Image credit: New York City Council.
The 2018 New York City Charter Revision Commission, appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, recommended three proposals, all of which were approved by the voters in the November 2018 general election. The proposals related to campaign finance, civic engagement and community boards, and were largely a result of the Charter Revision Commission’s process that emphasized accessibility for all, including those who historically have not had their voices fully considered as part of the Charter revision process. The aim of the Commission was to strengthen democracy and make City government more accessible to New Yorkers. (more…)
Rendering of proposed development on Vernon Boulevard./Image Credit: Cipico Construction/CPC
The proposed development would be near Astoria’s waterfront parks and cultural institutions such as the Noguchi Museum. On September 11, 2019, the City Planning Commission voted to approve an application to develop three mixed-use buildings in Astoria, Queens. The project block is bounded by Vernon Boulevard and Broadway to the north, 33rd Road to the south, 11th Street to the east, and 10th Street to the west. The block is currently occupied by a one-story garage and warehouse. The project will include new housing, local retail, food and beverage businesses, and community facilities. Cipico Construction is the project’s applicant.
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Rendering of Bronx Point. Image Credit: City Planning Commission
Bronx Point could spark development in the South Bronx. On August 14, 2019, the City Planning Commission unanimously approved an Urban Development Action Area Project (“UDAAP”) application in the South Bronx. The project, more commonly referred to as “Bronx Point” was brought by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”) to designate the property located north of East 150th Street, south of Mill Pond Park, west of Exterior Street/Major Deegan Expressway and east of the Harlem River as an UDAAP. UDAAP designations provide tax exemptions for the rehabilitation or new construction of housing, on former city owned land, if City Council determines the area to be in need of an urban renewal.
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Council Speaker Corey Johnson speaking at Center for CityLaw Breakfast at New York Law School. Image Credit: CityLaw.
The renovated community centers will provide after-school activities, arts programming, and job skills training. On July 11, 2019, Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Committee on General Welfare Chair Stephen Levin, Committee on Public Housing Chair Alicka Ampry-Samuel, and Council Member Brad Lander announced that the City’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget includes funding to reopen the Gowanus Houses Community Center. Speaker Johnson and Council Member Levin also unveiled capital funding in Fiscal Year 2020 budget for the expansion and renovation of the NYCHA Wyckoff Gardens Community Center. (more…)
Illustrative rendering of the envisioned street view. Image Credit: DCP.
The proposed zoning actions were largely disapproved by the Community Board, the Borough President, and even Staten Island’s appointee to the City Planning Commission. The Department of City Planning, along with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services filed an application requesting several ULURP actions to help implement the goals of the Bay Street Corridor Neighborhood Plan. The Neighborhood Plan is a comprehensive plan to foster a new mixed-use residential and commercial corridor connecting the St. George, Stapleton and Tompkinsville North Shore neighborhoods of Staten Island. The plan was developed with extensive input from community stakeholders, local advisory committees, elected officials and others, working with the Department of City Planning and other City agencies including the Parks Department, the Economic Development Corporation, the Department of Environmental Protection, and Department of Transportation, for over three years. (more…)
