Council modifies 130-block rezoning in western Queens

Proposed rezoning of Sunnyside-Woodside. Image: Courtesy of NYC City Planning Commission.

Modification established 80-foot building height limit along portion of Queens Boulevard. On June 23, 2011, the City Council’s Land Use Committee modified the Department of City Planning’s rezoning proposal for the Sunnyside and Woodside sections of Queens. The plan would impact 130 blocks in western Queens south of the Sunnyside Rail Yard and east of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

Sunnyside, bisected by Queens Boulevard in … <Read More>


Vornado’s 15 Penn Plaza project begins public review

Single-tenant building option for Vornado Realty Trust’s 15 Penn Plaza site. Image: Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.
Multi-tenant building option for Vornado Realty Trust’s 15 Penn Plaza site. Image: Courtesy of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.

Proposal includes options for single- and multi-tenant building on site currently occupied by the Hotel Pennsylvania. On February 8, 2010, the City Planning Commission certified Vornado Realty Trust’s application to build a 2.05 million sq.ft. office tower at 15 … <Read More>


Massive Domino Sugar project begins public review

Proposal includes five new high-rise buildings, 660 units of affordable housing, and four acres of open space along the East River. On January 4, 2010, the City Planning Commission certified The Refinery LLC’s proposed development at the 11.2-acre, landmarked Domino Sugar plant site in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Refinery LLC seeks to build a 2.75 million sq.ft., mixed-use development on a 9.8-acre parcel bounded by the East River, South 5th Street, Grand Street, Kent Avenue, and an … <Read More>


Bicycle storage regulations get Council OK

Amendment requires wide range of developments to provide indoor bicycle parking space. On April 22, 2009, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s bicycle parking text amendment. The amendment requires developers to include secure indoor bicycle storage space in new buildings, conversions to residential use, and enlargements of 50 percent or more. The new requirements apply to multifamily residential, community facility, and commercial uses, as well as public parking garages. The number of … <Read More>


Revised hospital plan approved for St.Vincent’s

St.Vincent’s still faces fight over associated residential development. In a March 10, 2009 public meeting, Landmarks voted to grant approval for a new hospital on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The site is currently occupied by the 1963 O’Toole Building, for which Landmarks approved demolition in October of 2008. 5 CityLand 158 (Nov. 15, 2008).

Representatives of St. Vincent’s presented an amended design that considered the criticisms … <Read More>


St.Vincent’s future remains uncertain

Commissioners deeply divided in their responses to proposed new hospital. In the most recent chapter of St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center’s process to gain approval for a consolidated, modern hospital, Landmarks met on December 16, 2008, to discuss the proposed new building. A month earlier, Landmarks had approved the demolition of the 1964 O’Toole building on Seventh Avenue between West 12th and West 13th Streets, clearing the way for construction of a new hospital on … <Read More>