Comptroller Audit Reveals that DOF Misclassified Staten Island Properties

Comptroller’s audit finds that the DOF misclassified for tax purposes at least twelve Class 1 properties on Staten Island. On February 24, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of Department of Finance property classifications on Staten Island. The audit sought to evaluate whether payments to Samaritan and the payment rates were reasonable, appropriate, and adequately supported, and whether Samaritan was complying with its contract with DHS. … <Read More>


Roosevelt Tramway Refranchised After Twenty-Two Years Without Contract

The Franchises Subcommittee voted to approve a new franchise agreement for the Roosevelt Island Tram at the request of the Mayor’s Office. On January 5, 2017, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted 5-0 to approve a resolution granting a new franchise for the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. The tramway is an icon of New York City tourism and has been featured in several films such as … <Read More>


CityLand’s Top Ten Stories of 2016

ethics-headerWelcome to CityLand‘s fifth annual top ten stories of the year! We have selected a range of our most popular and prominent stories, and guest commentaries concerning New York City land use in 2016. Our fifth year as an online publication was marked by the fight to pass the Mayor’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plan, proposed reforms to the building code to prevent illegal home conversions, and capped by the passage of state laws prohibiting … <Read More>


City Council Members Berate Applicant for Withdrawing MIH Commitment; Deny Application

The proposal would allow for the construction of a new ten-unit, four-story residential development on a vacant Brooklyn lot. On December 12, 2016, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises heard testimony on an application for the rezoning of three lots at 14–18 Carroll Street, in the Columbia Street Waterfront District neighborhood in Brooklyn Community District 6. The developer proposed the construction a ten-unit residential building on three vacant lots, totaling 6,229 square feet … <Read More>


City Council Committees Approve Pier 40 Transfer of Development Rights

Zoning Subcommittee and Land Use Committee approve brokered rezoning and development rights transfer at St. John’s Terminal in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. On December 6, 2016, two City Council committees approved a land use application to develop the aging St. John’s Terminal which is located across West Street from Pier 40 and just north of the Holland Tunnel. The approval will allow the transfer of $100 million of air rights from Pier 40 to the 1.7 … <Read More>


Subcommittee Criticizes City’s Lack of Planning at Lambert Houses [UPDATE: City Council Approves with Modifications]

UPDATE: On November 29, 2016, the City Council voted 49-0 to approve the Lambert Houses application with modification. The approved application now includes the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing option with deep affordability—half of the apartments will now be affordable for those making 30 percent or less of the average median income. The City has committed $12.3 million for infrastructure improvements in the West Farms area, including the construction of two new schools in the area—adding at … <Read More>