Major Staten Island Project OK’d by City Planning Despite Significant Opposition; City Council Up Next

The proposed zoning actions were largely disapproved by the Community Board, the Borough President, and even Staten Island’s appointee to the City Planning Commission. The Department of City Planning, along with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services filed an application requesting several ULURP actions to help implement the goals of the Bay Street Corridor Neighborhood Plan. The Neighborhood Plan is a comprehensive plan to … <Read More>


City Planning Certifies City Applications to Build Borough-Based Jails

The four jails are set to replace Rikers island by 2027. On March 25, 2019, the City Planning Commission certified the City’s application for four borough-based jails as a part of the City’s plan to shut down Rikers Island. The four jails – in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn – will have a total of 5,748 beds and a capacity of 5,000 inmates. The additional 748 beds will be used to account for taking … <Read More>


Third Industrial Business Incentive Area Project Approved by City Planning in Williamsburg

City Planning Commissioners voice concern over approving too many IBIAs before knowing the impacts that such projects will have on the area. On February 27, 2019, the City Planning Commission voted to approved another Industrial Business Incentive Area (IBIA) within the Greenpoint/Williamsburg Industrial Business Zone (IBZ) of Brooklyn. This project will be the third of its kind, with 25 Kent Avenue as the first, and 12 Franklin Street as the second.  This application expands the … <Read More>


City Planning Approves Second-of-its-Kind Industrial Business Incentive Area Project

The project will provide much needed office space while preserving industrial space that is characteristic of the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area. On December 5, 2018, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on a proposed mixed-use development at 12 Franklin Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, located within the Greenpoint/Williamsburg Industrial Business Zone.  The applicant is proposing to build a seven story, approximately 134,222 square foot building that will contain a mix of light industrial, office, and retail … <Read More>


City Seeks To Manage TV & Movie Shoots

City processes encourages the numerous movie and TV shows using New York City as a backdrop. New York City is currently experiencing a golden age of television and movie-making. The advantages to such a booming industry seem undoubtedly positive, but some argue that daily life can be marred by the constant displacement due to filming on local streets. Residents of specific communities claim that the negatives outweigh the positives when films use a particular location … <Read More>


City Planning Hears Plans For New Development In Area Lacking Residential Space

New industrial modern loft building for Bronx area scarce with residential options. On March 14, 2018, the City Planning Commission held a hearing on the Willow Avenue Rezoning application. The applicant, Markland 745 LLC, seeks to develop a mixed-use, mostly residential building on Willow Avenue between East 133rd and East 134th Street in the Port Morris section of the Bronx. The property is currently occupied by a three-story commercial office building and a single-story warehouse. … <Read More>