextual zoning districts for low-density row house blocks, and higher density mixed-use districts for commercial corridors on Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street. On a majority of the 206- block area, the rezoning would … <Read More>


Council modifies controversial Westside plan

Planning Commission approves modifications. On September 17, 2007, the City Council approved, with modifications, the plan to rezone 51 blocks of the Upper West Side. Two days later, the Planning Commission gave its final approval to the plan, finding no objections to the Council’s modifications.

The plan, the result of a two-year collaborative effort between City Planning, HPD, Landmarks, the Manhattan Borough President and local residents, sought to address concerns over out-of-character construction in the … <Read More>


Council approves Hunts Point plant expansion

Sewage digester buildings will overlook Barretto Point Park under DEP’s plan to expand its water treatment plant in Hunts Point, Bronx. Image: DEP.

DEP agrees to work with local community to address its concerns. On September 10, 2007, the City Council approved the Department of Environmental Protection’s plan to expand its water treatment plant in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. Under the plan, DEP will construct two, 130-foot tall, eggshaped digester buildings, which … <Read More>


DOT’s Schaller on Making Congestion Pricing a Reality

Bruce Schaller, DOT’s Deputy Commissioner for Planning and Sustainability, stands on the front-lines in the battle over the City’s congestion pricing plan. Hand-picked by Mayor Bloomberg a month after the City announced its intention to charge vehicles entering or leaving Manhattan below 86th Street, Mr. Schaller must present and implement a plan that satisfies City, state, and federal officials.

As a transportation consultant, he analyzed the impact of East River bridge tolls for the Straphanger … <Read More>