Bronx’s Little Italy BID approved

New district to include over 352 businesses. On May 21, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved an application by the New York City Department of Small Business Services to create the Belmont Business Improvement District, located in the Bronx in the neighborhood generally known as Little Italy. The Belmont BID would be bounded by East Fordham Road to the north, Lorillard Place to the west, East 183rd Street to the south, and Southern Boulevard to … <Read More>


City Planning submits East Village rezoning

City seeks 111-block rezoning for contextual districts with height limits. On May 5, 2008, the Department of City Planning certified its proposal to rezone 111 blocks in the East Village and Lower East Side sections of Manhattan. The proposal covers an area bounded by East 13th Street to the north, Avenue D to the east, Delancey Street to the south, and Third Avenue to the west. Once considered the densest concentration of people in the … <Read More>


Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital to become hotel

Proceeds would help support the operations of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. The New York City Economic Development Corporation is seeking proposals to develop and operate a hotel and conference center at the former Bellevue Psychiatric Building, located at 492 First Avenue between East 29th and East 30th Streets. The winning developer would enter into a 49-year lease agreement with the City with two 25-year renewal options. Currently, the building serves as … <Read More>


John Belle and Richard Southwick on 40 Years of Practicing Before Landmarks

Fresh from a business trip in Europe, John Belle, founding partner of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP, and Richard Southwick, partner and director of the firm’s preservation department, recently sat down for an afternoon with CityLand. Joined by Olivia, Belle’s mild-mannered golden retriever, the two architects discussed the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission and the impact of preservation on land use.

Self-described as “one of those immigrants,” Belle was born in Cardiff, Wales, … <Read More>


City sues to save landmarked apt. bldg.

Lawsuit intended to keep 19th century landmark from falling into a state of disrepair. In 2005, Landmarks designated the Windermere Apartments, three buildings located on West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue, in order to preserve its Queen Anne-style architecture and to recognize its storied history as a residence for young, self-supporting women entering the workforce in the mid-1800s. The owners claimed that the buildings were in an “unsafe condition” and did not warrant designation; preservation … <Read More>


Planning Comm. OKs $63M affordable housing dev.

BFC Partners’ proposal calls for 160 co-op units. On February 13, 2008, the Planning Commission approved an application to construct a housing project in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development submitted the application on behalf of developer BFC Partners. The application calls for two, five-story, mixed-use buildings with 160 residential units to be located just west of the area that the New York City Economic Development Corporation plans … <Read More>