Manhattan Borough President Brewer and Council Member Chin Push for Legislative Deed Restriction Reforms

Initiatives proposed in the wake of the Rivington House sale would prompt public review process and transparency. On July 19, 2016, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Margaret Chin wrote a letter to the City Planning Commission in favor of subjecting any changes made to deed restrictions throughout New York City to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. The letter is the latest development in a series of events sparked by the sale … <Read More>


Four Manhattan Properties Designated Individual City Landmarks

Two Catholic churches designated over archdiocese opposition. On June 28, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate four Manhattan properties as individual City landmarks. Three of the items had been added to Landmarks calendar before 2010 and were addressed as part of the Commission’s backlog initiative.


Two Housing Advocacy Groups Issue Report on Airbnb’s Effect on Residential Rental Rates

The report found that the pervasive use of Airbnb in New York City is likely the indirect causation of incredibly low residential vacancy rates and rising rental rates. In June of 2016, housing advocacy groups Housing Conservation Coordinators and MFY Legal Service jointly issued a study on the impact Airbnb and similar short-term rental-facilitating platforms have on the traditional housing market in New York City. While there are several companies connecting short-term rental apartments with … <Read More>


City Planning Commission Holds Hearing on East Houston Street Rezoning

The proposed rezoning would facilitate the development of a mixed-use building where an unoccupied, deteriorating building currently stands. On June 8th, 2016, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application to amend the City’s zoning map to facilitate the construction of a 13-story mixed-use building at 255 Houston Street, located on the Lower East Side in Manhattan.


Weisbrod Highlights East New York as Test for Affordable Housing

At the CityLaw Breakfast on September 5, 2014, Carl Weisbrod laid out the De Blasio Administration’s housing policy. As was widely reported, the City will look to implement mandatory inclusionary housing on all City-sponsored rezonings. One of the first tests of this new policy is the privately sponsored Astoria Cove development in Queens, where an affordable component will likely be required if approved under ULURP.


Council Committee Approves Proposal for Large, 1,234-unit Residential Development in Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood

Latest Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen proposal raised concerns about impact on the City’s infrastructure. On April 1, 2014, the City Council Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises heard TF Cornerstone’s application to construct a mixed-use building at 606 West 57th Street between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenue in the Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood in Manhattan. The approximately 1.2 million sq. ft. mixed-use development would create approximately 1,027 market-rate rental units and 207 affordable units. The development will … <Read More>