Second phase of 1 5 million sq ft mixed-use project in Long Island City moves forward after City cut parking requirements by half. On July 28, 2011, the City Council approved the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ proposal to modify parking requirements related to the Gotham Center project at 28-10 Queens Plaza South in Long Island City, Queens. The site was formerly occupied by the 1,150-space Queens Plaza Municipal Garage, which was demolished in 2008. Tishman Speyer has built a 523,000 sq.ft. office tower, known as Two Gotham Center, on the north west portion of the site for the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The next phase of the site’s redevelopment will include a second office tower on the remaining portion of the site. The new 900,000 sq.ft. tower will include a parking garage linked to the DOHMH building’s existing 162-space garage.  (read more…)

Mark Weprin

Council Member Mark Weprin, the newly elected representative for the 23rd District and son of the late State Assembly Member Saul Weprin, admits that he is no expert in land use law. When Weprin first learned that he would inherit the position of chair of the Zoning & Franchises Subcommittee from fellow Queens Council Member Tony Avella, he pulled out the same land use hornbook he used in law school and started reviewing major land use decisions.

Born, bred, and still living in eastern Queens, Weprin grew up in a political family. His father, Saul Weprin, was a State Assembly Member for 23 years and rose to the position of Speaker. Though Mark Weprin himself had no ambition to run for public office, he was elected to replace his father in the Assembly following Saul Weprin’s sudden death in 1994. In the Assembly, he passed 62 laws involving mainly consumer affairs, education, and criminal justice issues. In January, Weprin replaced his brother, David Weprin, as representative for the 23rd District in the City Council, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Bellerose, Fresh Meadows, Floral Park, and Oakland Gardens.Weprin views the position as an opportunity to deliver for his constituents on a more local level. (read more…)

Planning proposed amendment to address community concerns about inappropriate curb cuts and front yard parking spaces in residential areas. On April 14, 2010, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s Residential Streetscape Preservation text amendment. The amendment contains a host of changes, including applying stricter parking regulations in low-density residential districts, and establishing curb cut regulations in medium- and high-density districts that previously had none. It strengthens front yard planting requirements in low-density districts by closing a loophole that allowed narrow planting strips in driveways to count towards the required plantings. To ensure adequate parking is available, the amendment requires that residential enlargements and conversions in R3 and R4 districts provide additional off-street parking for each additional dwelling unit.

The text amendment also addressed a recent court decision ruling that a section of the zoning resolution prohibiting curb cuts in residential “B” districts applied only to new developments and not to existing buildings. The curb cut prohibition will now expressly apply to both existing and new buildings in “B” districts, reinforcing the City Planning Commission’s original intent. (read more…)

Developer agreed to increase affordable housing and provide additional three- and four-bedroom affordable units. On April 14, 2010, the City Council modified Isack Rosenberg’s proposal to build a multi-tower mixed-use development along the Brooklyn waterfront at 470 Kent Avenue. Known as Rose Plaza on the River, the project’s 3.7-acre site is bordered by the Schaefer Landing housing development to the north and Division Avenue to the south. The project will feature three residential towers rising to heights of 18, 25, and 29 stories. Rosenberg’s original proposal called for 801 residential units, twenty percent of which would be set aside for affordable studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments; 33,000 sq.ft. of public waterfront; and 29,000 sq.ft. of retail.

The project drew criticism from Brooklyn Community Board 1, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and local Council Member Stephen Levin. They argued that Rosenberg needed to increase the plan’s affordable housing component and build more affordable three- and four-bedroom apartments in exchange for the economic benefits derived from the project. (read more…)

Rezoning proposed to prevent attached homes in area settled by freed slaves in 1827. On February 3, 2010, the City Council approved State Senator Andrew J. Lanza’s rezoning proposal for the Sandy Ground neighborhood of Staten Island. Sandy Ground, also known as Rossville, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as one of the country’s oldest communities established by freed slaves. The rezoning impacts 35 blocks generally bounded by the West Shore Expressway to the north and west, Ramona Avenue to the south, and Lenevar and Alverson Avenues to the east.

The area is characterized predominantly by detached and semidetached homes, but over the past several years Sandy Ground has experienced an increase in the development of attached townhouses and multi-family buildings. The rezoning aims to prevent out-of-scale development by down-zoning the area from R3-2 to R3-1, a district that does not permit attached homes. (read more…)

Developer requested rezoning in order to provide additional residential units. On February 3, 2010, the City Council approved Webster Commons LLC’s proposal to rezone a section of Webster Avenue in the Bronx from R6 to R7X to facilitate the development of a 393-unit affordable housing project. The rezoning impacts an unimproved portion of Webster Avenue 800 feet north of East Gun Hill Road and east of Woodlawn Cemetery. Webster Commons requested the up-zoning in order to add 125 additional residential units.

Webster Commons intends to construct a four-building residential complex, varying in height from nine to thirteen stories, on a two-acre parcel purchased from Woodlawn Cemetery. The project will include 10,000 sq.ft. of community facility space and 94 below-grade parking spaces. The developer will market 148 units as affordable to households making 60 percent of area median income, 191 units to households making between 80 and 130 percent of area median income, and 54 units as affordable senior housing. A small ravine that crosses the property, providing groundwater drainage for the cemetery, will be maintained as a natural area for the project’s residents. (read more…)