HPD argued that variance would avoid demolition of 1905 school building. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development, owner of 217 West 147th Street, a 29,975-square-foot lot in Harlem, proposed to convert a vacant school into a 56-unit residential building with a community facility space in the cellar. The school, constructed in 1905 and declared obsolete by the Board of Education in … <Read More>
Controversial West Village developments go forward. After the City rezoned the Far West Village in October 2005, several developers were forced to stop construction on projects inconsistent with the new zoning. Developers of two projects, a 12,325-square-foot project at 163 Charles Street and a two-story addition to a six-story garage at 164 Perry Street, sought BSA approval to grandfather their development plans and continue work. Each developer filed two appeals with BSA, arguing to continue … <Read More>
Developer did not follow plans filed with Buildings. Between February and April 2002, Buildings issued C of Os for ten buildings within a multi-building residential development along 34th Avenue in Flushing, Queens. Buildings later found that the buildings were not built according to approved plans and sought to revoke the C of Os. Buildings argued that the approved plans incorrectly identified a floor as a mezzanine and that a fourth floor was inappropriately constructed as … <Read More>
Developer gets variance to build a 200-unit, mixed-use development on site occupied by historic theater. Boymelgreen Developers, owner of two lots located at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Main Street in Flushing, Queens, totaling 41,880 square feet, sought to construct a 200-unit, seventeen- story, mixed-use building with accessory parking. The building will be constructed on two currently improved lots. The first lot contains a two-story commercial building that will be demolished. The second lot … <Read More>
Owner argued that former hydroponic bean sprout farm created hardship. The owner of 425 Broome Street sought to add partial sixth and seventh stories to an existing five-story building, provide 10 accessory parking spaces and use the first floor as a spa. The building, zoned for use as joint living/work quarters for artists, will add 6,730 square feet in floor area, increasing the number of artist units to twelve.
The owner argued that a hardship … <Read More>
Underground storage tanks contribute to hardship. The owner of 1 Seventh Avenue South proposed to replace an existing auto service center with a five-story, mixed-use development.
The owner argued that the triangular shape of the small lot, the presence of four, 550-gallon under ground storage tanks, one waste-oil underground storage tank, gasoline contamination of the soil, the site’s proximity to the subway, and a nearby truck route to the Holland Tunnel created a hardship. The … <Read More>