City Planning approved the raising of the Westchester Avenue Bridge to prevent future truck collisions. On September 6, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a report approving a City Map amendment to facilitate the raising of a Bronx bridge. The Westchester Avenue Bridge is the most struck bridge in the City. In 2014 it was struck eighteen times, and in 2015 and 2016 it was struck thirteen times. Most of the strikes have been by … <Read More>
Search Results for: The Bronx
Churches to Get Help Building Affordable Housing
Mayor and non-profit community development financial institution announce new program to help religious non-profits build affordable housing. On August 23, 2017, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation NYC, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Mayor’s Office announced the launch of a new initiative to aid non-profits in the construction of new affordable housing. The initiative, called the New York Land Opportunity Program, is a joint venture with the goal of helping faith-based institutions … <Read More>
Self-Storage Zoning Text Amendment Considered by 27 Community Boards and Four Borough Presidents
Process underway for a zoning text amendment to require a City Planning Commission Special Permit for new self-storage facilities within the City’s industrial business zones. In May 2017, the City Planning Commission sent out for consideration, as part of the ULURP process, a proposed zoning text amendment to limit the proliferation of self-storage in Industrial Business Zones. The amendment is currently being considered by the 27 Community Boards that would be affected by the amendment.
NYC Landmarks Law and Regulation of Open Space
The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has jurisdiction over both buildings and landscape features on landmarks sites. But the Commission rarely directly regulates changes to landscape features. For routine landscaping changes and in urban contexts, the landscape features are rarely a concern. In other cases the landscape takes on central importance. This is especially true where there where the existing landscaping and natural land features figure prominently in the beauty and importance of the site. In … <Read More>
Thirty of 95 backlogged items prioritized for 2016 designation votes
Some items will be removed from calendar due to political reality that designations will not be ratified by Council; others are found to be adequately protected so as to not require prioritization; others to lack significance that would merit immediate designation. On February 23, 2016, Landmarks made determinations on the disposition of 95 items added to Landmarks’ calendar before 2010, but never subjected to a vote on designation. In 2015 the commission had announced … <Read More>
BSA Vested Rights Decision Upheld by First Department
First Department recognized retroactive validation of a permit. In 2005, the Board of Standards and Appeals denied recognition of GRA V, LLC’s common law vested right to perform work under a Department of Buildings permit on the grounds Buildings deemed the underlying permit invalid. (See CityLand’s extensive previous coverage here.) A common law vested right occurs when a developer performs substantial work in reliance that the underlying permit or zoning is valid. In 2011, … <Read More>