Current view of Brinckerhoff Cemetery lot. Credit: John Weiss (2012).

Owner of the vacant former cemetery site claimed she purchased the lot to build a home for herself, not knowing of the property’s history, and was not competently represented throughout the landmarking process. On December 6, 2012, the New York City Council’s Land Use Committee voted to recommend approval of the designation of the Brinckerhoff Cemetery as a New York City Landmark.  The property, at 69-65 182nd Street in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of Queens, was designated by Landmarks on August 14, 2012. The full City Council is expected to vote on December 10, 2012 to approve. (more…)

Leonard Wasserman

Early in his adult life, Leonard Wasserman thought he would pursue a career in urban planning. His perspective changed, however, when he realized he was “better with words than colored pencils.” After college, Wasserman spent a little over a year at the Housing and Development Administration (the agency that later split into Buildings and HPD), but decided to take a leave from the ranks of the employed to attend Brooklyn Law School to focus on the legal aspects of urban planning and development. Upon graduation, he served as a law clerk in the Southern District and spent time in private practice. Wasserman then moved on to the Law Department, and became schooled in the art of public/private real estate transactions. In 1985 he was named Chief of the Economic Development Division. Since then,Wasserman has continued to support City Hall in its pursuit of its economic development goals.

It’s about jobs. When asked to describe the role of his Division, Wasserman first discussed economic development in general. He pulled out a copy of the state’s Not-for-Profit Corporation Law covering local development corporations, and explained that these corporations, principally the New York City Economic Development Corporation, are the arms through which the City often carries out its economic revitalization plans. Wasserman summed up the lengthy statutory section by simply stating “it’s about jobs.” Specifically, it’s about how to retain, attract, and grow jobs. In his view the importance of having a job cannot be overstated. Wasserman links jobs to the overall stability of a person and their community; without a job a person’s world “disintegrates,” and this can weaken the overall fabric of the community. (more…)

DEC overstepped its authority by judging application against eligibility regulations not found in Brownfield statute. HLP Properties LLC owned a 1.75 acre surface parking lot bounded by West 17th and 18th Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues in Manhattan. The lot was part of the former West 18th Street manufactured gas plant, a 19th century facility that converted coal to combustible gas for all of Manhattan north of Canal Street. The plant operated for more than sixty years, depositing substantial amounts of hazardous contaminants into the surrounding property.

As part of HLP’s plan to develop the parking lot into two mixed-use high-rise towers, HLP submitted an application to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for entry into the Brownfield Cleanup Program. The Brownfield Cleanup Program Act of 2003 was enacted to encourage voluntary cleanup of hazardous waste sites and return them to constructive use. If accepted, HLP would be eligible for tax credits and liability limitations upon completing the required remediation. (more…)

Planned parkland shrinks; developers get more opportunities for enclosed amusements. On April 17, 2008, the City revised its comprehensive plan to redevelop a 47-acre area of the Coney Island peninsula, after holding its public scoping meeting two months earlier.

Initiated by the Department of City Planning and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the plan covers 19 blocks of the neighborhood, stretching from the New York Aquarium to West 24th Street, and from Mermaid Avenue to the boardwalk. The rezoning is designed to transform the iconic beachfront amusement area into an affordable, year-round urban amusement and entertainment destination alongside a concentration of new residential and retail uses. (more…)

Residents and elected officials warn against disturbing area’s critical balance of uses. On April 23, 2008, the City Planning Commission heard public testimony on KMG Greenwich’s proposal to rezone five and one-half blocks of Hudson Square North, roughly bounded by Morton, Hudson, Clarkson, and West Streets.

Currently, the area’s zoning prohibits as-of-right residential development. Under KMG’s proposal, the area would be rezoned to M1-5/R7X, allowing residential, community facility, commercial, and manufacturing uses. The proposal would facilitate the residential conversion of 627 Greenwich Street, as well as the development of a new 80,000-square-foot residential tower at 111 Leroy Street. 5 CityLand 7 (Feb. 15, 2008).

At the public hearing, attorney Jay Segal of Greenberg Traurig, representing KMG, argued that Hudson Square North, after a series of BSA variances, was already a predominantly residential neighborhood. KMG’s environmental consultants, AKRF claimed that the proposal would result in the relocation of only 90 jobs. (more…)