Illustration: Jeff Hopkins.
Over 72 million Americans are considered clinically obese. With the increased emphasis on diet and exercise, gyms are turning up everywhere throughout New York City. Owning and operating a gym is not a simple process. Gym owners face zoning restrictions, permit requirements, and potential tort liability. (read more…)
Street view of 95 Grattan Street in Brooklyn. Image credit: Google.
Applicant seeks to build multiple dwellings on M1-1-zoned 25-foot lots. On June 24, 2014, the Board of Standards and Appeals voted 4-0 to grant a use variance to 95 Grattan Street, LLC and to 97 Grattan Street, LLC allowing them to construct two separate four-story, seven-unit residential buildings. One building will be located at 95 Grattan Street, the other at 97 Grattan Street. Each 2,500-square foot lot is located on the north side of Grattan Street, between Knickerbocker Avenue to the west and Porter Avenue to the east, with 25 feet of frontage on Grattan Street. Both lots are located in a M1-1 zoned district, which limits use to light manufacturing, industrial, retail, and offices. The LLCs needed a variance to construct residential buildings in the district.
Owner of individual landmark was ordered by Buildings to obtain a permit to correct illegal work. On September 10, 2013, Marilyn Levine, owner of an individually landmarked 1846 Greek Revival townhouse at 5 West 16th Street in Manhattan, was issued a notice of violation (NOV) by the Department Buildings for failing to comply with an order to obtain a Buildings permit to correct a violation for work done without a permit. The original violation was issued on June 10, 2013. (read more…)
Street view of P.S. 31 in the Bronx, NY. Image credit: Google.
Landmarks urged DOB and DCAS to look at all possible alternatives before resorting to demolition. On December 17, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing for the application for an advisory report to demolish the individually landmarked Public School 31, located at 425 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. The Collegiate Gothic-style building was designed by C.B.J. Snyder and is currently owned by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which assumed possession of the building from the Department of Education in 2011. The school has been vacant since 1997. (read more…)
Eagle claimed huge sign visible from Queensboro Bridge was not an accessory sign. The Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company, in 1936, constructed a 1,950 square foot sign on the rooftop of its plant located at 23-10 Queens Plaza South, Queens. The plant is located in the M1-9/R9 Special Long Island City Mixed Use zoning district and within 200 feet of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. Eagle ceased operations in 2000; the plant where the sign is located is currently vacant. In 1999, the sign was leased to Atlantic Outdoor Advertising, Inc. and has since been used to advertise different products. (read more…)
Google map view of St. Mary's Hospital
Opponent’s attempt to stop construction declared moot. St. Mary’s Hospital for Children operates a 97-bed children’s hospital on an eight-acre campus at 29-01 216th Street in Bayside, Queens. The hospital building was built in the 1950s. In 2006, St. Mary’s sought to add a five-story, 90,000 sq.ft. addition to the eastern side of the hospital. In October 2008, St. Mary’s sought a determination from the Department of Buildings confirming that the site was permitted a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.0. Buildings denied the request, stating that the proposed addition needed to comply with a 1973 amendment to the zoning resolution restricting community facilities like St. Mary’s to a maximum FAR of 0.5. The amendment included an exception clause indicating that the amendment “shall not apply to buildings for which plans were filed with the Department of Buildings prior to November 15, 1972 including any subsequent amendments thereof.” On October 20, 2010, Buildings reconsidered, approving the request and allowing an FAR of 1.0 because the hospital was built prior to November 15, 1972.
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