HPD Seeks Urban Development Action Area Designation for Two City-Owned Properties in East Village

Approval of the proposed project will provide housing to families that have been displaced for over ten years. On December 5, 2018, the City Planning Commission heard an application that would allow for the demolition of existing buildings on two City-owned lots and development of ten co-operative units at 204 Avenue A and eleven one-bedroom rental units at 535 East 12th Street in Manhattan. The lots are located on the same block in the … <Read More>


City Planning Commission Considers Acquisition of Land to Expand Olmsted-Beil House Park

Proposed historic park expansion will provide space for programming and direct access from Hylan Boulevard. On October 31, 2018, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing for an application on the acquisition of property at 4485 Hylan Boulevard in the Eltingville neighborhood of Staten Island to expand Olmsted-Beil House Park. The Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services jointly filed the application. 


City Council Denies Proposed Development Next to Merchant House Museum

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 … <Read More>


Needed: Large Venues for Large Protest/Rallies in New York City

Peaceful protests, protected by the First Amendment, are fundamental to our constitutional system and to democracy. Peaceful protest marches and rallies have been instrumental in bringing about significant change in racial, gender, LGBTQ and economic equality; reproductive rights; climate policy; capital punishment; housing; criminal justice, and voting rights. Yet in recent years appropriate venues have been unavailable for large peaceful protests, raising the question of whether City practices inappropriately limit the exercise of First Amendment … <Read More>


Proposed Development Would Bring MIH to Windsor Terrace

City Council member raises concerns about effects of rezoning on adjacent stables. On September 5, 2018, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a hearing on an application by developer, 57 Caton Partners, LLC, to rezone 57 Caton Place in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn. The developer is requesting a zoning map amendment and zoning text amendments to facilitate the development of a new nine-story, mixed-use building.


Rezoning Application Will Map First MIH Area in Brooklyn Community District 15

New development will include both residential and commercial uses. On August 8, 2018, the City Planning Commission approved a rezoning application by Quentin Plaza LLC for 1881-1883 McDonald Avenue in the Homecrest neighborhood of Brooklyn. The proposed zoning map and zoning text amendment will facilitate a new mixed-use building. The rezoning area is bounded by Avenue P to the north, East 2nd Street to the east, Woodside Avenue to the south, and McDonald Avenue … <Read More>