Changes to 125th Street’s sidewalk cafe rules proposed

125th street street cafe. Image: Courtesy of NYC Department of City Planning.

Amendment would tighten sidewalk cafe regulations within Harlem’s Special 125th Street District to address local congestion concerns. On June 7, 2011, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved the Department of City Planning’s proposal to modify sidewalk cafe regulations within the Special 125th Street District in Harlem, Manhattan. The Special District comprises 24 blocks of East, Central, and West Harlem generally bounded by … <Read More>


Council negotiates modifications to 125th Street rezoning

Council Members Dickens and Jackson defend plan despite vocal opposition from local residents. On April 30, 2008, the City Council modified the Department of City Planning’s plan to rezone the 125th Street corridor, a 24-block area in the Harlem section of Manhattan.

The plan will rezone large portions of the east and west ends of the corridor to encourage arts, entertainment, and retail uses. The plan will also impose height limits, street wall continuity requirements, … <Read More>


Vacant Harlem commercial complex to be revitalized

Uptown retail center will have national retail chain, local vendors and restaurant. The Department of Citywide Administrative Services sought approval for the disposition of Mart 125, the one-and-a-half story, 12,210-square-foot building, located at 260 West 125th Street across from the Apollo Theater. Mart 125 was originally built in the early 1980’s as a market for local Harlem vendors and businesses. Occupancy declined over the years and the building began to deteriorate. It is currently vacant.… <Read More>


Housing project will have cinema and retail space

249-unit,mixed-use project will have multi-colored, patterned facade. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development sought approval for a 15-lot disposition in Central Harlem for construction of the Kalahari, a two-building, 249-unit affordable housing project with ground floor retail, restaurant, theater, and community group space. The 54,184-square-foot site, fronting West 115th and 116th Streets, was originally proposed for development in 2003, but HPD withdrew the application several days before the Council’s vote due to concerns raised … <Read More>