BSA Allows Use Conversion for New Queens Commercial Building

Board noted the conversion would reduce the impact of non-conforming use on the neighborhood. On April 14, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant 221-16 Merrick Blvd. Associates LLC a special permit to change an existing commercial building at 221-18 Merrick Boulevard in Queens to Use Group 6 retail in conjunction with redeveloping the Merrick Flea Market area.  The proposal would reduce the size of the subject building from 10,600 to 8,176 … <Read More>


City Council Holds Oversight Hearing on Industrial Land Use

City officials questioned on policy to protect New York’s industrial sector.  On May 6, 2015 the City Council Committee on Land Use held an oversight hearing on industrial land use policy in New York City with a focus on protecting and encouraging the City’s industrial sector from encroaching alternative uses.  In his opening remarks, Councilmember and Land Use Chair David Greenfield emphasized as ineffective the City’s policy of designating Industrial Business Zones without changing the … <Read More>


Zoning Subcommittee Approves One Vanderbilt Project, With Modifications

Proposal returns to City Planning with additional infrastructure improvements.  On May 5, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to modify and approve the proposed One Vanderbilt skyscraper project and Vanderbilt Corridor rezoning plan.  (See previous CityLand coverage here.) The proposal as approved now includes a second transit hall on 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, as well as a 22 percent increase in the below-grade pedestrian space. The below-grade increase allows … <Read More>


Zoning Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Ladies’ Mile Residential Tower [UPDATE: Subcommittee Modifies, Approves Tower]

The proposed building would be located in a commercial district on a present-day parking lot.  On April 23, 2015 the City Council Subcommitee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on 39 West 23rd Street, LLC’s proposal for a residential tower at 39-41 West 23rd Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District of Manhattan.  The proposal would build the tower, made of two building segments reaching a maximum height of 278 feet, on a … <Read More>


CPC Approves New Affordable Housing Building in The Bronx

The building will be targeted to low-income and homeless individuals or families.  On April 1, 2015 the City Planning Commission voted to approve an application by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development facilitating construction of a new affordable housing building in The Bronx.  The building will be located at 1561 Walton Avenue in West Concourse, and feature sixty units of rental housing for low-income and homeless individuals and families.


BSA Approves Variance for New Residential Apartment Building in Brooklyn

The Board found the subject site, polluted by past automotive use, carried unique hardship.  On March 31, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant Moshe Packman a variance to facilitate construction of a four-story residential building in Marine Park, Brooklyn.  The proposed building is located at 2881 Nostrand Avenue and will contain nineteen dwelling units covering 21,827 square feet.