Zoning Subcommittee Approves Sollazzo Plaza

Approval permits demolition of old farmhouse to make way for a shopping center.  On December 15, 2014 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted unanimously to approve rezoning for portions of a block to permit the construction of a retail shopping center. The rezoned portion is bounded by Forest Avenue to the north, Monsey Place to the south, Richmond Avenue to the east, and P.S. 22 to the west.


Waiver Granted to Construct New Building on Fulton Street

BSA permitted construction on a lot covering a mapped but unbuilt portion of Fulton Street.  On October 28, 2014 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant the applicant, 92 Henry Fulton LLC, a bulk regulations waiver to allow construction of a proposed seventeen-story mixed residential and commercial building on a vacant lot.  The lot is located at 92 Fulton Street in Manhattan’s Financial District, between William Street to the west and Gold Street … <Read More>


Waiver Granted To Convert Residential Building to Hotel Use

BSA exercised its authority under the Multiple Dwellings Law to permit the conversion.  On October 28, 2014, the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant the applicant, 84 William Street Property Owner LLC, a waiver of court dimension requirements to allow conversion of a mixed residential and commercial building into a transient hotel.  The building is located at 84 William Street in Manhattan’s Financial District, between Maiden Lane to the south and Platt Street … <Read More>


City Council Holds Oversight Hearing on Mayor’s Affordable Housing Plan

HPD, City Planning, NYCHA among those who answered questions on the results and direction of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan.  On November 17, 2014, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings, joined by the Committee on Land Use and Committee on Community Development, held an oversight hearing on Housing New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing plan. The Council heard testimony over the course of seven hours from Housing Preservation and Development … <Read More>


City Comptroller Audit Finds DOB Failed To Fully Implement Crane Safety Report

In four years, Buildings has enacted eight of sixty-five safety recommendations after spending $5.8 million on a study. On November 7, 2014, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit finding the Department of Buildings has failed to act upon recommendations for crane safety that came from a report they commissioned, four years after the report was issued.


Variances Granted For Church-Owned Mixed-Use Facility

Board granted the variances despite divided community support. On September 23, 2014, the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant five variances to St. Albans Presbyterian Church for the construction of a five-story mixed-use facility at 118-27 Farmers Boulevard. The development site is located in St. Albans, Queens, and bounded by Farmers Boulevard to the west, 119th Avenue to the south, 189th Street to the east, and 118th Avenue to the north. The facility … <Read More>