Much has been said about Victor Gotbaum’s many contributions to our country, and to our city in particular. His place among the legends of organized labor is secure; his position as a master negotiator while helping save NYC from bankruptcy has been acknowledged; and his fierce defense of the working class and those trying join it has been well-documented.
I will not revisit his many accomplishments here – others have already done that and thankfully … <Read More>
Court found the agreement was a valid license and did not violate the public trust doctrine; Coalition hopes new Mayor will terminate license. In March 2012, the City signed a licensing agreement with Chef Driven Market, LLC, (Chef) authorizing Chef to open a 200-seat seasonal restaurant in the Union Square northern pavilion. The Union Square Park Community Coalition filed an article 63 petition seeking a preliminary injunction against the City from enforcing the licensing … <Read More>
Fran Leadon, architect and professor at City College’s Spitzer School of Architecture, coauthored the fifth edition of the American Institute of Architects Guide to New York City along with Norval White, who passed away prior to its publication in 2010. The Guide, published by Oxford University Press, is a comprehensive, and compulsively readable, handbook to the City’s architecturally significant buildings and spaces. It was created in 1968 by former Landmarks Preservation Commission Vice Chair Elliot … <Read More>
Developers would offer home ownership opportunities to low-income tenants displaced by twelve-story project. On February 16, 2011, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s proposal to allow BFC Partners and the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) to build a twelve-story affordable housing development in the East Village. The 65-unit project would replace two mixed-use buildings at 9 through 17 Second Avenue between East 1st … <Read More>
Kenneth J. Knuckles, vice chair of the City Planning Commission and CEO and president of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, has worn many hats during his career; a community advocate, student of architecture, lawyer, deputy borough president, public servant, and business leader. After serving in the United States Army, Knuckles in 1968 joined the Architects’ Renewal Committee of Harlem (ARCH). The Committee pursued two principal goals: advocating for urban renewal and socialequity in Harlem, and … <Read More>
Ever since Lynn Kelly was appointed President of the Coney Island Development Corporation [CIDC] last year, she knew that time was of the essence. Her mission: restore Coney Island to its former prominence, and do it quickly, or lose the opportunity forever.
Kelly, a former Deputy Director of the City’s Art Commission, joined the New York City Economic Development Corporation in 2001. Over the next six years, she managed a portfolio of development projects and … <Read More>