Rendering of the approved Domino Development proposed by Two Trees Management. Image credit: SHoP Architects

Council Members criticize Domino Sugar project despite “deeper affordability.” On April 24, 2014, the City Council Land Use Committee voted 19-0 to approve an application by Two Trees Management to redevelop the Domino Sugar Refinery into a 2.2 million sq. ft. residential, retail, and commercial office spaces with several acres of public esplanade and parkland along the East River waterfront. (See more CityLand coverage here.) The Land Use Subcommittee for Zoning and Franchises voted 9-0 to approve the project. (more…)

East River Ferry. Image credit: NYCEDC.

NYCEDC seeks less cumbersome process to meet the needs of increasing ridership on the East River Ferry. On March 4, 2014, the City Council’s Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted 7-0 to approve an application submitted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to amend portions of the Zoning Resolution regulating ferry and water taxi facilities along the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn. The proposed zoning text amendment makes way for increased East River Ferry service, which was established as a three-year pilot program in 2011 by the NYCEDC. The East River Ferry offers daily Brooklyn-Queens inter-borough transportation and Manhattan connections for commuters and recreational users. On December 13, 2013, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the East River Ferry, which was scheduled to terminate in June of 2014, will continue providing services until at least 2019 pursuant to a contract for a five-year extension. (more…)

The City’s Department of Sanitation bulldozed the community garden at 99 South 5th Street, Brooklyn on May 23, 2013. Image Credit: Time’s Up.

High rises are built in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at a historic rate and most of them remain empty while very few lots are preserved as open space. One such lot at 99 South 5th Street in Williamsburg is owned by Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the City government agency charged with managing affordable housing, and has been vacant for at least 20 years. Last year HPD released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the lot (alternate address 337 Berry Street), asking developers to submit plans to buy and develop the property. The results were supposed to be released to the public last November. While the RFP for this lot requested that at least part of the footprint be set aside for open space, the activists at Time’s Up  know all too well how public space projects conveniently disappear from development plans when costs run higher than expected.

Time’s Up, a direct action environmental group, has defended and supported open space in New York City for 20 years. After three years of operating a bicycle co-op in Williamsburg, the group has established deeps roots in the community. One of the volunteers proposed that Time’s Up finally start their own community garden in the neighborhood. The group decided on the 99 South 5th Street lot, just one block from their bicycle co-op, after scouting vacant lots around that location, researching who owned those lots, and holding several meetings to discuss the pros and cons of each. Time’s Up spoke with the community board and left messages for HPD to find out what happened with the RFP, but were told nothing. Additionally, hundreds of signatures were collected from local residents who supported the garden.

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Historic Districts Council’s annual preservation conference celebrated City history, identified priorities, and looked forward to new battles and a new administration. The Historic Districts Council hosted its 19th Annual Preservation Conference over three days from March 1 to 3, 2013. The conference featured receptions, guest speakers, panel discussions, and walking tours. The American Institute of Architects also provided continuing education credits. New York Law School hosted the conference on Saturday, March 2nd. Participants from various fields spoke on panels regarding preservation campaigns in the public and private sector. Panelists presented individual talks on preservation issues and took questions from the audience and panel moderators. The event attracted people actively engaged in preservation advocacy and sought to strengthen connections between disparate groups pursuing a common cause. In her introduction, HDC President Francoise Bollack called the preservation of historic architecture “a collective endeavor.” Panelists and speakers repeatedly criticized the Bloomberg Administration and City Planning Commission Chair Amanda Burden for their perceived lack of consideration of preservation issues.

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Council Member Reyna raised concerns over loss of light industrial space. On March 20, 2008, Gerald Goldman, the owner of a former factory building at 70 Wyckoff Avenue, filed a motion to withdraw his application to rezone a four-story, 62,000- square-foot commercial loft building for residential use.

Goldman had originally sought to rezone ten lots on Wyckoff Avenue between Suydam Street and Dekalb Avenue, from M1-1 to R6, in order to legalize 70 Wyckoff’s current use. Brooklyn Community Board 4, the Brooklyn Borough President, and the Planning Commission approved the application. (more…)