Variance Approved For Metropolitan College’s Bronx Campus

College sited educational facilities in an M1-1 zone.  On June 24, 2014, the Board of Standards and Appeals granted a use variance to Metropolitan College of New York, a non-profit educational institution headquartered at 431 Canal Street in Manhattan, to use the entire second floor of a new building at 459 East 149th Street at the corner of Brook Avenue in the Bronx for educational purposes.  The site is in the shape of a … <Read More>


Tear Down the Chrysler Building?

Save our skyline. If not, tear down the Chrysler building and demolish the Empire State Building. If action isn’t taken these stars of the New York City skyline will be permanently eclipsed. If the public can’t see them, why preserve them? Even the preservation resistant Real Estate Board of New York would likely gasp at the notion of demolishing these two iconic New York landmarks. “The view of the New York skyline is nationally and … <Read More>


CityLaw Profile: Mark Peters: The Future of DOI Investigation

On January 18, 2014, Mark Peters was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigations. Prior to this appointment, Commissioner Peters was a partner at the law firm of Edwards Wildman, and had earlier served as Chief of the Public Integrity Unit from 2001-2004 and as Deputy Chief of the Civil Rights Bureau from 1999-2001 at the New York State Attorney General’s office under Eliot Spitzer. … <Read More>


A New Look for Varick Street? Come to June 14th’s Plaza for A Day

Since sprouting up during the Bloomberg administration, new pedestrian -friendly public plazas have served as urban pit stops, places where time pressed New Yorkers can people-watch, grab a bite and have some down time before heading back to school, work, or a rigorous day of shopping.


Transit and Resiliency Topics of Focus at RPA’s Annual Meeting

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Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Senator Chris Murphy addressed economic disparity and the necessity of a long-term vision and cooperation of local leadership in strengthening the New York Metropolitan region’s infrastructure and economy. The Regional Plan Association held its 24th Annual Assembly at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on April 25, 2014. The RPA is a non-profit that seeks to promote planning for economic competitiveness, quality of life, and long-term sustainability in the larger New … <Read More>


Affordable Housing at Domino Sugar Hearing Dominated Council Concerns

Local Williamsburg Council Members Antonio Reynoso and Stephen Levin led questioning of Two Trees Management on Domino Project.  On April 1, 2014, the City Council Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises heard Two Tree Management’s application for special permits and a zoning text amendment to transform the Domino Sugar Refinery into a mixed-use development.  The City Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the application on March 5, 2014 following Mayor Bill de … <Read More>