Harlem African Burial Ground Memorial Rendering. Image Credit: Harlem African Burial Ground Task Force Pitch Book.

The Harlem African Burial Ground, affordable housing, and commercial space will replace the 126th Street Bus Depot. On September 27, 2017, City Council approved the 126th Street Bus Depot redevelopment by a vote of 42-0. The land use application, by NYC Economic Development Corporation, includes a zoning map amendment, zoning text amendment, city map change, and future disposition of city-owned property. This action will facilitate the development of affordable housing, commercial space, and the Harlem African Burial Ground Memorial. For CityLand’s coverage on the prior stages of the project’s ULURP process, click here. (read more…)

Rendering of Queens Far Rockaway Branch Public Library by Snøhetta. Image credit: NYC EDC

City Council approved a 22-block rezoning of Downtown Far Rockaway, Queens. On September 7, 2017, the City Council approved a large-scale rezoning and development plan for Downtown Far Rockaway by a vote of 46-0. The resolutions will create a Special Downtown Far Rockaway district, a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area, and an Urban Renewal Area. $288 million has been secured to grant amenities this community has been requesting for over 40 years. (read more…)

East River Ferry. Image credit: NYCEDC.

NYCEDC seeks less cumbersome process to meet the needs of increasing ridership on the East River Ferry. On March 4, 2014, the City Council’s Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted 7-0 to approve an application submitted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to amend portions of the Zoning Resolution regulating ferry and water taxi facilities along the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn. The proposed zoning text amendment makes way for increased East River Ferry service, which was established as a three-year pilot program in 2011 by the NYCEDC. The East River Ferry offers daily Brooklyn-Queens inter-borough transportation and Manhattan connections for commuters and recreational users. On December 13, 2013, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the East River Ferry, which was scheduled to terminate in June of 2014, will continue providing services until at least 2019 pursuant to a contract for a five-year extension. (read more…)

Conceptual rendering of view of the New York Wheel and New York Harbor. Image Credit: NYCEDC.

Council gives go ahead for world’s largest Ferris wheel and outlet complex.  On October 30, 2013, City Council unanimously voted 45-0 to approve the construction of the largest Ferris Wheel in the western hemisphere, which along with other developments, is intended to transform Staten Island’s St. George Waterfront. The New York Wheel (the Wheel), designed and manufactured by Starneth, will be built just north of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, and will provide panoramic views of New York Harbor and New York City. The Wheel will be 625-feet tall with a maximum capacity of 1,440 riders, and is projected to attract approximately 4.5 million visitors per year. The project will also include the development of a 95,000 gross sq. ft. Wheel Terminal building and a 340,000 sq. ft. retail complex, Empire Outlets. (read more…)

Long View Rendering of 126th Street and Citi Field. Image Credit: NYC EDC.

Council Members voiced concern over the City’s applications to facilitate Phase 1 of the Willets’ Point Development Project. The City Council’s Land Use Zoning and Franchises subcommittee held a public hearing on September 3, 2013 on Phase 1A of the $3 billion Willets Point Development Project. The applicants, New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Queens Development Group, a joint venture of Related Companies and Sterling Equities, testified. The application is a modification of the original 2008 proposal, and seeks a zoning resolution amendment and special permits to allow the City Planning Commission (CPC) to permit the development of up to 2,833 parking spaces and recreational area in a temporary lot within the Willets Point District. (read more…)

Council approved plan after EDC made further concessions on affordable housing. On November 13, 2008, the City Council voted to approve the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s Hunter’s Point South plan, a mixed-income 30-acre waterfront development in Long Island City, Queens. The project met with controversy at Council’s October 24th Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee public hearing and at the City Planning Commission’s August 13th public hearing. Opponents testified that the project lacked a sufficient amount of affordable housing units, and that the already-proposed affordable units were priced beyond the reach of most Queens residents. 5 CityLand 125 (Sept. 15, 2008).

At the Subcommittee meeting, EDC representatives announced that 200 low-income senior housing units had been added to the plan following negotiations with Council Member Eric N. Gioia, whose district includes Hunter’s Point. EDC also agreed to 330 additional on-site low-income units through inclusionary zoning, and promised to review other sites supplied by Gioia for new affordable housing in Queens. (read more…)