City Council considers impact of Wal-Mart

Concerns about how big-box retailer would affect small businesses dominated hearing. On February 3, 2011, the City Council’s Community Development Committee, Small Business Committee, and Economic Development Committee held a joint oversight hearing to debate Wal- Mart’s impact on the local community if the big-box retailer opened a store in the City. The Council convened the hearing in response to Wal-Mart’s renewed campaign to open a store in the City. Community opposition caused Wal-Mart to … <Read More>


Daniel R. Garodnick on serving the City and his district

Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick, the recently re-elected representative for Manhattan’s 4th District and chair of the subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions & Concessions, takes pride in being born and raised in the district he represents. Garodnick grew up in a rent-stabilized apartment in the Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village community and still lives in that neighborhood with his wife. His district also includes parts of the Upper East Side, Midtown, and Murray Hill.

After graduating from … <Read More>


Council Member Jessica Lappin on Landmarks, Public Siting, and Site Safety

Council Member Jessica Lappin represents Community District 5 in Manhattan, which includes parts of Midtown and the Upper East Side. She also chairs the Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses. A New York native and graduate of Stuyvesant High School and Georgetown University, Lappin was raised in a landmarked house in Gramercy Park. Well-regarded by preservation advocates, she has garnered accolades from the Friends of the Upper East Side and the Historic … <Read More>


Rezoning OK’d despite opposition from residents, civic association

Avella critical of Community Board 7’s representative. On September 24, 2008, the City Council approved the 44-block rezoning plan for Waldheim, a neighborhood immediately southeast of Downtown Flushing. The plan incorporates lower- and medium-density contextual zoning for 43 blocks, an upzoning of one block from R6 to R7-1, and commercial overlay modifications to stop commercial development from spilling over into residential midblocks. The rezoning area is generally bounded by Sanford and Franklin Avenues to the … <Read More>


Hudson Yards text modified

Air rights text and new setback rule slightly changed to respond to Council’s concerns. The City Council approved 12 significant text amendments to the Hudson Yards zoning text after the Department of City Planning made two small modifications. Overall, the final text encompasses the transfer of development rights from the MTA’s eastern rail yards, the use of the Hudson Yards District Improvement Bonus, and the relocation of subway entrances for the No. 7 line. The … <Read More>


Laurelton rezoning approved

Council approves 220-block rezoning without modification. On September 4, 2008, the City Council approved the rezoning proposal for Laurelton, a Queens community near the border of Nassau County. The plan includes lower-density and contextual rezoning for approximately 215 blocks, an upzoning from C8-1 and R3-2 to R5D along Merrick and Spring Boulevards, and commercial overlay changes to more closely match existing commercial development.

The plan culminates over six years of research, planning, and community outreach. … <Read More>