62 Greene Street, Manhattan. Image credit: GoogleMaps

The City Planning Commission approved the conversion of a Greene Street ground floor into retail space. On June 21, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application from 62 Greene Owners Corporation, owner of 62 Greene Street in Manhattan’s SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District. The application sought a special permit to modify use regulations of Section 42-14(D)(2)(a) of the Zoning Resolution to allow retail uses on portions of the ground floor and cellar of the existing five-story building. (read more…)

Rendering of proposed development in East Harlem, Manhattan. Image Credit: Perkins Eastman Architects

UPDATE: On June 21, 2017, the City Planning Commission the application from the New York City Education Construction Fund and AvalonBay Communities to redevelop a city block in East Harlem to be appropriate. The proposed development would shift the Marx Brothers Playground to the center of the block and facilitate the construction of two buildings at either end. The eastern building would rise eight stories and contain two public high school relocated from other sites. The western building would rise 63 stories and contain over one million square-feet of residential floor area and the Co-op Tech vocational school.

In its report, the Planning Commission noted the need for new public schools citywide and acknowledged that finding adequate sites and securing funding are major obstacles to addressing that need. The Commission stated that the new high schools would “increase the capacity of the existing overcrowded and outdated schools, allowing more students access to their programs.”

The Commission acknowledged public concern over height and uses of the proposed development. The applicant responded to these concerns by lower the proposed height of the skyscraper from 68 stories to 63 stories. The report noted that the School Construction Fund preferred buildings for new schools be five stories tall, and that the height of the tower would allow the eastern building to be at a height in line with that preference. The Commission also wrote that “there is ample light and air around the block . . . providing the site and neighboring properties with unobstructed light and air from the east.” (read more…)

Rendering of 312 Canal Street. Image Credit: LPC.

Developers proposed to demolish five heavily altered 19th-century structures to make way for a new 8-story-plus-penthouse residential building with retail base. On June 6, 2017, Landmarks considered an application to redevelop five lots at 312 through 322 Canal Street in the Tribeca East Historic District. The five buildings were originally constructed in the 1820s, at two-and-a-half stories, but saw repeated additions, reductions and alterations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and currently stand at two stories. Little, if any, original historic fabric remains on the buildings’ exteriors. The site is located mid-block, near where Mercer Street intersects with Canal Street. (read more…)

Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings, Council Member Jumaane Williams. Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste

Committee on Housing and Buildings voted to raise minimum heating requirements and to uncouple the requirement from outside overnight temperatures. On May 22, 2017, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings recalled and passed a bill to require owners of residential buildings to maintain a minimum temperature in dwelling units that are occupied. Current law requires a minimum temperature to be maintained during heating season which is defined as the period between October 1 and May 31. The bill was co-sponsored by Chair Jumaane Williams, Council Member Mark Levine and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. (read more…)

361 Canal Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. Image Credit: GoogleMaps

The City Planning Commission approved the conversion of a Canal Street ground floor into retail use. On April 26, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application from Canal Associates, LP, a subsidiary of United American Land, owner of 361 Canal Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The application sought a special permit to exempt the location from certain requirements of Section 42-14D(2)(b) of the Zoning Resolution to allow for the conversion of the cellar and the ground floor of the existing five-story building into retail use. (read more…)

Rendering of the Waldorf-Astoria after proposed cleaning and minor modifications. Image Credit: LPC

Plan would see some small additions, cleaning and restoration of facades, a new residential entrance, re-opening of historic interiors, and replacement of unsympathetic later elements. On April 25, 2017, Landmarks considered and approved applications to renovate the exterior and interior of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at 301 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The 1931 Art Deco hotel’s exterior was landmarked in 1993, and continuous interiors on the first three levels were designated earlier in 2017. The iconic block-sized hotel has been acquired by Chinese investment firm Anbang, who have closed the hotel in anticipation of extensive renovations. The new owners intend to convert a substantial portion of the hotel to residential use. (read more…)