Donovan Richards was elected to the City Council from the 31st District in February 2013. When you speak with City Council member Donovan Richards, two things become readily apparent: an encyclopedic knowledge of the needs of his Southeast Queens Council district and the drive to pursue solutions for each of those needs simultaneously.
Search Results for: Donovan Richards
Council Member Donovan Richards Takes Over as Zoning Subcommittee Chair
The Council member previously chaired the Committee on Environmental Protection. On July 20, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises was held for the first time with new committee chair Council member Donovan Richards. Council member Richards was elected to the Council in 2013 from the 31st Council District, representing southeast Queens and the Rockaways. He was voted in as chair on June 26 to replace Council member Mark Weprin after Weprin … <Read More>
Council Land Use Subcommittee Hears Testimony on Proposal for New Willamsburg Mixed-Use Manufacturing Building
The new building would bring manufacturing-based jobs to an industrial district, which has shifted focus to nightlife-oriented buildings and activities in the past few decades. On June 14, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on an application for a zoning text amendment to allow for industrial space to be built in an area zoned for community space and for a special permit to amend off-street parking requirements to … <Read More>
City Council Subcommittee and Land Use Committee Vote to Approve the Rezoning of Water Street’s Privately Owned Public Space With Modifications
The modified version requires a full public review process in order to infill the largest arcades covered by the proposed zoning text amendment. On June 15, 2016, the City Council Committee on Land Use voted unanimously to approve a modified version of an application submitted by the Alliance for Downtown New York, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the Department of City Planning to rezone the privately owned public space—colloquially known as “POPS”—on and surrounding … <Read More>
Full City Council to Vote Today on Mayor’s Affordable Housing Proposals [UPDATE: MIH & ZQA Pass Full Council]
Full vote follows Committee approval following extensive modifications after receiving community input and testimony for months. On March 17, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and the Committee on Land Use each voted on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability proposals. The full Council is expected to approve the proposals at today’s City Council Stated Meeting. To see CityLand‘s comprehensive chart outlining the … <Read More>
City Council Hears Testimony on Mayor de Blasio’s East New York Rezoning Proposal
Council Members expressed concern-ridden comments on the proposal’s plans for neighborhood job programs and the proposed housing’s lack of deep affordability levels. On March 7, 2016, the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on the East New York Community Plan. If approved, the Plan would make East New York, and portions of Cypress Hills and Ocean Hill, located in Brooklyn, the first area to be rezoned under Mayor … <Read More>