Council limits bulk waiver to Manhattan Comm.Board 7

The proposed height provision had, as approved by the Planning Commission, been applicable citywide. On February 28, 2007, the City Council approved the four linked applications for the mixed-use development of West 60th Street Associates, LLC with significant modifications to the developer’s proposed citywide zoning change on bulk.

West 60th originally proposed a zoning text amendment that would allow developers of general, large-scale developments located in certain commercial districts to modify the height factor calculation, … <Read More>


Council Member Tony Avella Proposes Wide-Ranging Land Use Initiatives in the First Months of 2006

In the first months of 2006, Council Member Tony Avella, Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises, introduced proposed legislation to change the make up of BSA, require NYPD arrests for any illegal demolition, and curb the illegal construction that residents say is driven by a rush to beat a down-zoning. CityLand asked Avella about his proposed land use initiatives and his career.

Public Service. When asked about land use issues within his 20-year … <Read More>


Court enjoins Washington Square renovation

Plans sent back to Community Board, Landmarks and Art Commission. Under Parks’ plan to renovate Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, the off-center fountain would be moved 22 feet to align it with the park’s famous arch at its Fifth Avenue entrance. The new fountain would be raised to grade level, have a 45-foot high water plume, and be 23 percent smaller than its current size. Parks received approvals for renovations from Manhattan’s Community Board … <Read More>


Hearing held on former automat

Designation hearing held on one of the last remaining H&H automat structures in New York. Landmarks held a well-attended public hearing June 27, 2006 on the Horn and Hardart Building at 2710 Broadway, a former automat built in 1930 by the architecture firm F.P. Platt and Brothers. Currently home to a Rite- Aid drugstore, much of the building’s signature ornamentation is covered with signs. The flagship Horn and Hardart, or “H&H”, as they were known, … <Read More>


Billboard owners take dispute to BSA

Companies fought over whose signs were grandfathered. BSA denied Lamar Outdoor Advertising’s appeal of Buildings’ decision to revoke permits for two back-to-back billboards at 50 South Bridge Street in Charleston, Staten Island.

The City’s zoning code prohibits advertising signs within 200 feet of an arterial highway unless it is on a highway that crosses New York City limits within a one-half-mile distance from the sign. The code also prohibits a sign within 500 feet of … <Read More>


Central Park building to be refurbished

Work will give Rumsey Summer Stage Support Building a new roof, windows and interior. Landmarks issued a binding report approving the design for roof and window replacements to improve the Rumsey Summer Stage Support Building in Central Park, a scenic landmark. The work will improve the building’s appearance and help protect it from further disrepair.

The one-story building was constructed in 1936-1937 in the Rumsey Playfield, located near the East Drive and 72nd Street. Originally … <Read More>