Bicycle parking zoning text amendment debated

Public comments focus on added construction costs and impact on affordable housing. On February 4, 2009, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on the Department of City Planning’s proposed bicycle parking text amendment. The proposal would mandate the addition of secure bicycle parking for new buildings, enlargements of 50 percent or more, and conversions to residential use. The regulations would apply to multi-family residential, community facility, and commercial uses, as well as public parking garages. … <Read More>


Daniel C. Walsh on the City’s Efforts to Clean Up Brownfields

Daniel C. Walsh is the former Director of the City office of the Superfund and Brownfield Cleanup Program for the State Department of Environmental Conservation. Walsh studied the geochemistry of New York City landfills as a doctoral student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Rockland County native has spent his professional career studying and helping to resolve environmental problems in and around the City.

WA day not so far off. Walsh recalls reading Mayor Bloomberg’s … <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>


Waiver granted to Doctoroff on City projects

Former Deputy Mayor holds new position at Bloomberg LP. On January 11, 2008, Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff left City Hall to become President of Bloomberg LP, which has a landlord-tenant relationship with Vornado Realty. On January 14th, First Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris sought a waiver from the Conflicts of Interest Board that would allow Doctoroff to continue to serve the City as an unpaid adviser for PlaNYC 2030, Moynihan Station, Queens West, and as … <Read More>


Council passes new design standards for parking lots

New standards in tune with Mayor’s PlaNYC 2030. The City Council unanimously approved City Planning’s proposal to establish rules regulating the design of open public parking lots, as well as those for commercial and community use facilities. The new standards will apply to new lots and certain existing lots if enlarged.

Prior to the Council’s vote, parking lots were not subject to any Citywide zoning requirements that ensured vehicle maneuverability or environmentally friendly design. According … <Read More>


DOT’s Schaller on Making Congestion Pricing a Reality

Bruce Schaller, DOT’s Deputy Commissioner for Planning and Sustainability, stands on the front-lines in the battle over the City’s congestion pricing plan. Hand-picked by Mayor Bloomberg a month after the City announced its intention to charge vehicles entering or leaving Manhattan below 86th Street, Mr. Schaller must present and implement a plan that satisfies City, state, and federal officials.

As a transportation consultant, he analyzed the impact of East River bridge tolls for the Straphanger … <Read More>