Brooklyn apartment building will comply with “Passive House” standards designed to dramatically reduce energy costs. On April 29, 2010, the City Council approved the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s proposal to allow the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council to build an energy-efficient, affordable apartment building at 803 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The six-story building, known as Knickerbocker Commons, will provide 24 dwelling units, affordable to households earning between 30 and 60 percent of … <Read More>
Search Results for: City of New York
Curb cut and parking regulations approved
Planning proposed amendment to address community concerns about inappropriate curb cuts and front yard parking spaces in residential areas. On April 14, 2010, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s Residential Streetscape Preservation text amendment. The amendment contains a host of changes, including applying stricter parking regulations in low-density residential districts, and establishing curb cut regulations in medium- and high-density districts that previously had none. It strengthens front yard planting requirements in low-density … <Read More>
Richard Bearak on the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office
Richard Bearak, Director of Land Use for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, had originally intended to be an architect. But as an undergrad at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), Bearak unexpectedly developed an interest in city planning. After receiving a degree in Architectural Technology, Bearak was admitted to Hunter College’s urban planning graduate program in 1981.
Upon finishing school, Bearak worked in the private sector designing subdivisions and clustered developments in southwestern Connecticut. … <Read More>
NoHo hotel design approved
- Image courtesy of readnewyork.com
Despite residents’ and preservationists’ objections, exterior redesigns for partially-built Great Jones Street hotel approved. On March 16, 2009, Landmarks approved Louis Greco and SDS Great Jones LLC’s application to alter the proposed exterior of a planned thirteen-story hotel at 25 Great Jones Street in the NoHo Historic District. In January 2008, Buildings granted permits for the hotel prior to the historic district’s designation in May 2008. The partially-built structure currently occupies … <Read More>
East Village church opposes designation
- Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection at 59 East 2nd Street in Manhattan’s East Village. Image: LPC.
Parishioners of 1890s-era Russian Orthodox Cathedral argued that landmarking would add to struggling church’s financial burden. On March 23, 2010, Landmarks heard testimony on the possible designation of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection at 59-63 East 2nd Street in the East Village. Formerly known as the Olivet Memorial Church, the Kentucky … <Read More>
Upper East Side Historic District extended
- The Upper East Historic District Extension (shown with the Upper East Side Historic District’s boundaries). Image: LPC.
Extension includes 74 properties in two sections contiguous to Upper East Side’s original historic district. On March 23, 2010, Landmarks voted unanimously to designate the Upper East Side Historic District Extension. The extension consists of two distinct sections along Lexington Avenue, with one between East 71st and East 76th Streets, and the other between East 65th and East … <Read More>