Construction of 171 Low-Income Senior Residential Units Approved for Mott Haven Site

West Side Federation will build new units adjacent to an existing, low-income residential building and add additional community and commercial space.  On August 13, 2015, the City Council approved West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure application to build a development around the pre-existing Borinquen Court building, which is a low-income residential building geared towards senior citizens and physically-disabled individuals.  The development would be located in Council District … <Read More>


Council Approves Conversion of Saint Vincent’s Triangle into City Parkland with AIDS Memorial

Privately-owned open space will be converted into a new City park that includes an aptly-placed Aids memorial across the street from the former-Saint Vincent’s Hospital.  On August 13, 2015, the City Council approved West Village Residences, LLC and the Department of Parks and Recreation’s application to transfer ownership of WVR-owned open space to the City and officially map the space as City parkland.  The open space is bounded by Seventh Avenue South, West … <Read More>


Could Sandy have Stopped the ULURP Clock?

On October 25, 2012, the City Council Land Use Committee voted in favor of both the West Harlem rezoning plan and the Chelsea Market expansion plan with modifications. (See CityLand’s past coverage here). The full City Council was originally expected to vote on these plans on October 30, 2012. However, Hurricane Sandy forced this vote to be delayed two full weeks.

Under the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), when City Council review is … <Read More>


City Planning’s Carol Samol on Redevelopment in the Bronx and Reforming the City’s Land Use Review Process

As director of the Department of City Planning’s Bronx Office, Carol Samol uses zoning tools to promote sustainable economic development in the Bronx. She has also participated as a leader in a broader City effort to reform the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure’s pre-certification process.

Journey to the Bronx. Samol grew up in the upper Ohio Valley near Wheeling, West Virginia and studied English at Berea College, a small liberal arts college in Kentucky. … <Read More>