Port Authority seeks proposals for restoration of former TWA terminal at JFK airport. Designed by architect Eero Saarinen, the building was TWA’s terminal from 1962 until 2001. The main building consists of four reinforced-concrete vaults separated by narrow skylights, and is flanked by two wing-shaped, single-story extensions. Two elevated oval tubes made of steel framing with a stucco finish connect the main structure to the flight wings.

In 1994, Landmarks designated the interior and exterior of the terminal building, the two connecting tubes, and one of the flight wings as an individual landmark. (more…)

Site includes former United States Navy base. On October 25, 2006, the City Council approved the comprehensive redevelopment plan for Staten Island’s Homeport, the 35-acre former United States Navy base located in Stapleton and owned by the City since 1995.

City Planning and the New York City Economic Development Corporation proposed five linked applications, including zoning map and text amendments, to achieve the plan recommended by Mayor Bloomberg’s Task Force on Homeport Redevelopment, a group of elected officials, community representatives, business owners, and residents formed in 2003 to develop a plan for the area’s redevelopment. The Task Force envisioned a waterfront esplanade running the length of the site and a mix of uses, including residential units, ground-floor retail, a sports complex, farmers market and a large economic generator, such as a movie studio or office complex. The final proposal included the 35-acre Homeport site and 18 mostly privately-owned lots west of Front Street, the city street forming the edge of Stapleton. (more…)

Whitney Museum’s programmatic needs warrant variances for height, floor area, and retail space. On July 25, 2006, BSA granted variances to the Whitney Museum of American Art in the Upper East Side Historic District, Manhattan. The additions, including a nine-story, 178-foot Renzo Piano-designed tower required variances for height, setback, floor area, and frontage.

On May 24, 2005, Landmarks approved the museum enlargement and issued a permit on January 5, 2006. 2 CityLand 73 (June 15, 2005). As part of its decision, Landmarks determined that three adjacent brownstones contributed to the historic district and should be preserved. Preservation of the brownstones, however, required variances from BSA for street wall and setback requirements. (more…)

BSA okays hotel only after reduction of 18,000 sq.ft. After four proposals and five public hearings, BSA approved development of a 48-foot tall, four-story transient hotel in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. The site of the hotel, at 806/814 Coney Island Avenue, is comprised of five contiguous lots totaling 32,153 sq.ft., split by commercial (C8-2) and residential (R5) districts and currently contains a one-story garage. The owner required a variance to permit the hotel’s proposed size in the commercial portion of the site and other variances to permit a meeting room, catering hall, and parking lot in the residential portion of the site.

The hotel was originally proposed as a 57,244-square-foot, six-story structure with 75 rooms and 62 parking spaces. Between September 2005 and March 2006, BSA requested three proposals to further reduce the number of hotel rooms and the catering hall’s capacity to ensure that the hotel’s size would be appropriate for its location within a commercial and residential zone. Upon BSA’s request, the owner submitted studies showing that retail development would not provide a reasonable return. (more…)

Community Board 9 and Columbia University presented different rezoning plans for Manhattanville. At the Planning Commission’s review session on October 1 7, 2005, the Commission determined that Manhattan Community Board 9’s independent 1 97-a plan for the future rezoning and development of Manhattanville met threshold standards. The plan culminated over 12 years of work by the Board. Under the City Charter and Rules, before environmental review of the 1 97-a plan can commence, the Commission must determine that the plan conforms to threshold standards for form and content, and for sound planning policy.

At the same session, the Commission discussed concerns that Columbia University planned to file a conflicting rezoning proposal covering the same geographic area to facilitate Columbia’s expansion into Manhattanville. Columbia’s plan would seek to rezone low-density manufacturing lots to allow high-density educational uses. While Columbia owns a portion of the lots in the area, it would potentially obtain more by eminent domain. (more…)