Rendering of 39 South Elliot Place. Image Credit: R.A. Max Studio.

Materials and proportions identified for criticism in proposal to build limestone-clad rowhouse on narrow vacant lot. On May 24, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application to construct a new building on a vacant lot at 39 South Elliott Place in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Historic District. The mid-block lot was once occupied, but the building was demolished prior to the district’s 1978 designation. The new building will be used for residential purposes. (more…)

David Estrada testifying before the City Planning Commission on behalf of City Council Member Carlos Menchaca. Image credit: CityLand

Opponents of the nursing home are primarily concerned about its proposed location being within a flood zone. On March 30, 2016, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on an application submitted by Conover King Realty, LLC, on behalf of Oxford Nursing Home, to build a new nursing home in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. The proposed nursing home would be eight stories tall with the capacity to hold 200 beds and would serve to re-locate the existing Oxford Nursing Home located in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood.

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The City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises hearing testimony from City Planning Chairman Carl Weisbrod, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, and Commissioner Vicki Been (from left to right). Image credit: CityLand

Hard-hitting questions from several Council members explored ways affordable housing could be provided at deeper levels of affordability.  On February 9, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing proposal.  The hearing was held in the City Council Chambers in City Hall to accommodate the capacity audience.

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Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council.

Last week CityLand published a Guest Commentary from Steven Spinola, President of REBNY.  Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council submitted this commentary in response. 

In his recent editorial in CityLand, Steven Spinola, the longtime President of the Real Estate Board of New York, suggested a number of ways which the Landmarks Law needs to be reformed to adhere to its “spirit.”  This is a curious statement that warrants further examination.  In  Section 25-301(b) of the Administrative Code, the purpose of the law is clearly set out to protect and preserve the historic buildings and neighborhoods of New York City in order to stabilize and improve property values, foster civic pride, enhance tourism, strengthen the City’s economy and generally promote the use of landmarks for the education, pleasure and welfare of the public. (more…)

Every month CityLand creates a comprehensive set of charts to track land use applications undergoing public review. This includes new applications filed with the Department of City Planning and the Board of Standards & Appeals, applications certified into the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, and applications before the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

We track these applications throughout the review process and until a final decision has been made by the competent City Agency. The majority of these decisions are available on the Center for New York City Law’s CityAdmin database (found at www.CityAdmin.org). When possible, we have provided a link within our Filings and Decisions chart to provide easy access to the relevant documents (i.e. application materials or a final decision).

New Filings and Decisions chart May 2012