Rendering of the proposed building by Christopher Papa Architects. Image credit: DCP

The City Planning Commission approved the construction of an eight-story mixed-use retail, community facility and office development in Jackson Heights. On May 24, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application from H & M LLC to facilitate the construction of a new mixed-use building with 219 accessory parking spaces at 74-04 Northern Boulevard in Queens’ Jackson Heights neighborhood. The application requested a zoning map amendment to change the project area from a C8-1 zoning district to a C4-3 zoning district, and a zoning text amendment to designate the project as a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area. (read more…)

Aerial rendering of the Willets Point proposal. Image Credit: EDC.

23-acre proposal will include environmental cleanup, expressway ramps, affordable housing, and retail and entertainment complex. The City Planning Commission held a public hearing on land use actions to facilitate Phase 1 of the Willets Point Development Project on July 10, 2013. The application was submitted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Queens Development Group, LLC, a joint venture of Sterling Equities and Related Companies. Phase 1, to be split into Phase 1A and 1B, includes environmental cleanup, economic improvements, mixed use developments, parking, and infrastructure improvements on a portion of the 61-acre Special Willets Point District in Queens on the west and east sides of Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

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BSA ruled that owner made sufficient progress on construction prior to downzoning. In late 2008, Buildings issued permits to Selvakumar Rajaratnam to construct two four-story buildings with seven dwelling units each at 37-45 and 37-47 98th Street in North Corona, Queens. On March 24, 2009, the City Council approved the North Corona 2 rezoning, which rezoned the site from R6B to R5A, and rendered the proposed buildings out-of-compliance with maximum permitted floor area, number of units, and height, setback, yard, and parking requirements. Because the buildings’ foundations had not been completed by the enactment date, the permits lapsed. Rajaratnam filed an appeal with BSA to complete construction.

At a hearing, Rajaratnam submitted affidavits and photographs demonstrating that he had completed 100 percent of the shoring, 40 percent of the excavation, and 49 percent of the foundation work prior to the rezoning. Rajaratnam claimed that he had spent $134,279 on the project prior to the rezoning, which accounted for eleven percent of the project’s $1,198,193 budget. Rajaratnam said that in order to comply with the new zoning, he would need to reduce the number of residential units in the proposed buildings from fourteen to two, which would result in a 77 percent decrease in annual rental income. Queens Community Board 3 opposed the application. (read more…)

Wide support for designation of 97- year-old synagogue. On January 15, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on the potential designation of the Congregation Tifereth Israel synagogue located at 109-18 54th Avenue in the Corona section of Queens. Tifereth Israel is an example of the vernacular style, common amongst Lower East Side synagogues, and characterized by Gothic, Moorish, and Judaic design elements. Built in 1911 by Yiddish-speaking, Eastern European immigrants, Tifereth Israel today serves new arrivals from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union.

At the hearing, a representative for the Landmarks Conservancy argued that preservation is necessary to fend off rapid redevelopment, which has already led to the destruction of several historic buildings in the area. Benika Morokuma of the Municipal Art Society also testified in support of designation, bringing to Landmarks’ attention the building’s listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, State Senator John Sabini, and Queens Community Board 3 all provided written testimony in favor of designation. (read more…)