Private right of action under Federal law rejected

Beachfront bungalow owner sued City agencies claiming violations of the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act. Ankor Shacaf obtained permits to demolish four bungalows and construct four homes in Far Rockaway, Queens. Shacaf erected a fence around the construction site, which obstructed a private right-of-way to the beach. Neighbor Richard George, owner of a bungalow on Beach 26th Street in Far Rockaway, sued Buildings and City Planning, claiming that the agencies violated the Coastal Zone Management … <Read More>


Parking garage approved; Stringer raises issues

Special permit for 174-space garage approved over new Borough President’s objections. Continental Residential Holdings, LLC applied to the Planning Department for a special permit to allow for a 174- space attended public parking garage within its new, as-of-right 41-story residential building at 325 Fifth Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets in Manhattan. Although the building is located in a predominantly commercial area one block south of the Empire State Building, in recent years the area … <Read More>


Two Queens neighborhoods down-zoned

Middle Village and Glendale rezoned to allow in-context residential development. The Planning Commission approved another outer-borough rezoning intended to preserve established scale, protect low-rise character, and curb inconsistent development in residential neighborhoods. A majority of the rezoned area, 105 blocks along Metropolitan Avenue and the Long Island Railroad, will be predominantly rezoned R4-1 to allow only one- and two-family dwellings. Another 60-block area, bounded by Juniper Valley Road, Juniper Boulevard South, 78th Avenue, and 80th … <Read More>


Modifications to High Line, West Chelsea district approved

Boundaries, frontage, easement access and lot coverage modified for High Line and Special West Chelsea district. In June 2005, the City Council approved several applications related to West Chelsea including the establishment of a Special West Chelsea District to support development of the High Line elevated public space, art galleries, marketrate housing, and affordable housing. 2 CityLand 83 (July 15, 2005). Public review of the proposed text amendments identified the need for additional modifications.

On … <Read More>


Two Bronx neighborhoods down-zoned

Pelham Bay and Westchester Square residents concerned that developers would move in after adjacent neighborhood was down-zoned. After the City down-zoned Throgs Neck in September 2004, 1 CityLand 4 (Oct. 15, 2004), residents of Pelham Bay and Westchester Square complained that the new limits on development in Throgs Neck would send developers north and westward into their communities, spurring over-development. While both communities are predominately developed with detached housing, the current zoning permits large apartment … <Read More>


Rezoning encourages medium- and low-rise development

Midwood Rezoning: Proposed Rezoning Map. Used with permission of the New York City Department of City Planning. All rights reserved.

Midwood rezoned to encourage appropriate higher density development. On February 22, 2006, the Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning impacting 80 predominantly residential blocks of Midwood, Brooklyn. The rezoning was proposed in response to out-of-scale development permitted by the R6 district’s community facility bonuses that increased FAR from 2.43 to 4.8. Designed to preserve the … <Read More>