Developer failed to inform DOB of error and continued work without a permit. After the City voted to downzone Jamaica Hills, Queens, Hamida Realty applied to BSA, arguing that it had obtained a vested right to continue its development on two adjoining lots located at 87-30 and 87-32 167th Street, north of Hillside Avenue.
When purchased by Hamida in 2001, the two 30-foot lots were joined and contained a single home that Hamida demolished. Hamida then received approval to divide the lot and assign separate tax numbers and street addresses.
In 2003, the Department of Buildings approved Hamida’s plans for two, three-family semi-detached homes, one on each lot, sharing a common wall and foundation walls. Buildings provided Hamida with a list of required items needed before it would issue final permits. Among these, Buildings erroneously required Hamida to provide a site safety plan. In fact, only proposed structures greater than 15 stories triggered that requirement. (more…)
Council Member Avella drops his opposition to the application of the R5D district to Jamaica Hill and Hillcrest, Queens. The City Council approved a 70-block rezoning for the Jamaica Hill and Hillcrest areas of Queens and a linked application for a newly created zoning district. The action reduced the size and density of permitted development on 59 blocks and up-zoned 11 blocks to a new district, an R5D.
The R5D district permits all residential building types and floor areas up to a 2.0 FAR but restricts the scale of buildings by setting a 40-foot height limit and stricter parking requirements. For some multi-unit developments, the new district requires design improvements like tree and yard planting and interior garbage storage. (more…)
Council overrode mayor’s veto, claiming Cass Gilbert-designed building is unworthy of designation. On December 5, 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the City Council’s vote rejecting the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of a Williamsburg, Brooklyn warehouse. The Council gathered sufficient votes on December 8th to override the mayor, calling the building simply unworthy.
Landmarks had unanimously designated the Austin Nichols & Co. Warehouse building in September 2005 over the objection of the owner and Council Member David Yassky, Williamsburg’s representative. 2 CityLand 139 (Oct. 15, 2005). The 1913-built, 500,000-square-foot warehouse was designed by Cass Gilbert and is viewed as his first substantial concrete warehouse construction. It sits along Williamsburg’s East River waterfront and within the 183-block area rezoned by the City in May, 2005. (more…)
