Council Member Tony Avella Proposes Wide-Ranging Land Use Initiatives in the First Months of 2006

In the first months of 2006, Council Member Tony Avella, Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises, introduced proposed legislation to change the make up of BSA, require NYPD arrests for any illegal demolition, and curb the illegal construction that residents say is driven by a rush to beat a down-zoning. CityLand asked Avella about his proposed land use initiatives and his career.

Public Service. When asked about land use issues within his 20-year … <Read More>


NYU East 12th Street dorm construction can proceed

Construction work can continue on new 26-story NYU dorm, which will incorporate the front tower of St. Ann’s Church. Photo:Morgan Kunz.

Court denied request to stop construction while residents file BSA appeal. East Village residents sought an injunction to stop construction of a 26-story dormitory for New York University on an East 12th Street site occupied by the vacant and partially demolished St. Ann’s Catholic Church.

Hudson 12th Development LLC purchased 120 East 12th Street, … <Read More>


Kingsbridge Armory proposed for reuse

EDC seeks proposals to convert historic Bronx armory to a mixed-use facility. On September 26, 2006, the City’s Economic Development Corporation released a request for proposals for the sale and redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory located on the southwest corner of 195th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. Reportedly the largest Armory in the world, the main floor is larger than a full city block, and is comprised entirely of an immense 300-foot by … <Read More>


15-story high-rise approved in Ladies’Mile District

 

Rendering of the West 21st Street front of Ladies’ Mile Historic District development. Image courtesy of SLCE Architects.

Site currently a parking lot and one-story structure. Roseland Property Company, developers of a through lot between West 21st and West 22nd Streets within the Ladies’ Mile Historic District, received a permit to construct a residential building with a 15-story front at 35-41 West 21st Street and a smaller eight-story front at 38 West 22nd Street. … <Read More>


BSA refuses to grandfather Brooklyn project

BSA’s denial of grandfathering application prevented new development in South Park Slope from blocking this view of the Statute of Liberty from the famous Minerva Statue. Photo:Morgan Kunz.

Developer relied on self-certified permit later found invalid. Based on a professionally certified application, Buildings issued Chaim Nussenzweig, of HMS Associates, a building permit on August 21, 2005 for a 38-unit, five-story building at 614 7th Avenue at 23rd Street in South Park Slope, Brooklyn. The next … <Read More>


College Point to be developed after 30-year delay

Illegal landfill slowed approval of Queens development. In 1976, a developer received approval from the Planning Commission for the Riverview development, a 500-unit project on a 28-acre parcel stretching north from 5th Avenue and west from Lax Avenue along the East River waterfront in College Point, Queens. The state then denied a needed permit for the development after discovering 123,000 cubic yards of illegal landfill on the site. After constructing only 236 of the 500 … <Read More>