The Immaculate Conception Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Image Credit: LPC.
Ten of thirteen items brought to a final disposition were designated by Landmarks and will proceed to City Council for ratification. On December 13, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission made its final dispositive votes on items prioritized for designation in the commission’s Backlog Initiative, with one exception. The initiative, began in 2015, sought to address the backlog of designation items that had been added to the commission’s calendar before 2001 but never brought to a vote. The Commission identified 30 of the 95 items as priorities, and removed the rest of the items from its calendar by no-action letter. A series of public hearings were held, and throughout 2016 Landmarks voted to designate the majority of the items. Landmarks voted to design ten of the final 13 backlog items, with two removed from its calendar, and one to be voted on at a later date. (more…)
Landmarks Preservation Commission. Credit: LPC.
Wide support voiced for designation of Coney Island pumping Station; potential extension to Douglaston Historic District and individual designation of Queens Apartment complex and religious structures proved contentious. On October 8, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held the first of four hearings meant to address the backlog of items on the Commission’s calendar added prior to 2010. Twenty-nine items were considered, in three groupings of multiple items clustered by borough. Each speaker had three minutes to testify for each batch, rather than on individual items. At the meeting, Landmark heard testimony on one batch of items in the Bronx, one in Brooklyn, and one in Queens. (more…)
The Hospital for Special Surgery. Image credit: HSS
Expansion is designed to increase Hospital’s operating-room capacity. On July 23, 2015 the City Council approved a special permit for expansion of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The expansion will increase HSS’ lot coverage by 2,820 square feet. The permit was unanimously approved by the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises on July 20 and by the Committee on Land Use on July 21.
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Areas under study by the Department of City Planning for inclusion into the Special West Chelsea District. Area “A” is currently slated for expansion. Image credit: DCP
Proposal extends Special District bulk regulations and clarifies language in the zoning text. On January 13, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to approve the expansion of the Special West Chelsea District. The proposal was designed by the Department of City Planning and Manhattan Community Board 4 to expand the district by one partial block between West 15th Street to the north, West 14th Street to the south, 9th Avenue to the east, and 10th Avenue to the west in order to reinforce the residential character of West Chelsea. The proposal was approved by the City Planning Commission on December 17, 2014.
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A model of the proposed building on 7 West 21st Street, New York, NY. Image Credit: MA.com.
Commissioners focused on the building’s sustainability and the proposed parking garage. On January 7, 2015 the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on applications for two special permits for a proposed building at 7 West 21st Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District of Manhattan. The proposed building is 185 feet tall, with ground-floor retail and residential units on the upper floors. The permits would allow a waiver of the 150-foot setback requirement and construction of an underground parking garage capable of holding two hundred vehicles. On October 15, 2013 the Landmarks Preservation Commission granted a Certificate of Appropriateness for the new building. (See previous CityLand coverage here.)
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