Development of Willets Point Blocked on Appeal

Appellate panel found the authorization for private construction on parkland did not extend to a shopping mall.  On October 9, 2013, the City Council approved Queens Development Group’s planned 10-story, 200-room hotel and 30,000-square foot mall complex on the Willets Point West site, formerly the location of Shea Stadium.  The site was once the north end of Flushing Meadows Park until the state legislature authorized the stadium’s construction in 1961.  The development would anchor further … <Read More>


Rent Guidelines Board Holds Rents at Current Levels

Freeze vote first of its kind in Board history, applies to one-year leases in rent-regulated units.  On June 29, 2015 the Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-2 to not increase rents on one-year leases, affecting 1.2 million tenants of New York City’s rent-regulated apartments.  The vote marked the first occasion where the Board decided to freeze rents. The Board’s vote also increased rents on two-year leases by 2 percent, a historically-low rate.  The new rents will … <Read More>


344-Property Extension to Riverside/West End Historic District Designated

Thirty-three properties were removed from district between hearing and designation, mostly along Broadway. On June 23, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Riverside/West End Historic District Extension II. The original Riverside/West End Historic District was designated by Landmarks in 1989, and the first extension was designated in 2012.  The designated area stretches between 89th and 109th Streets, and is bounded by Broadway and Riverside Drive to the east and west.


State Legislature Extends Rent Regulation, 421-a

Deal is retroactive to the programs’ expiration on June 15.  On June 25, 2015 the New York State Legislature passed a bill extending rent-regulation protections for New York City.  The laws had expired on June 15, and the Legislature temporarily extended its session to allow time for working on a longer-term solution.  On March 11, the New York City Council passed an extension of the City’s rent-stabilization laws, as well as a package of resolutions … <Read More>


Deal Near in Albany on Extension of Rent Regulation

Framework of extension deal includes rent regulation, 421-a.  On June 23, 2015 Governor Andrew Cuomo, joined by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, announced the framework of a deal on extending rent-regulation protections for New York City.  The laws expired on June 15, and the Legislature temporarily extended its session until June 23 to allow time for working on a longer-term solution.


Court dismisses challenge to Pierhouse development

Zoning restrictions were not violated. In 2006, Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation entered into a project plan for developing a hotel and residential complex at Brooklyn Bridge Park.  The plan called for the development’s northern building to be limited to “approximately 100 feet”.  Following Superstorm Sandy’s flooding of Brooklyn Bridge Park, the development was redesigned to move basement mechanical equipment to the rooftop, in compliance with new zoning changes.  This increased the northern building’s height above … <Read More>