Cell-phone antennas approved for church spire

Telecommunications equipment will not be visible from street. Landmarks issued the final permit to allow the construction of six telecommunication antennas within the steeple of the Woodrow United Methodist Church, an individual landmark in Staten Island. The work required removal of wood framing, clapboards, and vinyl siding from the spire and construction of an equipment cabinet in the rear of the site with conduits running from the rear cabinet to the church spire antennas. Landmarks … <Read More>


SI homeowners lose claim over mapped street

Mapped street covers 48 percent of Amboy Road home. The 1918 City map allowed the potential to widen Staten Island’s Amboy Road by 80 feet. The mapped but unopened street line extended into the property located at 3290 Amboy Road at the corner of Buffalo Street, and covered almost 50 percent of the one-story house built years later on the lot. In 1984, James and Linda Royal purchased the affected property, taking out a $40,000 … <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>


Stapleton Homeport redevelopment plan approved

The future of the Stapleton Homeport. Image used with permission of the NYC EDC and the NYC IDA. All rights reserved.

Site includes former United States Navy base. On October 25, 2006, the City Council approved the comprehensive redevelopment plan for Staten Island’s Homeport, the 35-acre former United States Navy base located in Stapleton and owned by the City since 1995.

City Planning and the New York City Economic Development Corporation proposed five linked applications, … <Read More>


Landmarks approves two individual landmarks

The Morse Building, lower Manhattan; the Staten Island Savings Bank, S.I. Landmarks unanimously designated the two new individual landmarks on September 19, 2006. The crimson red and black brick terra cotta Morse Building, located at Nassau and Beekman Streets in lower Manhattan, was the city’s tallest building when constructed in 1880. Built by two nephews of Samuel Morse, the inventor of the electric telegraph, the building originally contained office space but was converted in 1980 … <Read More>


Injunction against DOB reversed

Staten Island civil court judge issued injunction against Buildings over C of O’s. In 2005, Judge Philip S. Straniere addressed a recurring issue in Staten Island where developers were failing to obtain final certificates of occupancy for new homeowners who, upon expiration of the temporary certificates, were unable to legalize their occupancy. Some of these homeowners, who had been cited by Buildings and ECB, sued the developers to compel them to obtain final certificates and … <Read More>