Developers sought brownfield credits, but had excavated and remediated site before DEC denied claim. 377 Greenwich LLC, developers of a seven-story luxury hotel and restaurant at Greenwich and North Moore Streets, conducted soil tests on the site and discovered two 550-gallon unregistered underground storage tanks. The developers applied in 2004 to the state Department of Environmental Conservation to have the site recognized as a brownfield under a newly enacted brownfield law that offered substantial tax credits. At the time of its application, the developers, with principals Robert DeNiro, Ira Druckier and Richard Born, held an approved remediation plan from DEC that addressed findings from the tests.

Under the brownfield law, if DEC determines that the site is a brownfield, it prepares a remediation plan with community comment. With DEC’s investigation pending, the developers at 377 Greenwich excavated and remediated the site. The developers then submitted new soil tests showing that the contamination covered 50 percent of the site and cost $1 million to remediate. (more…)

Developer caught on video demolishing building with mechanical excavator and without a permit. In July 2005, Isaac Katan, of Global Development, received demolition permits to dismantle the building at 182 15th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn to make way for a new 62-unit, 11-story residential building. Buildings issued a stop-work order and then rescinded, stopping Katan’s work for almost a month from October 4th to November 11th. On November 16th, the City Council rezoned Park Slope, making Katan’s proposed development impermissible since it exceeded height and floor area limits.

Katan applied to BSA to grandfather the permits, arguing that it had fully completed excavation and made substantial progress on the foundations. A number of Park Slope neighbors opposed the application, accusing Katan of illegally demolishing the building with a crawler excavator when his permit limited work to hand excavation. (more…)

Commission approves iconic design for 518-foot mixed-use development in Harlem. On September 8, 2004, the City Planning Commission approved a 493,646-square-foot mixed-use development containing 230 hotel rooms, 100 residential units, office space, retail space, and a 369-space public parking garage. To achieve the size and design, the developer, 1800 Park Avenue LLC, sought a rezoning of the project site to allow the hotel and an increased floor area as well as two special permits to allow the parking garage and modify height and setback. Marriott International would lease the hotel component.

The project site, on the west side of Park Avenue at East 125th Street, is at a vital axis point of the Central and East Harlem neighborhoods and is immediately adjacent to the MTA MetroNorth 125th Street station. The area is primarily residential with mostly four to six-story residential buildings. The tallest building is 33-stories, located at 3rd Avenue and 123rd Street. (more…)