Proposed Development Raised Community Ire, Deemed Out-of-Scale by Commissioners

Commissioners asked for revisions to proposal, which would see two garage buildings converted− one to an apartment building and the other into two townhouses. On March 28, 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a proposal for two adjoining lots at 536 Halsey Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District. The midblock site is occupied by two early-20th-century utilitarian buildings; a three-story Queen Anne-style structure built in 1904 and a one-story building. Both were … <Read More>


City Council Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Mayor’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Proposal

Hard-hitting questions from several Council members explored ways affordable housing could be provided at deeper levels of affordability.  On February 9, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing proposal.  The hearing was held in the City Council Chambers in City Hall to accommodate the capacity audience.


Bedford Historic District Unanimously Designated

Approximately 800-building district is primarily characterized by residential architecture from the late 19th century. On December 8 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Bedford Historic District, composed of approximately 800 buildings and roughly bounded by Bedford, Nostrand, Putnam, Tompkins and Marcy Avenues, and Monroe, Fulton, and Halsey Streets in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The area mostly consists of residential buildings constructed between 1870 and 1900, both rowhouses and small apartment buildings, … <Read More>


Empowering Communities for Land Access: Paula Segal, Executive Director and Legal Director of 596 Acres

Paula Segal is the founder, Executive Director, and Legal Director of 596 Acres, a non-profit community land access program in New York City that supports and advocates the transformation of vacant public land into sustainable community institutions. The name 596 Acres refers to the amount of vacant land in Brooklyn as represented by the Department of City Planning when the organization began in 2010. Ms. Segal is a graduate of City University of New <Read More>


Council Approved Bed-Stuy HD Expansion

Council’s subcommittee heard numerous voices urging ratification of historic district expansion. At its stated meeting on August 22, 2013, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the Landmark designation of the Bedford-Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District in Brooklyn. The designation covers approximately 825 buildings.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the expanded district in April of 2013, after a well-attended January hearing. The expansion drew strong support from area residents and preservationists. However, a few … <Read More>


Bed-Stuy/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District Designated, Capping Decades-Long Process

Landmarks staff recommended removal of two properties from the district, but Commission voted to designate the district as proposed. On April 16, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Bedford Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District in Brooklyn. The district is generally bounded by Halsey and Macon Streets to the north, Fulton Street to the South, Malcolm X Boulevard to the east, and Tompkins Avenue to the west. The new district surrounds the 1971-designated … <Read More>