Second phase of 1 5 million sq ft mixed-use project in Long Island City moves forward after City cut parking requirements by half. On July 28, 2011, the City Council approved the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ proposal to modify parking requirements related to the Gotham Center project at 28-10 Queens Plaza South in Long Island City, Queens. The site was formerly occupied by the 1,150-space Queens Plaza Municipal Garage, which was demolished in 2008. … <Read More>
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Council Member Brad Lander on Current Initiatives Affecting Land Use in the City
Council Member Brad Lander, chair of the City Council’s Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses Subcommittee, draws from his experience as a public policy advocate when executing his duties.
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Lander in 1991 earned a liberal arts degree from the University of Chicago. He then earned a master’s degree in Social Anthropology at the University College London in the United Kingdom, where he worked with community groups to research how a … <Read More>
Council considers proposed living wage law
- G. Oliver Koppell
Proposed local law would impose wage mandates on certain businesses receiving City economic development incentives. On May 12, 2011, the City Council’s Contracts Committee held a hearing on the proposed Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act. The proposal, Intro 251-A, would require employers connected to a development project receiving at least $100,000 in financial assistance from the City to pay employees a mandated “living wage” that would be linked to a … <Read More>
Landmarks increases fees
Landmarks last raised fees for new building and alteration applications in 2009. On March 8, 2011, Landmarks approved an increase in permit fees for new buildings and alterations. Landmarks published the rule in the City Record on December 16, 2010, and January 27, 2011. Landmarks last approved a fee increase in September 2009. 6 CityLand 125 (Sept. 15, 2009).
The change increases fees for permits related to new one- to three-family dwellings from ten to … <Read More>
LPC rule change debated
Rule amendment would expand staff-level approval authority for some types of window and sign alterations. On March 1, 2011, Landmarks held a public hearing on proposed amendments to the rules pertaining to construction work on properties under Landmarks’ jurisdiction. Landmarks proposed the changes to streamline the application review process, codify current practices and policies, and address inconsistencies. Chair Robert B. Tierney stated that the proposal was partially intended to remove from the calendar issues that … <Read More>
East River ferry service contract awarded
- Image: Courtesy of NYCEDC
EDC awarded $9 million contract to BillyBey Ferry Company to provide new ferry service to Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens starting in Spring 2011. On February 2, 2011, the City’s Economic Development Corporation awarded BillyBey Ferry Company a three-year $9 million contract to provide expanded ferry service along the East River. Billybey, operating under the NY Waterways brand, will make seven regular stops connecting riders to Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. The stops … <Read More>