City Officials and developer broke ground on the new One Vanderbilt office building and $220 million transit upgrade of Grand Central. On October 18, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Council Member Dan Garodnick joined the developer SL Green for the on-site groundbreaking ceremony. The new office tower will reach 1,401 feet and cover the city block west of Grand Central. The tower is expected to achieve … <Read More>
Search Results for: Rezoning
Developer Withdraws Proposal Following Public Controversy over Affordable Housing
Phipps Houses withdrew its application for its ten-story, Barnett Avenue development following a lack of community support. On September 20, 2016, Phipps Houses, the oldest and largest not-for-profit developer of affordable housing in New York City, withdrew its Barnett Avenue development proposal—the day before its scheduled public hearing in front of the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises. Phipps Houses had sought a zoning map change and two zoning text amendments to … <Read More>
Brooklyn Community District 10’s Proposed Amendment to Special Permit Provision [UPDATE: City Planning Approves Amendment]
The proposed amendment would remove Brooklyn Community District 10 from applicability under Section 73-622, which the community board argues has not been used in line with its intended purpose. On August 24, 2016, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application to amend the New York City zoning text relating to special permits issued by the Board of Standards and Appeals. These special permits allow property owners in R2 zoning districts … <Read More>
Hearings Held on Five Potential Landmarks as Part of Greater East Midtown Plan
Designations opposed by developers and hoteliers; transit advocates expressed concern that landmarking would prevent improved subway infrastructure and access. On July 19 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held hearings on the potential designations of five possible individual landmarks in the East Midtown area of Manhattan. Twelve items in total were identified by Landmarks as significant historic and architectural resources, as part of the mayoral administration’s Greater East Midtown plan. The plan to revitalize … <Read More>
Land Use Committee Hears Testimony on Proposed Capital Commitment Tracking System
The proposed system would keep track of the financial and infrastructure-related promises made by the Mayor’s office to neighborhoods being rezoned. On June 7, 2016, the City Council Committee on Land Use held a public hearing on a legislative proposal to implement a tracking system, which would monitor the status of promises made to the public by the Administration during the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process. The proposed bill, Intro 1132, is sponsored by … <Read More>
Say Hello to Mandatory Inclusionary Housing!
Almost 55 percent of all renter households in New York City now pay more than 30 percent of their income towards housing costs, an increase of 11 percent since 2000. As a consequence, the City Planning Commission found that “many of the city’s neighborhoods are becoming less economically diverse, which poses a threat to the city’s economic competitiveness as well as to the opportunities available to lower-income New Yorkers.”
Mandatory Inclusionary Housing is one of … <Read More>