Map of the Braddock-Hillside Rezoning. Image Credit: CPC.

See Below for Update

City Planning Commission approved a zoning map amendment to facilitate broader commercial uses of the property.On March 5, 2014, the City Planning Commission unanimously approved an application submitted by DERP Associates, LLC, for a zoning map amendment to rezone to a C4-1 district a portion of an R3-2 district and an R3-2/C2-2 district, located at 220-05 Hillside Avenue in Queens. Currently at the site is a shopping center occupied by a Sears Appliance & Hardware Store, an HSBC Bank, and an AutoZone retail store. The rezoning would facilitate a wider range of commercial. The rezoning would also extend the district boundary line 25 feet to the west. This extension would remove reliance on a Board of Standards and Appeals special permit issued in 1991 which allowed nonconforming commercial uses at this location. (more…)

Brinckerhoff Cemetery in Fresh Meadows. Credit: LPC

Despite the lack of visible grave markers, Queens cemetery found to contain sufficient historical and archaeological significance to merit designation. On August 14, 2012, Landmarks designated the Brinckerhoff Cemetery at 69-65 182nd Street in the Fresh Meadows section of Queens as an individual City landmark. From 1730 to 1872, the site served as a cemetery for the then-rural community, including the prominent Dutch families who settled the area. A 1919 survey identified 77 gravestones and markers. However, no visible grave markers remain, and the property is overgrown with trees and shrubs.

The City foreclosed on the abandoned site in 1954, and sold the property to Joseph and Elizabeth DeDomenico. The Queens Historical Society and descendants of the Brinckerhoff family sued to reclaim the site in 1999. The DeDomenico family offered to sell the land to the Historical Society, but the group was unable to raise enough money in the time allotted. Linda’s Cai Trading Inc. acquired the property in 2010.

(more…)

Contextual rezoning would impact 229 blocks south of Forest Park in Woodhaven and Richmond Hill. On May 23, 2012, the City Planning Commission approved the Department of City Planning’s Woodhaven – Richmond Hill Rezoning proposal. The contextual rezoning would impact 229 blocks along Jamaica and Atlantic Avenues south of Forest Park in Queens. The portion of Woodhaven impacted by the plan is generally bounded by Park Lane South to the north, Jamaica and 91st Avenues to the south, 98th Street to the east, and Eldert Lane to the west. The portion of Richmond Hill impacted by the plan is generally bounded by Atlantic and Jamaica Avenues to the north, 103rd Avenue to the south, 121st Street and the Van Wyck Expressway to the east, and 112th and 102nd Streets to the west.

The Woodhaven and Richmond Hill neighborhoods are characterized by low-density development and are known for their one- and two-family wood-frame houses, and tree-lined streets. The blocks north of Atlantic Avenue, found largely (more…)

Brinckerhoff Cemetery. Credit: LPC

Property owners want to develop site; claim cemetery no longer contains human remains. On May 15, 2012, Landmarks held a public hearing on the potential designation of the Brinckerhoff Cemetery at 69-65 182nd Street in Fresh Meadows, Queens as an individual City landmark. Landmarks held a public hearing to consider the site in December 2000, but never voted on the proposed designation. The family cemetery is named for the Brinckerhoff family, who were among the first Dutch settlers in Queens. According to Landmarks, the cemetery was used from 1736 to 1872, and accommodated at least 76 burials. There are no visible grave markers, and it is unclear whether human remains are still buried at the site.

The City in the 1950s foreclosed on the cemetery site and sold it to Joseph DeDomenico. Problems arose when the DeDomenico family considered developing the property and it was discovered that the site had been used as a cemetery. In 1999, the Queens Historical Society and descendants of the Brinckerhoff family sued to reclaim the site, (more…)

Buildings only caught architect’s FAR miscalculation after six-story facility was completed. On May 9, 2012, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation’s special permit request to legalize a six-story, 66,000 sq.ft. senior housing facility built next door to its existing five-story, 130,000 sq.ft. nursing home in Briarwood, Queens. In an effort to expand its campus, Silvercrest built a new six-story, 81-bed senior housing facility at 86-19 144th Street. After completion, however, the Department of Buildings determined that Silvercrest had miscalculated the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) permitted under the R4-1 zoning district’s regulations. Community facilities within R4-1 districts are typically restricted to a FAR of 2.0. However, nursing homes and senior housing facilities within R4-1 districts are limited to a combined FAR of 0.75. As a result of Silvercrest’s error, the nursing home and senior housing facility had a combined FAR of 1.1.

(more…)