Airbnb Host Evicted from Apartment in Greenwich Village

Rent-stabilized tenant substantially profited from 93 individual Airbnb sublettings. In 2010, Linda Lipetz was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to work for over a year. From March 2011 to August 2012, in order to subsidize her rent, Lipetz sublet her rent-regulated apartment located at 39 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. Lipetz hosted 93 different people for 338 total days through Airbnb, charging a nightly rate of $95 for one person and $120 for two, … <Read More>


CityLaw Profile: Pei Pei Cheng-de Castro

Pei Pei Cheng-de Castro, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement at the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, has had a diverse career in which public service has remained a constant. Education has also been at the core of Cheng-de Castro’s career—she taught legal writing at New York Law School, founded a charter school, and now works for an agency that educates public officials on ethics laws as part of its mission.

Cheng-de … <Read More>


Proponents of Meat Market Plan Prevail

Landmarks Commission approved redevelopment of five buildings in the Gansevoort Market Historic District. On June 7, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the redevelopment of a block face of the Gansevoort Market Historic District between Greenwich and Washington Streets in Manhattan. The work, spanning five buildings, entailed the addition of three additional stories on a two-story building at 60-68 Gansevoort Street, a new 82-foot-high building  at the corner of Washington Street replacing a bus … <Read More>


Salvation Army Headquarters Designated an Individual Landmark

Prominent Art Deco headquarters of international Christian charity organization features designated after opposition retracted by Salvation Army leadership. On October 17, 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Salvation Army National and Territorial Headquarters, located at 120 West 14th Street, as an individual City landmark. The complex was completed in 1930 after the organization outgrew its original New York City location. The complex was designed by Ralph Walker of the firm Voorhees, Gmelin … <Read More>


Planning Commission Approves Retail Conversion on Upper East Side

City Planning approved a special permit for a retail establishment in the bottom floor of a 17-story building on the Upper East Side. On October 4, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application for a special permit from the 19 East 72nd Street Corporation—owner of 19 East 72nd Street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The application sought a special permit to modify the use regulations of Section 22-10 and the … <Read More>


Planning Commission Approves More Retail in Broadway Corridor

City Planning approved a special permit for a retail establishment in the lower floors of a five-story building in the SoHo neighborhood. On October 4, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application for a special permit from 449 Broadway LLC—owner of 449 Broadway in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The application sought a special permit to modify the use regulations of Section 42-14(D)(2)(b) of the Zoning Resolution to allow retail uses on … <Read More>