Western Beef Supermarket in Harlem gets BSA Go-Ahead

BSA’s waiver of rear yard regulations needed to allow development of 79,498 square-foot supermarket on West 155th Street. Cactus of Harlem LLC applied to the Board of Standards & Appeals for a special permit to develop a 79,428-square-foot Western Beef supermarket at 280 West 155th Street in Harlem. The  project site is at the corner of West 155th Street and Frederick Douglas Boulevard, and comprises three lots currently used for parking. Cactus of Harlem’s proposal … <Read More>


NYU Campus Expansion Plan Reduced Again [UPDATE: Plan Approved by Full Council]

This article was originally published on 7/20/2012 (see below for update).

NYU agreed to limit heights of the Zipper Building and Boomerang Buildings, and to provide community center if no public school is built on site. On July 17, 2012, the City Council’s Land Use Committee modified New York University’s campus expansion proposal in Greenwich Village. Opposition to the project, which had already been reduced by the City Planning Commission, remained when it … <Read More>


Split Court Upholds Sunset Park Rezoning Plan [UPDATE: Court of Appeals Affirms]

This article was originally published on 10/15/2011 (see below for update).

Dissent argued that City only belatedly added consideration of rezoning’s impact on low-income residents. In April 2009, the Department of City Planning proposed a 128-block contextual rezoning of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Planning sought to preserve the residential neighborhood’s built character while allowing new construction at a height and scale consistent with existing development. The proposal called for establishing height limits, mapping new … <Read More>


Mundane Items Make Zone Green Text Amendment Important

The City Council has approved Zone Green. This comprehensive zoning text amendment will enable energy efficient cutting-edge design and construction of both new and existing buildings.

During public debate of the proposal, wind turbines, green houses, and solar panels received much attention. These elements are emblematic of the green building movement; however, it is the more mundane aspects that will have the most far reaching impact on reducing our carbon footprint.

New York City’s … <Read More>


David J. Burney Discusses the Department of Design and Construction

David J. Burney, Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, manages more than $6 billion of the City’s public works program. DDC maintains a relatively low profile, but its work on infrastructure and municipal facilities for the City’s frontline agencies currently includes roughly 170 design projects and 235 construction projects. DDC projects throughout the City range from the installation of sidewalk pedestrian ramps to the construction of new firehouses and libraries. Notable projects include … <Read More>


Split court upholds Sunset Park rezoning plan

Dissent argued that City only belatedly added consideration of rezoning’s impact on low-income residents. In April 2009, the Department of City Planning proposed a 128-block contextual rezoning of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Planning sought to preserve the residential neighborhood’s built character while allowing new construction at a height and scale consistent with existing development. The proposal called for establishing height limits, mapping new commercial overlays to allow a wider range of uses, and applying the … <Read More>