CPC Approves New Mixed-Use Building in Flushing

Proposed eleven-story building will offer hotel, residential, commercial, and community space. On March 4, 2015 the City Planning Commission approved an application from CG & J Realty for a zoning map amendment to facilitate construction of an eleven-story mixed-use building at 137-61 Northern Boulevard in Flushing, Queens. The proposed building will consist of eleven stories with a basement and cellar, and contain 10,000 square feet of commercial retail, 97,000 square feet of hotel space, 7,000 … <Read More>


Weisbrod Highlights East New York as Test for Affordable Housing

At the CityLaw Breakfast on September 5, 2014, Carl Weisbrod laid out the De Blasio Administration’s housing policy. As was widely reported, the City will look to implement mandatory inclusionary housing on all City-sponsored rezonings. One of the first tests of this new policy is the privately sponsored Astoria Cove development in Queens, where an affordable component will likely be required if approved under ULURP.


REBNY Issues New Report on Landmarking and Housing Production

REBNY report shows that housing production, particularly affordable housing, is drastically lower in landmarked areas in the five boroughs. In 2013, the Real Estate Board of New York conducted a study which showed that nearly 28 percent of Manhattan is landmarked and that fewer than 2 percent of new housing units built in Manhattan over a ten-year time period (2003-2012) were constructed on landmarked properties. On July 1, 2014, REBNY released a new report which … <Read More>


New York State’s New System for Tracking Prescription Drugs

prescriptions_finalOn June 19, 2012, one lone gunman entered a small pharmacy in Medford, Long Island.  Seven gunshots later, four people lay dead—killed at close range without signs of resistance.  Three days later, David Laffer and his wife, Melinda Brady, were arrested.  Laffer was charged with first-degree murder.  Melinda Brady, driver of the getaway car, was charged with third-degree robbery. 


Sam Schwartz: Managing Traffic Through “Fair Pricing”

This week there has been a renewed interest in Sam Schwartz’s revised congestion pricing plan which is being pushed by a group called Move NY.  Read CityLaw’s great profile on Mr. Schwartz that details his plan.  This was originally published on April 18, 2013.

Sam Schwartz is the president and CEO of Sam Schwartz Engineering, a firm that specializes in transportation planning and engineering. Schwartz’s new congestion pricing proposal, “Move New York,” … <Read More>


Building’s Refusal to Permit Advertising Sign on Eagle Electric Building Upheld.

Eagle claimed huge sign visible from Queensboro Bridge was not an accessory sign.  The Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company, in 1936, constructed a 1,950 square foot sign on the rooftop of its plant located at 23-10 Queens Plaza South, Queens. The plant is located in the M1-9/R9 Special Long Island City Mixed Use zoning district and within 200 feet of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. Eagle ceased operations in 2000; the plant where the sign is … <Read More>