logo CityLand
      • Home
      • About CityLand
      • CityLand Sponsors
      • Filings & Decisions
      • Commentary
      • Archive
      • Resources
      • CityLaw
      • Current Issue

    Court Dismisses Action Against Willets Point Developers

    City Council, City Planning Commission  •  Willets Point, Queens
    Long View Rendering of 126th Street and Citi Field. Image Credit: NYC EDC.

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

    Public trust doctrine did not apply to Willets Point West development project.  On August 15, 2014, the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan denied petitions for declarative and injunctive relief against the Willets Point Development Project in Queens.  The petitions were brought by a coalition led by New York State Senator Tony Avella, The City Club of New York, and New York City Park Advocates.  The petitioners argued that constructing a shopping mall and hotel was an improper use of the Willets Point West parkland, and that it should remain open for public events including circus performances and concerts.

    (read more…)

    Tags : City Club of New York, City Planning Commission, New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York City Park Advocates, Queens Community Board 7, Related Companies, State Senator Tony Avella, Sterling Equities, Willets Point Development Project
    Date:09/02/2014
    Category : Court Decisions
    Leave a Comment

    Willets Point Special Permits Come Under Attack at City Council Hearing

    Rezoning/Special Permit  •  Willets Point, Queens
    interior

    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…)

    Tags : Cornerstone Group, Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Council Member Leroy Comrie, NYC Economic Development Corporation, Related Companies, Special Willets Point District, Sterling Equities, Sunshine Cooperative, Willets Point, Willets Point Redevelopment Plan
    Date:09/20/2013
    Category : City Council
    (1) Comment

    Willets Point Proposal Heard at City Planning Commission

    Text Amendment/Special Permits  •  Willets Point, Queens
    Aerial rendering of the Willets Point proposal. Image Credit: EDC.

    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.

    (read more…)

    Tags : Queens Community Board 3, Queens Community Board 7, Related Companies, Special Willets Point District, Sterling Equities, Willets Point, Willets Point Redevelopment Plan
    Date:07/22/2013
    Category : City Planning Commission
    (1) Comment

    Kingsbridge Armory rezoning defeated

    Rezoning/Map Amendments  •  Kingsbridge, Bronx
    The Kingsbridge Armory at 29 West Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx. Photo: CityLand.

    Members of the City Council’s Bronx delegation, at a public hearing, said they opposed the project because the developer would not agree to a living wage provision for armory workers. On December 14, 2009, the City Council denied Related Companies’ redevelopment plan for the long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory in the northwest Bronx. Under the proposal, Related would have built a four-story structure within the armory providing 500,000 sq.ft. of commercial space, 27,000 sq.ft. of community facility space, 30,000 sq.ft. of open space, and a sub-level parking garage. To facilitate the $300 million project, the proposal included applications to dispose of the City-owned armory and to rezone the area from an R6 district to a C4-4 commercial use district.

    At the City Planning Commission’s hearing, members of the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), a coalition of nineteen Bronx community groups, and a representative of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. expressed concerns about the project’s impact on the community. They requested that Related sign a community benefits agreement guaranteeing a living wage provision that would provide employees with a salary of at least $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 an hour without benefits. The owners of a nearby supermarket chain claimed that a potential new supermarket within the armory would hurt the local markets in the area. (read more…)

    Tags : City Planning Commission, Council’s Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee, kingbridge armory redevelopment, Kingsbridge Armory, Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), Related Companies, Robert Lieber
    Date:12/15/2010
    Category : City Council
    Leave a Comment

    Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory plan heads to Council

    Rezoning/Map Amendments  •  Kingsbridge, Bronx
    Proposed redevelopment of the Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory. Image: Courtesy of Related Companies.

    City Planning Commission approved Related Companies’ Kingsbridge Armory plan,with four Commissioners voting against proposal. On October 19, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved Related Companies’ proposal to redevelop the landmarked Kingsbridge Armory in northwest Bronx. The plan is a result of the combined efforts of the EDC and the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force, which was established by the City in 2006 to facilitate the development of the vacant building.

    Related’s proposal includes building a four-story structure within the armory’s 180,000 sq.ft. drill hall, leaving its landmarked exterior unaltered. Combined with the armory’s three basement levels, this would create seven levels of usable space. The project would provide 500,000 sq.ft. of commercial and retail space, including a movie theater and fitness facility. It would also provide 27,000 sq.ft. of community facility space, 30,000 sq.ft. of public open space, and approximately 400 sub-level accessory parking spaces. (read more…)

    Tags : City Planning Commission, Department of Citywide Administrative Services, EDC, kingbridge armory redevelopment, Kingsbridge Armory, Kingsbridge Armory Task Force, Related Companies
    Date:11/15/2009
    Category : City Planning Commission
    Leave a Comment

    Extension of historic district approved despite challenges

    Historic District Extension  •  Chelsea, Manhattan

    West Chelsea Historic District. Image: Courtesy of NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

    Property owners unsuccessfully petitioned for exclusion. On October 23, 2008, after contentious hearings at the Landmarks, Public Siting, & Maritime Uses Subcommittee, the full Council voted to approve the designation of seven more blocks for the West Chelsea Historic District.

    When the matter was before the Landmarks Preservation Commission, several property owners in the area expressed opposition to the proposal, or asked that their property be carved out of the district. 5 CityLand 78 (June 15, 2008). At the Subcommittee hearing on October 2nd, a representative of the New York Terminal Warehouse Central Stores testified that the owners had planned to sell the property to Related Companies, developer of the nearby Hudson Yards project, for apartment conversion, and now stood to lose over $100 million. He called the designation “a political effort to stop development.” James Pastreich, owner of properties at 547 West 27th and 554 West 28th Streets, pleaded with Subcommittee Members to exclude the 28th Street site, which currently houses a bar. Pastreich wanted to use his air rights to build a six-story building at the site. (read more…)

    Tags : 547 West 27th and 554 West 28th Streets, Hudson Yards project, James Pastreich, Landmarks Preservation Commission, New York Terminal Warehouse Central Stores, Public Siting & Maritime Uses Subcommittee, Related Companies, West Chelsea Historic District
    Date:11/15/2008
    Category : City Council
    Leave a Comment
    1. Pages:
    2. 1
    3. 2
    4. »

    Subscribe To Free Alerts


    Follow Us on Social Media

    twitterfacebook

    Search

    Search by Category

      City Council
      CityLaw
      City Planning Commission
      Board of Standards & Appeals
      Landmarks Preservation Commission
      Economic Development Corporation
      Housing Preservation & Development
      Administrative Decisions
      Court Decisions
      Filings and Decisions
      CityLand Profiles

    Search by Date

    © 1997-2010 New York Law School | 185 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013 | 212.431.2100 | Privacy | Terms | Code of Conduct | DMCA | Policies
     

    Loading Comments...