Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Council Member Robert Cornegy, and Council Member Andrew Cohen at the April 28th Committee public hearing held through Zoom./Image Credit: City Council

Testimonies at the public hearing revealed concerns about the two bills and their impact on the City’s tenants and landlords. On April 28, 2020, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings, and Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing held a joint public hearing on two bills that will provide protection to residential and commercial tenants who are financially impacted by COVID-19. Introduction 1912, sponsored by Council Speaker Corey Johnson, will prohibit court marshals and sheriffs from enforcing evictions and collecting debt for one month after the federal and state moratoriums on evictions are lifted. Introduction 1936, sponsored by Council Member Ritchie Torres, will make it illegal to harass a tenant based on how they were impacted by COVID-19. The bills were proposed to provide financial relief to tenants who have faced COVID-19 related economic losses and to prevent an increase of homelessness and displacement after eviction moratoriums are lifted.

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Nos. 47 – 55 West 28th Street were the home of many sheet music publishers in the 1890s and 1900s. Image Credit: NYC LPC

The five buildings were home to popular musicians and publishing firms during the height of Tin Pan Alley. On December 10, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve the landmarks designation of five Italianate-style rowhouses located at 47-55 West 28th Street, collectively known as “Tin Pan Alley.” Tin Pan Alley is known for being the home of musicians and sheet music publishers between 1893 and 1910. The area received its nickname from the sounds of pianos played by the publishers on the block. Landmarks held a public hearing for Tin Pan Alley’s designation on April 30, 2019. Many members of the public supported designation; however, the owner of the rowhouses, 45 West 28th LLC, did not. For CityLand’s prior coverage, click here.

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Dean and President Anthony Crowell welcomes Speaker candidates to NYLS. Image Credit: Elizabeth Thomas.

The Speaker panel covered the issue of bringing transparency, accountability, and reform to the New York City Council. On November 21, 2017, Citizens Union held a public forum on good government with the candidates running to be the next City Council Speaker. The candidates on the panel were Council Members Robert E. Cornegy Jr., Corey Johnson, Mark Levine, Donovan Richards, Ydanis Rodriguez, Jimmy Van Bramer and Jumaane D. Williams. Council Member Ritchie Torres was also invited to the panel but could not attend due to a prior engagement in his district. The forum was held at New York Law School and was moderated by Ben Max, the Editor in Chief of the Gotham Gazette. President and Dean of New York Law School and Citizen Union Board Member, Anthony Crowell, opened the panel with remarks on the importance of the position of Speaker and the influence it can bring to shaping good government.

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City Council Member Corey Johnson. Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste

City Council’s Zoning Committee discusses proposed construction of a 22-story building next to U-Haul depot on West 23rd Street. On March 28, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony on an application to modify bulk regulations within the Special West Chelsea District in lower west Manhattan. The applicant, 23rd and 11th Associates LLC, sought a zoning text amendment to permit the distribution of floor area across different commercial zoning districts and subarea boundaries for zoning lots fronting on 11th Avenue and West 23rd Street to allow the allocation of floor area across a single zoning lot on West 23rd Street. (read more…)

Rendering of 11 Jane Street. Image Credit: LPC.

Residential development, which will replace 1920s garage, incited opposition within the community. On February 14, 2017, Landmarks voted to issue a certificate of appropriateness to the developers of 11 Jane Street in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The development had been the subject of three prior meetings, and the plan was revised and refined throughout the approval process. A two-story garage building dating to 1921 currently stands on the site. The planned development will incorporate apartments, a garage, and two single-family multi-story “maisonettes.” (read more…)

Council Members Corey Johnson, Donovan Richards, and Jumaane Williams (from left to right) in front of City Hall. Image Credit: mfy.org

UPDATE: On February 1, 2017, the City Council voted 47-0 to approve four bills that would help protect tenants of three-quarter houses in New York City. During the vote, Council Member Donovan Richards called three-quarter houses a wide spread problem that would not be cured by the bills and that the City would need to track progress on the issue to determine future responses. Council Member Ritchie Torres called predatory operators of three-quarter houses the “scum of the earth,” and expressed pride to be involved in the “game changer” legislative package.

Resolution 1035-2016, on which testimony was heard at the same committee hearing, remained in the Committee on General Welfare. The resolution would call on the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to promulgate a rule that would increase public assistance rental allowance levels. (read more…)