Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a 10-year affordable housing plan that set the tone for land use in 2014. Image credit: NYC.gov

Welcome to CityLand‘s third annual top ten stories of the year! We have selected a range of our most popular and prominent stories, guest commentaries and profiles concerning New York City land use in 2014.  Our third year as an online publication was marked by a new Mayor, a new Council, and a massive push to address the City’s housing shortage.  We at CityLand are excited to continue providing in-depth coverage of the latest land use projects, cases, and legislation in 2015 and look forward to seeing what the year will bring.  Thank you for all of your support and have a happy new year!
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In a recent CityLand commentary, Noel Weekes from the Committee for the Preservation of the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District incorrectly states that the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a non-compliant addition at 280 Convent Avenue. The article claims that the proposed addition violates “at least five of the Landmarks Commission’s nine requirements for rear yard additions or enlargements to row houses in historic districts.” While applications for additions can be complicated and sometimes controversial, the requirements cited by the author (Section 2-16, Title 63 of the Rules of the City of New York) only apply to additions that do not require a public hearing and are approvable by the Commission’s staff. In the case of 280 Convent Avenue, the applicant went through the public hearing process, and therefore the standards stated in the article were not relevant to this application. (more…)

Kate Daly, Executive Director of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Image Credit: LPC.

I would like to respond to a recent CityLand guest commentary by Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) that suggested that the Landmarks Preservation Commission practice of notifying property owners prior to “calendaring” a property is detrimental to the landmarks process. The Commission’s successful record can be directly attributed to our efforts to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of, and help build support for, landmark designations in their neighborhoods. (more…)

The first CityLand issue – October 15, 2004.

Welcome to CityLand‘s second annual top ten stories of the year! We have selected the most popular and interesting stories, guest commentaries and profiles concerning NYC land use in 2013. In only our second year transitioning to an online publication, readership has dramatically increased. We look forward to continuing to provide in-depth coverage of the latest land use projects, cases, and legislation in 2014.  We at CityLand thank you for your support and wish you a happy new year!
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Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council.

Last week CityLand published a Guest Commentary from Steven Spinola, President of REBNY.  Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council submitted this commentary in response. 

In his recent editorial in CityLand, Steven Spinola, the longtime President of the Real Estate Board of New York, suggested a number of ways which the Landmarks Law needs to be reformed to adhere to its “spirit.”  This is a curious statement that warrants further examination.  In  Section 25-301(b) of the Administrative Code, the purpose of the law is clearly set out to protect and preserve the historic buildings and neighborhoods of New York City in order to stabilize and improve property values, foster civic pride, enhance tourism, strengthen the City’s economy and generally promote the use of landmarks for the education, pleasure and welfare of the public. (more…)