Thirty of 95 backlogged items prioritized for 2016 designation votes

Some items will be removed from calendar due to political reality that designations will not be ratified by Council; others are found to be adequately protected so as to not require prioritization; others to lack significance that would merit immediate designation. On February 23, 2016, Landmarks made determinations on the disposition of 95 items added to Landmarks’ calendar before 2010, but never subjected to a vote on designation. In 2015 the commission had announced … <Read More>


CPC Approves Proposed Brooklyn Heights Library Redevelopment Plan, Council Review Next

Developer would build new public library on the ground floor of a mixed-use development and construct off-site affordable housing.  On November 2, 2015, the City Planning Commission approved the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ and Brooklyn Public Library’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure applications to reconstruct the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on the base level of a mixed-use building.  A public hearing was held on the proposal on September … <Read More>


Council Subcommittee Hears Proposal for SoHo Six-Story Commercial Building [Update: Committee approves with modifications]

(READ UPDATE FROM 9/30/2014 BELOW)

Developers seek permission for three floors of retail over community objections.  On September 16, 2014, the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on a proposed six-story commercial building at 19 East Houston Street in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District of Manhattan, between Broadway and Crosby Street.  The lot was incorporated into the Historic District after the Landmarks Preservation Commission expanded the … <Read More>


Ferris Wheel and Staten Island Revitalization Project Approved

Council gives go ahead for world’s largest Ferris wheel and outlet complex.  On October 30, 2013, City Council unanimously voted 45-0 to approve the construction of the largest Ferris Wheel in the western hemisphere, which along with other developments, is intended to transform Staten Island’s St. George Waterfront. The New York Wheel (the Wheel), designed and manufactured by Starneth, will be built just north of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, and will provide … <Read More>


New Coney Island Recreation and Entertainment Project Proposed

Project to restore historic Childs Restaurant and build an amphitheater drew overwhelming support. On October 23, 2013, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing for the Seaside Park and Community Arts Center (Seaside Project), located in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The goal of the project is to continue the City’s efforts to reinvigorate Coney Island by introducing a recreational and entertainment destination on the boardwalk. The project, proposed by Coney Island Holdings LLC, includes the … <Read More>


MTA must compensate for taken trade fixtures

Fulton Street Transit Center. Image: Mary Gillen.

MTA claimed that compensation for trade fixtures in building taken for transit project would constitute improper windfall payment. Three restaurant tenants in a three-story building at 194 Broadway in Lower Manhattan sought compensation for their trade fixtures after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority acquired the property through eminent domain for its Fulton Street Transit Center project. The three restaurants were separately incorporated, but were owned by the same individual … <Read More>