Council Votes to Alter Landmarks Law by Establishing Timelines for Designation

Peter Koo and David Greenfield-sponsored bill was supported by Real Estate industry and vehemently opposed by preservationists. On June 8, 2016, the full City Council voted to approve a bill amending the City’s Landmark Law following a Land Use Committee meeting on June 7.

The legislation, Introduction 775, mandates that Landmarks vote on an item for designation as an individual, interior, or scenic landmark within one year of holding a public hearing. If … <Read More>


Land Use Committee Hears Testimony on Proposed Capital Commitment Tracking System

The proposed system would keep track of the financial and infrastructure-related promises made by the Mayor’s office to neighborhoods being rezoned.  On June 7, 2016, the City Council Committee on Land Use held a public hearing on a legislative proposal to implement a tracking system, which would monitor the status of promises made to the public by the Administration  during the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process. The proposed bill, Intro 1132, is sponsored by … <Read More>


Council Housing Committee Holds Hearing on Fiscal Year 2017 Executive Budgets

The respective budgets provide for increased operating funds to implement new departmental initiatives. On May 11, 2016, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings and the Committee on Finance jointly held back-to-back public hearings on the Department of Buildings’ and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Fiscal Year 2017 Executive Budgets, respectively, which seek to provide each Department with an increased budget to implement the new initiatives introduced within the respective Executive Budgets.


City Council Subcommittee Hears Testimony on the Rezoning of Water Street’s Privately Owned Public Space

Council Members voiced concerns over the proposal’s provisions stripping the City Council of its review over future applications brought pursuant to the proposal. On May 4, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on an application submitted by the Alliance for Downtown New York, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the Department of City Planning to amend the zoning text controlling the Water Street corridor in lower Manhattan. For … <Read More>


City Council Subcommittee Hears Testimony on Eviction Services for Disabled and Elderly Populations

If enacted, the bills would mandate the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to provide legal assistance information to susceptible tenants. On May 4, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Housing and Buildings held a public hearing on two bills introduced to ensure seniors and disabled persons facing eviction have access to information about the legal services available to help them. The bills would mandate the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to provide such … <Read More>


City Council Resolution Supports Landmarking the Coney Island Boardwalk

The City Council resolution has garnered unanimous support by the Council’s Members and other elected officials. On May 4, 2016, the City Council Land Use Committee will hear testimony on a resolution to urge the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the Riegelmann Boardwalk—most commonly known as the Coney Island Boardwalk—as a New York City Landmark. The resolution, sponsored by Brooklyn Council Member Mark Treyger, is a way to protect the Boardwalk from physical alterations, which … <Read More>