EDC Submits Willets Point Redevelopment Plan

City seeks to create a Special Willets Point District; local businesses file lawsuit. On April 21, 2008, the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development began public consideration for their proposal to rezone a 61-acre area in Willets Point.

The area, roughly bounded by the Van Wyck Expressway, Roosevelt Avenue, 126th Street, and Northern Boulevard, is known as the “Iron Triangle” for its predominantly industrial … <Read More>


Council modifies street trees and yards specs.

Council Members Tony Avella and Melinda Katz secure exemption for certain one- and two-family homes from new street tree requirements. On April 30, 2008, the City Council modified the Department of City Planning’s proposals to amend the zoning requirements for street trees and yards. The proposals are designed to create green streetscapes, increase open space, and ameliorate storm water runoff problems.

Under the old zoning, property owners were required to plant street trees in a … <Read More>


Domino Sugar Factory condos spark controversy

Landmarks heard testimony regarding a mixed-use development plan for the former Domino Sugar Factory site. Image: Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP.

Preservation and housing advocates squared off over development plan. On February 5, 2008, Landmarks held a public hearing regarding alterations and additions to the Domino Sugar Refinery complex, located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

In 2007, the City designated three buildings at the complex. 4 CityLand 141 (Oct. 15, 2007). During … <Read More>


Council Member Melinda Katz Shares Her Insights on Land Use Issues

Council Member Melinda Katz is Chair of the Land Use Committee, a position she has held since 2002, when she was first elected to the City Council. The City’s land use review process requires that almost all major land use initiatives, with few exceptions, pass her desk for review. During her tenure as Chair, Katz “worked as a team” with the Bloomberg administration on the City-initiated rezonings, the largest rezoning initiative since 1961, covering roughly … <Read More>


Skidmore Owings & Merrill’s Marilyn J. Taylor on Design in the City

Marilyn J. Taylor is from a small town in Iowa “with a population of 1,432.” Perhaps it is her Midwestern roots that allow her to remain upbeat and positive as two of her current planning projects—Columbia University’s campus expansion in West Harlem and Solow’s redevelopment of the Con Edison site in Murray Hill—plod their way through the City’s land use review process amidst political controversy.

Taylor is partner to Skidmore Owings & Merrill’s Urban Design … <Read More>


Elected officials testify against Solow project

Solow’s plan covers one of the largest development sites in Manhattan. On December 5, 2007, the Planning Commission heard testimony regarding Solow Properties’ plans to construct a mixed-use development ground in the southeastern portion. Solow left the parking component of its plans intact.

Chair Amanda Burden and Commissioner Irwin G. Cantor both focused on the height of the proposed towers, some of which are significantly taller than the nearby United Nations headquarters. Solow’s attorney, Gary … <Read More>