The proposed parking facility would create 39 internal parking spaces for 36 residential units. On September 22, 2015, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on WC 28 Realty LLC’s application seeking a special permit to build 39 off-street parking spaces attached to its proposed condominium complex for exclusive use by the condominium’s tenants. The condominium, called the Jardim, is located in the West Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The developers are allowed to … <Read More>
Department of City Planning
Rent Stabilization: Preserving Low and Middle-Income Housing
Rent regulation is not a new issue for New York City. But the headlines in June 2015 were far larger and the reactions more contentious than at any time in recent memory. For the first time in its 46-year history, the Rent Guidelines Board decided that there would be no increase in rents for one-year renewals on rent-stabilized apartments; it also limited increases on two year renewals to two-percent. Not surprisingly, tenants hailed the decision … <Read More>
BSA Upholds Buildings’ Rejection of Accessory Sign
Board rejected arguments an exterior building treatment did not qualify as an accessory sign under the Zoning Resolution. On June 16, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to uphold a Department of Buildings’ determination that a design treatment on the north face of a parking garage in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan constituted an accessory sign in violation of local zoning. The design treatment, on the north face of the garage … <Read More>
Council Amends Zoning Text to Accelerate Sandy Recovery
Amendment streamlines process for reconstruction, elevation of homes. On July 23, 2015 the City Council approved an amendment to the zoning text relating to homes in areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The amendment is designed to remove complications faced by 2,000 owners of one- and two-family homes in Staten Island, Southern Queens, and Southern Brooklyn who have been working to rebuild and elevate their homes in the event of another flood, while lowering the cost … <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>
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>