- 125th street street cafe. Image: Courtesy of NYC Department of City Planning.
Amendment would tighten sidewalk cafe regulations within Harlem’s Special 125th Street District to address local congestion concerns. On June 7, 2011, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved the Department of City Planning’s proposal to modify sidewalk cafe regulations within the Special 125th Street District in Harlem, Manhattan. The Special District comprises 24 blocks of East, Central, and West Harlem generally bounded by 126th Street to the north, 124th Street to the south, Second Avenue to the east, and Broadway to the west. All types of sidewalk cafes are currently permitted within the Special District, which was created in 2008 as part of the 125th Street rezoning plan to encourage local arts and entertainment uses, and to ensure that future development along the corridor respected the area’s built character. 5 CityLand 53 (May 15, 2008).
The proposed sidewalk amendment is a response to community concerns expressed during the Special 125th Street District rezoning’s public review regarding the impact of outdoor cafes on sidewalks with high pedestrian traffic. (more…)
Some areas of Staten Island that would be affected by rule changes. Image Credit: NYC DCP
The changes allow homeowners to bypass the lengthy review process for certain types of projects. On July 2, 2020, the Department of City Planning announced new proposed zoning rules for some Staten Island neighborhoods that make zoning rules more efficient and homeowner-friendly, and that reflect recent advances in environmental science. (more…)
Building on left demonstrates the current issue with excessive mechanical voids. Image Credit: NYC CPC
The proposal discourages clustering mechanical voids in a way that inflates building heights. On January 28, 2019, the CPC announced the beginning of public review of the proposed rezoning plan to limit the use of excessive voids that artificially inflate tower heights in residential buildings. Currently, these voids, or multiple floors of empty space, are not counted as zoning floor area in the Zoning Resolution. (more…)
Image credit: Jeff Hopkins Art.
The New York City Housing Authority’s efforts to settle with the U. S. Attorney over NYCHA’s mismanagement of public housing came to an abrupt end on November 14, 2018 when U.S. District Court Judge William H. Pauley III rejected the proposed consent decree. The U.S. Attorney had charged NYCHA in a civil complaint with fraud, deception and filing false lead inspection reports. The complaint also charged NYCHA with systematically tolerating dangerous and unhealthy contamination of lead, mold and vermin, and with inadequate maintenance of essential services, including elevators, plumbing and heating. (more…)
Rendering of 27 East 4th Street, Image Credit: CPC/SRAA+E Architecture and Engineering
Supporters of preserving the Merchant House Museum rejoice in victory, but the battle may not be over as future demolition and construction is possible. On September 26, 2018, the City Council voted to disapprove the application for a rezoning at 27 East 4th Street in Manhattan. The Application would have allowed for an 8-story, 28-room hotel or office building with a restaurant and lobby below the second floor, with approximately 17,141 square feet of total floor area. The development site is located within the NoHo Historic District Extension, and is adjacent to the Merchant House Museum, an 1832 rowhouse that is an individual, interior, and national historic landmark. The Merchant House was the City’s first designated landmark and one of the first 20 landmarks designated in the state. It is only one of 120 interior landmarks in the City and one of only 6 residences. (more…)
