Plan extends screening buffer waiver to community facility uses. In 1993, special waterfront zoning regulations were adopted to facilitate the redevelopment of waterfront properties. The regulations, found in Article VI Chapter 2 of the Zoning Resolution, were a response to the obstructed views, blocked public access, and out-of-character development that occurred along the City’s waterfront. The rules required developers in certain districts to construct and maintain waterfront public access areas. Over time, the rules helped … <Read More>
Search Results for: Signage Requirements
Bicycle parking zoning text amendment debated
Public comments focus on added construction costs and impact on affordable housing. On February 4, 2009, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on the Department of City Planning’s proposed bicycle parking text amendment. The proposal would mandate the addition of secure bicycle parking for new buildings, enlargements of 50 percent or more, and conversions to residential use. The regulations would apply to multi-family residential, community facility, and commercial uses, as well as public parking garages. … <Read More>
Special permit for retail use issued for Plaza Hotel
Owner required additional permit to complete Plaza Hotel’s conversion plan. When El-Ad Properties bought the Plaza Hotel in October 2004, it proposed to convert the hotel’s 805 rooms into luxury residential condos and use the hotel’s banquet rooms, meeting spaces and existing retail as high-end retail destinations. Public opposition to the plan resulted in a compromise by which El-Ad agreed to maintain 284 hotel rooms and convert the remaining 511 rooms into 181 private condos. … <Read More>
Mall expansion approved
Mall to expand at Rego Park site once considered by Wal-Mart. On September 15, 2005, the City Council approved a text amendment, special permit and modification of a restrictive declaration to allow the expansion of the Rego Park Mall in Rego Park, Queens. Alexander’s Inc., the applicant, and Vornado Realty Trust, the developer, proposed a 1.8 million-square-foot project consisting of a 600,000-square-foot four-story mall with 1,416 parking spaces at the base and two residential towers … <Read More>
Psychic business ruled an accessory use
Fortune teller advertised psychic consulting business with large neon sign and awning over her first-floor apartment window. Louis and Laura Wanko leased a first-floor apartment at 333 East 52nd Street in an Upper East Side neighborhood zoned for residential uses – an R813 district. A month after moving in, Louis installed several signs without permits, announcing his wife’s fortune telling business. A neon sign, three-feet tall by two-feet wide, reading “Laura’s Psychic Vision” was bolted … <Read More>