Advertising sign claim denied

Building owner challenged loss of advertising rights. In 1998, Astoria Landing purchased an existing four-story apartment building located in a residential zone at 24-59 32nd Street in Astoria, Queens. The building’s previous owner had obtained a permit to display commercial advertisements and begun to display advertisements in the 1940s. In 1961, the City adopted new zoning rules which banned the display of advertisements in residential areas. In 1981, the Department of Buildings erroneously renewed the … <Read More>


New York’s Holiday Season 2021: What to Expect

After many closures last year, the holiday season welcomes back guests and spectators to New York City with some limitations. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly shaped holiday festivities citywide last year, with the cancellation of many live in-person events, restrictions to televised-only events, and closures of many beloved shows and attractions that draw thousands of visitors to New York City each year. After significant progress has been made in the fight against COVID-19, New York City <Read More>


Sidewalk cafe permit denied

Owner of West 23rd Street restaurant sought to extend seating outside. In May 2018, Maxver LLC applied to the City Department of Consumer Affairs for consent to open an unenclosed sidewalk café outside of Calle Dao Chelsea, the Cuban-Chinese fusion restaurant that Maxver operates on Manhattan’s West 23rd Street. The application called for four tables, each seating two people. Consumer Affairs forwarded the application to Community Board No. 4, which, after a public hearing, unanimously … <Read More>


Pedestrian bridge project allowed

Court rejected argument that the new bridge would have significant environmental impact. The City proposed to build a pedestrian bridge in Clara Coffey Park in East Midtown, which would span the FDR Drive at Sutton Place South and East 54th Street. The bridge will occupy about 25 percent of the current Clara Coffey Park and is part of the City’s plan to link the entirety of the Manhattan waterfront.


COMPLETE VIDEO: NYC Mayoral Election Law and Leadership Series, featuring Mayoral Candidates Shaun Donovan and Art Chang

On Thursday, May 20, 2021, New York Law School hosted the latest in its Law and Leadership series with a Q&A session with Mayoral Candidates Shaun Donovan and Art Chang. Dean Anthony W. Crowell provided opening and closing remarks. New York Law School students and alumni were given the opportunity to ask the mayoral candidates questions about management style, and policy positions. For Mr. Chang’s portion of the Q&A session, NYLS Adjunct Professor and Senior … <Read More>


The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway: Time is Running Out

One year ago, in January 2020, the Expert Panel assigned by Mayor Bill de Blasio to study the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway issued its Final Report. Mayor de Blasio in 2019 appointed the seventeen-person Expert Panel* of which I was a member, following the angry rejection of New York City DOT’s plan for reconstructing the section of the BQE adjacent to Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo and Downtown Brooklyn. City DOT presented its plan publicly September 2019. The … <Read More>