Contributions from transfers of development rights by theaters in the district would be increased four fold—from $17.60 per square foot to 20 percent of the sales price. On September 7, 2016, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the City’s Zoning Resolution that would solidify the contribution rate to the Theater Subdistrict Fund related to the transfer of development rights from 46 listed theaters in Manhattan’s Theater Subdistrict. Currently, … <Read More>
Author: Jonathon Sizemore
U.S. Attorney Bharara Teaches the State a Civics Lesson
The stunning 79-page federal complaint and arrest of Joseph Percoco and seven others by United States Attorney Preet Bharara focused on bribery and extortion, but the complaint also revealed a callous disregard of State conflicts of interest and procurement rules. These allegations were as serious as the federal criminal charges.
CityLaw Profile: Arthur Leonard, Professor, Author, Editor, Chronicler, Composer, Bassist
Arthur Leonard for 40 years has been one of the most important and most-read chronicler of the LGBT rights movement. In 1979, as the founder and president of the City’s Gay Lawyers Association Leonard began reporting judicial decisions involving LGBT rights and slipping them in the monthly mailer—this was the start of LGBT Law Notes. Originally a two-sided photocopied sheet of paper, LGBT Law Notes is now a monthly newsletter with a circulation of thousands. … <Read More>
Plan for Six-Story-Plus-Penthouse Single-Family Home Approved
Majority of commissioners believe that vertically arranged limestone-faced building integrated well into the streetscape. At its meeting on November 1, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and approved a proposal to construct a new six-story plus penthouse building at 34 West 21st Street in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District. The building will be used as a one-family dwelling. Landmarks approved a proposal for a similarly sized building at the site in 2007, but the … <Read More>
Council Members Denounce HPD Efforts Against Predatory Equity
City Council Members seek to strengthen tenant protections from predatory equity landlords. On October 31, 2016, City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings held a five-hour public hearing on a complement of five bills, two of which related to predatory equity.
Since the mid-2000s and largely due to the housing bubble, predatory equity has become a metastasis on the New York City housing market. The predatory equity get-rich-scheme works as thus: private investment money is … <Read More>