Rear-yard variance upheld

Private for-profit school on the Upper West Side wanted to add a second story to a rear-yard building. Dwight School, a for-profit school located on West 88th Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, applied to BSA for a variance to add a second story to its gymnasium located in the rear yard. The expansion required a variance to exceed a 23 ft. height limit set for community facilities built in the rear yard. … <Read More>


City provides alternative sites for Bronx Gardeners

Settlement came after gardeners filed Article 78 petition. As reported in the November issue of CityLand, the City Council’s October 13, 2004 approval of the Courtlandt Avenue Apartments, a 167-unit, affordable housing development slated for Melrose Commons, would result in the demolition of several Bronx community gardens. The development site, comprising 16 lots, occupies most of the block between East 158th and East 159th Streets, and Park and Courtlandt Avenues.

On November 23, 2004, gardeners … <Read More>


Yankee Stadium area gets new BID

BID will address sanitation and security problems and increase marketing for the area’s attractions. The Planning Commission unanimously approved a new BID in the East 161st Street corridor in the Bronx, which will encompass Yankee Stadium, Concourse Village, the Bronx County courthouses, as well as existing one-story fast-food restaurants and street-level retail. The BID is proposed to extend along East 161st Street, from River Avenue on the west to Morris Avenue on the east.

The … <Read More>


Hudson Yards Applications Approved; Sent to Council

New development potential of 26 million sq.ft. of office space and 13.6 million sq.ft. of residential; 24 acres of parks, a subway extension, and a new boulevard approved. On November 22, 2004, the Commission approved the Bloomberg Administration’s major urban planning initiative for Manhattan’s Hudson Yards, the area bounded by West 30th and West 43rd Streets, running from Seventh and Eighth Avenues to Twelfth Avenue.

The ten applications before the Commission would achieve a comprehensive … <Read More>


Use variance for mini-storage facility denied

Site now used for b us parking lot. Enopac Holding LLC, which since 1995 operated a parking lot for 150- 180 school buses on its property located at 6055 -6065 Strickland Avenue in Brooklyn, sought a use variance from the BSA to allow the construction of six mini-storage buildings on the property. Although the site historically contained several heavy and light industrial uses, including a waste treatment facility, the City rezoned the area in 1996 … <Read More>


Refusal to issue school seating certification upheld

Staten Island residential developer denied certification. Salvatore Culotta wanted to build 12 dwelling units in six detached residences on property he owned in the Special South Richmond Development District, a special zoning district created by the City in 1977. Before applying to Buildings for a permit, however, Culotta was required to apply to City Planning for a certification that there was sufficient school capacity to accommodate the expected increase in school children. When Culotta filed … <Read More>