Council Subcommittee Hears Testimony on One Vanderbilt

Representatives of the project and the Department of City Planning spoke during a four-hour hearing.  On April 13, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on One Vanderbilt, a proposed 1,450-foot commercial tower in East Midtown, as well as an accompanying proposal to rezone five blocks of Vanderbilt Avenue to create the Vanderbilt Corridor.  The building will be located adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, bounded by East 42nd Street … <Read More>


Extension to 1971 Historic District Enters Designation Process

Landmarks vowed to continue engagement with the community and property owners in advance of hearing on extension of the Mount Morris Park Historic District. On April 14, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to add the Mount Morris Park Historic District Extension, to its calendar, the first step in the formal designation process. The district lies between 118th and 123rd Streets, bounded by Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard.


Support Voiced for Designation of 100-year-old Carnegie Library [UPDATE: LPC Grants Designation]

Library was the first in the nation devoted solely to the needs of children. On April 7, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the potential individual landmark designation of the Stone Avenue Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, at 581 Mother Gaston Boulevard in the Brownsville neighborhood. The Library completed in 1914, to designs by architect William B. Tubby, is one of 21 public libraries in Brooklyn whose development was funded by … <Read More>


City Planning Approves One Vanderbilt Project With Modifications

The application seeks to rezone five blocks along Vanderbilt Avenue to permit construction of a new commercial tower.  On March 30, 2015 the City Planning Commission approved SL Green’s proposal to build One Vanderbilt, a 1,450-foot commercial tower, and establish the five-block Vanderbilt Corridor.  The building will be located on the block adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, bounded by East 42nd Street to the south, East 43rd Street to the north, Madison Avenue to … <Read More>


Councilmember Introduces Anti-“Poor Door” Legislation

Bill would prohibit restricting affordable unit tenants’ access to residential building amenities.  On March 31, 2015, Councilmember Corey Johnson introduced Intro 731 at the stated meeting of the New York City Council.  The bill would amend the New York City administrative code to prohibit discriminating against “any person or group of persons” in the use of amenities in their building because they occupy an affordable housing unit in the building.  The bill would also extend … <Read More>


Elected Officials, Community Groups Rally Against Mayor’s Citywide Rezoning Plan

Speakers argued the plan eliminates residential zoning protections with little affordable housing benefit.  On March 25, 2015 the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed citywide rezoning plan, “Zoning for Quality and Affordability”.  According to the Department of City Planning, the plan was created in response to zoning barriers identified by DCP and the Department of <Read More>