Board of Standards & Appeals

Queens Hospital expansion approved by BSA

New York Hospital Queens will add 80 beds, a new entrance and expanded cardiology and surgery facilities. New York Hospital applied for rear-yard, setback and bulkhead variances as part of a large-scale modernization and expansion of its 6.4-acre facility at 56-45 Main Street in Flushing, Queens. The 439-bed, acute care teaching hospital, occupies two blocks along Booth Memorial Avenue, employs 3,000 people and receives approximately 400 patients and 250 visitors per day.

five-story, 97,219-square-foot addition … <Read More>

Apartments OK’ed in Chelsea manufacturing district

Developer reduced overall size, but increased street wall height. A Chelsea developer applied to BSA to construct an 11-story, 187-foot tall residential building with ground floor retail space on a manufacturing- zoned lot at Seventh Avenue and West 27th Street, arguing that the small, 1,683-square-foot lot size justified the use variance. The existing two-story building, containing Rosa’s Pizza and Manhattan’s Heros, would be demolished.

BSA objected to the height and size, stressing that the proposal … <Read More>

High sewer costs justified variance for senior residence

Senior housing to be constructed on Clove Road in Staten Island. Developers sought a variance from BSA for a three-story, 40-foot high, 34,542-square-foot senior housing facility at 908 Clove Road in Staten Island. The proposed senior residence exceeded total floor area, street wall height, total height, curb cut, and driveway width.

At BSA, the developers, R. Randy Lee and Frank Naso, argued that the site’s 603-foot distance from the nearest sewer connection significantly increased construction … <Read More>

Residential variance approved for waterfront site

Residential development on College Point manufacturing site approved. Jung Kyu Lee owned a 496,604- square-foot lot split between commercial and manufacturing zoning districts along the East River in College Point, Queens. He constructed 58 two-family homes as-of-right on the commercially-zoned portion, leaving the 144,325-square-foot manufacturing portion vacant and inaccessible from the closest street. Lee then applied to BSA to construct 28 new two-family homes on the manufacturing portion.

Lee argued that manufacturing uses would be … <Read More>

Columbia University’s science building approved

Fourteen-story science facility to be constructed at Broadway and West 120th. Columbia University sought a variance from BSA for a 14-story, 229-foot high, 163,052-square-foot science facility at 3030 Broadway and West 120th Street. The proposed science facility exceeded lot coverage, height and setback requirements.

At BSA, Columbia argued that its educational needs required a building with larger floor plates. In support, it submitted a consultant’s report that concluded that the university needed 28 new science … <Read More>

Vested rights denied despite DOB permit error

Developer failed to inform DOB of error and continued work without a permit. After the City voted to downzone Jamaica Hills, Queens, Hamida Realty applied to BSA, arguing that it had obtained a vested right to continue its development on two adjoining lots located at 87-30 and 87-32 167th Street, north of Hillside Avenue.

When purchased by Hamida in 2001, the two 30-foot lots were joined and contained a single home that Hamida demolished. Hamida … <Read More>