City Planning Approves Application for Open Space and Resilient Housing on Sandy Affected Properties

The City uses ingenuity to make use of City owned spaces in flood plain. On September 25, 2019 City Planning unanimously approved an application to facilitate the construction of resilient housing and create open spaces on 141 city-owned properties, purchased in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The properties involved sustained a level of storm and flood damage equal to at least half their respective value.


HPD Opens Proposals for Two East Harlem Sites

The RFP was developed using community input through the East Harlem Neighborhood Planning Process and visioning workshops. On August 8, 2019, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner, Louise Carroll, announced the release of a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) regarding the redevelopment of the East Harlem Multi-Service Center site at 413 East 120th Street in Manhattan and the NYPD’s 25th Precinct parking lot on the east side of Park Avenue … <Read More>


Pilot Program Aims To Avoid “Street Cuts” On Freshly Paved Staten Island Streets

Street cuts are still a problem in City streets undermining repaving efforts. On July 27, 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a pilot program to prevent so-called “street cuts” on freshly paved streets. The pilot will mandate interagency cooperation and coordination to prevent fresh asphalt being marred with street cuts. According to Staten Island USA, street cuts are the name given to the patch job done in the wake of underground work performed by … <Read More>


Sidewalk Cafes: What it Takes to Dine on the Streets of New York

Operating a sidewalk café requires a public review process and approval from the city. Summer is here and many restaurants open sidewalk cafés to give people a breath of fresh air while enjoying a meal. To operate a sidewalk café, the business must have a food service establishment permit and each year the business must pay consent fees, which are essentially a “lease” for use of the sidewalk space.


Public Access to Public Open Space

New York City routinely permits private property owners to acquire public land without paying for it. Does that shock you? It should! Let me explain how this happened.

In 1961 the Board of Estimate approved a new Zoning Resolution in which the public obtained access to and use of privately-owned open space in exchange for permitting certain owners to build additional floor area inside their building. For four decades people routinely used what became public … <Read More>


Reminder: Registration Still Open for the Sixth Annual Conference on Trends in NYC Land Use & Real Estate Development

CITY-Land-Use-CLE JPGSeminar Topics:

The Changing Face of Open Space: Legal Issues Associated with Open Space in New York City
Parking Garages, Lots and Off-Street Parking: Proposed New Manhattan Core Parking Rules
Accommodating Expansion of Undeveloped or Underused Urban Land

When: Thursday, April 25, from 1:45 to 6:00 p.m.
Where: 185 West Broadway (between Worth & Leonard Streets), Auditorium
Credit: 4 Professional Practice transitional & non-transitional CLE credits. Non-credit option also available.
Cost: $275 … <Read More>