Sarah Carroll Appointed Chair of Landmarks Preservation Commission

Sarah Carroll continues to rise within the Landmarks Preservation Commission. On September 26, 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of Sarah Carroll as the new Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation, responsible for protecting New York City’s architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites by granting them landmark or historic district status, and regulating them after designation. To read … <Read More>


Needed: Large Venues for Large Protest/Rallies in New York City

Peaceful protests, protected by the First Amendment, are fundamental to our constitutional system and to democracy. Peaceful protest marches and rallies have been instrumental in bringing about significant change in racial, gender, LGBTQ and economic equality; reproductive rights; climate policy; capital punishment; housing; criminal justice, and voting rights. Yet in recent years appropriate venues have been unavailable for large peaceful protests, raising the question of whether City practices inappropriately limit the exercise of First Amendment … <Read More>


Rezoning Application Will Expand Marcus Garvey Village

The expansion will add 724 affordable units, retail, and community space along Livonia Avenue. On September 5, 2018, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on a rezoning application for an extension of the Marcus Garvey Village in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. Marcus Garvey Village is generally bounded by Blake Avenue to the north, Newport Street to the south, Rockaway Avenue to the east, and Thomas S. Boyland Street to the west.


UES Tenement Development To Keep Landmark Status Despite Owner’s Lawsuit

Building owners claimed landmark status caused financial hardship. Stahl York Avenue Co., LLC, tenement development owner of 429 East 64th Street and 430 East 65th Street in the Upper East Side, sued the City and the Landmark Preservation Commission in January 2016, asking the court to release the property landmark status in order to permit demolition and construct new high-rises for larger profits. Stahl York Avenue sought to demolish the two buildings, which are part … <Read More>


Owner Wins Rent Stabilization Dispute

Tenants of a Tribeca high rise luxury rental building claimed protection of rent stabilization. Tenants of Tribeca House, a luxury rental residential building located at 50 Murray Street, Manhattan claimed that the owner of the building overcharged the tenants. Tribeca House, a twenty-one-story luxury loft apartment building, has 389 apartments comprised of studio, one, two, and three bedroom units.


Dead Vehicle Storage Violation Upheld

Property owner stored unregistered vehicles in residential area as part of his automotive hobby. On April 7, 2017, the Department of Buildings charged Juan Castillo, a property owner in an area zoned for residential use, with illegally operating an auto body mechanics shop in a garage on his premises, and with permitting the dead storage of vehicles.