Hope Knight Named as New City Planning Commissioner

Knight, president of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, fills vacancy on 13-member Commission.  On December 16, 2015 the City Council approved Hope Knight as the newest member of the City Planning Commission.  Ms. Knight was nominated by Mayor Bill de Blasio to fill the seat vacated by Bomee Jung when Ms. Jung resigned to take the position of Vice President of Energy and Sustainability with NYCHA.  Ms. Knight will serve out the remainder of … <Read More>


History in the Making: The New York City Landmarks Law at 50

Speakers spoke of the different priorities of City government and other stakeholders, examined preservation strategies of municipalities nationwide, and considered changes in the legal landscape that could affect landmarking. On October 26, 2015, , Meenakshi Srinivasan, Chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and Jerold Kayden, Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, co-hosted an event titled “History in the Making: The New York City Landmarks Law at 50.” The event held at … <Read More>


Council Approves Conversion of Henry Street Firehouse into Community Space

Community facility will provide on-site social services and improved access to need-based financial benefits.  On August 13, 2015, the City Council adopted a resolution to rehabilitate a vacant firehouse and convert it into a community facility.  The Department of Housing Preservation and Development submitted the Urban Development Action Area Project proposal to the City Planning Commission on March 31, 2015.  The four-story firehouse is located at 269 Henry Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood … <Read More>


Elected Officials, Community Groups Rally Against Mayor’s Citywide Rezoning Plan

Speakers argued the plan eliminates residential zoning protections with little affordable housing benefit.  On March 25, 2015 the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed citywide rezoning plan, “Zoning for Quality and Affordability”.  According to the Department of City Planning, the plan was created in response to zoning barriers identified by DCP and the Department of <Read More>


CPC Approves New Through-Block Building in Ladies’ Mile

Permit allows construction of building and an underground parking garage. On February 4, 2015 the City Planning Commission approved a special permit application by 7 West 21 LLC for the construction of an eighteen-story mixed-use building at 7 West 21st Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District of Manhattan.  The building will feature 300 units of rental housing, 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and a 200-space underground parking garage.  The Commission held a … <Read More>


CPC Hears Special Permit Request for New Through-Block Building

Commissioners focused on the building’s sustainability and the proposed parking garage. On January 7, 2015 the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on applications for two special permits for a proposed building at 7 West 21st Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District of Manhattan. The proposed building is 185 feet tall, with ground-floor retail and residential units on the upper floors. The permits would allow a waiver of the 150-foot setback requirement and … <Read More>