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    CityLand’s Top Ten Stories of 2016

    ethics-headerWelcome to CityLand‘s fifth annual top ten stories of the year! We have selected a range of our most popular and prominent stories, and guest commentaries concerning New York City land use in 2016. Our fifth year as an online publication was marked by the fight to pass the Mayor’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plan, proposed reforms to the building code to prevent illegal home conversions, and capped by the passage of state laws prohibiting Airbnb advertising in New York City. We at CityLand are excited to continue providing in-depth coverage of the latest land use projects, cases, and legislation in 2017 and look forward to seeing what the year will bring. Thank you for all of your support and have a happy new year!

     

    (read more…)

    Tags : affordable housing, Assembly Member Linda B. Rosenthal, Downtown Brooklyn, Gregory Dietrich, Howard Goldman, illegal home conversion, Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rivington House
    Date:01/02/2017
    Category : Top Ten Stories
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    City’s Failure to Preserve Deed Restrictions on the Rivington House Explored [City Council Passes Tougher Oversight]

    Government Operations and Oversight  •  Lower East Side, Manhattan
    The Rivington House. Image credit: edenpictures/Flickr

    The Rivington House. Image credit: edenpictures/Flickr

    UPDATE: On December 6, 2016, the New York City Council voted 42-0 to approve Introduction 1182-2016 which requires the Department for Citywide Administrative Services to conduct an extensive review of a request to remove a deed restriction on a property managed by DCAS, including a public hearing, to determine whether the request removal furthers the best interests of the City.

    The legislation is a response the controversial sale of the Rivington House to a luxury condo developer after DCAS removed deed restrictions that prevented such a development. “The City Council can assure that this will never happen again to any other community,” said the bill’s sponsor Manhattan Council Member Margaret Chin.

    The bill will now go to the Mayor for his signature. (read more…)

    Tags : Council Member Ben Kallos, Council Member David G. Greenfield, Council Member Margaret Chin, Council Member Rory Lancman, Council Member Vincent Gentile, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Department of Citywide Administrative Services, Department of Investigation, East Village/Lower East Side, First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris, Mayor's Office of Contract Services, New York City Law Department, Rivington House, Zachary Carter
    Date:12/07/2016
    Category : City Council
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    Comptroller Report Finds City Accountable for Failure to Stop the Sale of the Rivington House

    Report  •  Lower East Side, Manhattan
    NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller

    NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller

    In contrast to the DOI Report, the Comptroller’s Report places personal accountability on City Officials rather than the indoctrinated procedure for deed-modifications. On August 1, 2016, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer issued a Report on the removal of deed restrictions from Rivington House. The Report is the product of a five-month-long investigation conducted by the Comptroller’s Office into the City’s actions in facilitating the sale of the Rivington House—a non-profit nursing home located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side—to luxury condominium developers for a $72 million profit in February 2016.

    (read more…)

    Tags : City Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Hall, Department of Citywide Administrative Services, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Mayor's Office of Contract Services, Rivington House
    Date:08/08/2016
    Category : Comptroller's Office
    (3) Comment

    Law Department Hands Over Thousands of Unredacted Records in Investigation of Rivington House

    Investigation  •  Lower East Side, Manhattan
    Mark Peters, Commissioner of the Department of Investigation. Image credit: CityLand

    Mark Peters, Commissioner of the Department of Investigation. Image credit: CityLand

    The Department of Investigation threatened to initiate a lawsuit unless the Law Department opened access to previously withheld documents and computers. On July 26, 2016, the Department of Investigation issued a press release announcing the Law Department’s compliance in producing documents and computers relevant to DOI’s investigation into the sale of the Rivington House, a non-profit nursing home, to luxury condominium developers. The press release was issued less-than two weeks after DOI issued a report on how the City’s procedural failures in handling deed-modifications facilitated the sale of the Rivington House. For CityLand’s previous coverage on the DOI report, click here.

    (read more…)

    Tags : Department of Investigation, Lower East Side, Mark Peters, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Mayor's Office, New York City Law Department, Rivington House
    Date:07/28/2016
    Category : Department of Investigation
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    Manhattan Borough President Brewer and Council Member Chin Push for Legislative Deed Restriction Reforms

    Deed Restrictions/ULURP  •  Citywide
    Manhattan Borough President Brewer, Public Advocate James, and Council Members Chin and Kallos speaking on the initiative outside of City Hall. Image credit: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

    Manhattan Borough President Brewer, Public Advocate James, and Council Members Chin and Kallos speaking on the initiative outside of City Hall. Image credit: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

    Initiatives proposed in the wake of the Rivington House sale would prompt public review process and transparency. On July 19, 2016, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Margaret Chin wrote a letter to the City Planning Commission in favor of subjecting any changes made to deed restrictions throughout New York City to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. The letter is the latest development in a series of events sparked by the sale of the Rivington House, a nonprofit nursing home on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, to luxury condominium developers. For CityLand’s previous coverage on the City’s involvement in the Rivington House’s sale, click here.

    (read more…)

    Tags : City Council, City Planning Commission, Council Member Ben Kallos, Council Member Margaret Chin, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, Rivington House, ULURP
    Date:07/27/2016
    Category : Legislation
    (1) Comment

    DOI Report Exposes City’s Failure to Preserve Property Restrictions on the Rivington House

    Report  •  Lower East Side, Manhattan
    The Rivington House. Image credit: edenpictures/Flickr

    The Rivington House. Image credit: Flickr/edenpictures

    The Department of Investigation’s Report found that the City’s deed-modification procedure lacks safeguards required to ensure the removal of restrictions on formerly City-owned property is in the City’s best interest. On July 14, 2016, the Department of Investigation issued a Report finding that the actions and inactions of City officials, specifically within the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS), the Law Department, and Mayor’s Office, facilitated the sale of the Rivington House, a non-profit nursing home located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, to private condominium developers. The Report was issued less than one week after Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed several reformations to procedures used in modifying deeds of formerly City-owned property. For CityLand’s previous coverage on the proposed reformations, click here.

    (read more…)

    Tags : Department of Citywide Administrative Services, Department of Investigation, Law Department, Lower East Side, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Mayor's Office, Mayor's Office of Contract Services, Rivington House
    Date:07/26/2016
    Category : Department of Investigation
    (1) Comment
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