Council Committee Approves Six of Twenty-one Construction Safety Bills

Housing Committee approves six pieces of legislation from package of 21 bills on construction safety, more to follow including apprenticeship bill. On April 24, 2017, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings approved six bills from a package of 21 on which the Committee heard testimony on January 3st. For CityLand’s prior coverage of that hearing, click here. Chair of the Committee, Jumaane Williams, noted that the Committee planned on approving some … <Read More>


Comptroller Reveals that Half of Privately Owned Public Spaces, Including Three Trump Properties, Were In Violation of Law

Comptroller’s audit finds that the City has fallen substantially short in its duty of overseeing Privately Owned Public Space agreements, including agreements with Trump Tower, Trump International Hotel, and Trump Plaza. On April 18, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of how adequately the City oversees Privately Owned Public Space agreements with developers and building owners. Privately Owned Public Space agreements are created by developers in … <Read More>


City Council Considering 251 Affordable Units to be Built on Top of the Flatbush Caton Market

Approval would allow the construction of 251 Affordable Units above a local vendor market and community facility. On March 28, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee will consider an application from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to dispose of city-owned property, transferring the property to BRP Caton Flats LLC. The subject lot is located at 794 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn’s Flatbush-Ditmas Park neighborhood. The development application also requires a zoning map amendment to change … <Read More>


Planning Commission Approves Sale of 8.5 Acres for New Commercial Commons

Approval will facilitate the construction of an industrial park with a bank, restaurant, and commercial and medical offices. On February 22, 2017, the City Planning Commission approved an application from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to dispose of city-owned property in the Staten Island Industrial Park. The 8.5-acre lot in question is a largely wooded and undeveloped area. The site does contain two small wetlands totaling 1.5 acres, and is adjacent to the Staten … <Read More>


Mayor Pushes New Plan to Combat Homelessness

Mayor’s new homelessness plan includes broad reforms in current systems and the replacement of 360 shelter cluster sites with 90 new shelters citywide. On February 28, 2017, the Mayor’s Office released a 128-page report entitled “Turning the Tide on Homelessness.” The report outlines the steps the administration will take going forward to better combat the rising homeless crisis in New York City.


Two Adjoining Bank Buildings Designated as Individual Landmarks

“Bank Row” buildings represent two eras of 20th-century economic expansion. Landmarks voted to designate two bank buildings in Brooklyn as individual City landmarks at its meeting on January 24, 2017. The elder of the two landmarks, the People’s Trust Company Building, stands at 181 Montague Street, and the second item, the National Title Guaranty Building, adjoins it at 185 Montague Street. The buildings are the only unprotected historic structures on what is known … <Read More>