Testimonies at the public hearing revealed concerns about the two bills and their impact on the City’s tenants and landlords. On April 28, 2020, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings, and Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing held a joint public hearing on two bills that will provide protection to residential and commercial tenants who are financially impacted by COVID-19. Introduction 1912, sponsored by Council Speaker Corey Johnson, will prohibit court … <Read More>
City Council
Community Gardens to Be Classified as “Open Space” on City Planning Database
The bill will help protect community gardens and allow them to remain in the City. On March 29, 2020, Introduction 1652-A was enacted into Local Law 46 of 2020. Local Law 46 requires the Department of City Planning to reclassify tax lots currently used as GreenThumb community gardens on the Primary Land Use Tax Lot Output (“PLUTO”) database. The PLUTO database has information on the City’s tax lots. Currently, tax lots with GreenThumb … <Read More>
Council Passes Legislation to Protect Not-For-Profits from Tax Lien Sales
Council backs not-for-profit sector with new legislation. On March 29, 2020, Local Law 42 of 2020 was adopted by the City without the Mayor signing it following unanimous City Council approval. Local Law 42 was originally introduced as Int. No 245-of 2018 by Council Member Antonio Reynoso and was later amended twice. The new law creates an exemption for City tax lien sales of properties owned by not-for-profit organizations. The law also creates a not-for-profit … <Read More>
New York City Council to Hold First Ever Virtual Stated Meeting
Follow CityLand on twitter if you cannot watch City Council’s first ever virtual Stated meeting. On April 15, 2020, the New York City Council announced that it will be holding a Stated meeting on Wednesday April 22, 2020 at 1:30 PM. The meeting will be held remotely, a first for the New York City Council. The Stated meeting will be the first since February 27, 2020. The subsequently scheduled meetings were all canceled due to … <Read More>
Council Subcommittee Approves Hotel Building Conversion in DUMBO
The building conversion will bring 508 supportive and affordable residential units to DUMBO. On March 13, 2020, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises approved an application to facilitate the conversion of a 29-story former hotel building at 90 Sands Street. The building would be converted into a mixed-use residential use and community facility building with a future possibility for commercial use. To facilitate the conversion, the applicant, Breaking Ground, is proposing to rezone … <Read More>
Council Subcommittee Approves Eight-Story Mixed-Use Building in Sunnyside
The new development would be located near the 7 line and many bus stops. On March 13, 2020, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises approved an application to rezone part of 52nd Street in Sunnyside, Queens. The rezoning will affect the east side of 52nd Street, bounded by Roosevelt Avenue to the north and Queens Boulevard to the south. The street would be rezoned from a low-density residential zoning district that allows three-story … <Read More>