Commissioner Vicki Been on the de Blasio Administration’s Comprehensive Plan for Affordable Housing

At the CityLaw Breakfast on November 13, 2015 Commissioner Vicki Been outlined the de Blasio Administration’s recent actions and efforts to advance a coherent and far reaching housing policy for New York City, one that provides more affordable housing for low-income and working-class New Yorkers, strengthens neighborhoods, and at the same time protects those residents who are already benefiting from and have a continued need for affordable housing.


Department of City Planning Permanently Moves Central Office and Manhattan Borough Office

All land use applications and general inquires will be handled at new address; the City Planning Commission, however, will continue holding public meetings at 22 Reade Street. As of November 23, 2015, the Department of City Planning is no longer conducting its operations at 22 Reade Street in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan.


Commission Held First of Four Special Hearings to Address Backlog

Wide support voiced for designation of Coney Island pumping Station; potential extension to Douglaston Historic District and individual designation of Queens Apartment complex and religious structures proved contentious. On October 8, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the first of four hearings meant to address the backlog of items on the Commission’s calendar added prior to 2010. Twenty-nine items were considered, in three groupings of multiple items clustered by borough. Each speaker had three minutes … <Read More>


Construction of 171 Low-Income Senior Residential Units Approved for Mott Haven Site

West Side Federation will build new units adjacent to an existing, low-income residential building and add additional community and commercial space.  On August 13, 2015, the City Council approved West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure application to build a development around the pre-existing Borinquen Court building, which is a low-income residential building geared towards senior citizens and physically-disabled individuals.  The development would be located in Council District … <Read More>


City Council Holds Oversight Hearing on Industrial Land Use

City officials questioned on policy to protect New York’s industrial sector.  On May 6, 2015 the City Council Committee on Land Use held an oversight hearing on industrial land use policy in New York City with a focus on protecting and encouraging the City’s industrial sector from encroaching alternative uses.  In his opening remarks, Councilmember and Land Use Chair David Greenfield emphasized as ineffective the City’s policy of designating Industrial Business Zones without changing the … <Read More>


My Rules for Thee, But Not for Me: The City Destroys a City-Owned Landmark

The Castle on the Concourse is doomed. Had any other owner of a designated landmark abandoned his property to the elements like this, the Landmarks Preservation Commission would have sued him for “demolition by neglect.” But here the commission is helpless. The owner is the City of New York, and while the city fully expects owners of designated properties – private homeowners, businesses, landlords, or institutions – to adhere to standards set by the LPC, … <Read More>