Council Member Melinda Katz is Chair of the Land Use Committee, a position she has held since 2002, when she was first elected to the City Council. The City’s land use review process requires that almost all major land use initiatives, with few exceptions, pass her desk for review. During her tenure as Chair, Katz “worked as a team” with the Bloomberg administration on the City-initiated rezonings, the largest rezoning initiative since 1961, covering roughly … <Read More>
Search Results for: Infrastructure
Skidmore Owings & Merrill’s Marilyn J. Taylor on Design in the City
Marilyn J. Taylor is from a small town in Iowa “with a population of 1,432.” Perhaps it is her Midwestern roots that allow her to remain upbeat and positive as two of her current planning projects—Columbia University’s campus expansion in West Harlem and Solow’s redevelopment of the Con Edison site in Murray Hill—plod their way through the City’s land use review process amidst political controversy.
Taylor is partner to Skidmore Owings & Merrill’s Urban Design … <Read More>
Elected officials testify against Solow project
Solow’s plan covers one of the largest development sites in Manhattan. On December 5, 2007, the Planning Commission heard testimony regarding Solow Properties’ plans to construct a mixed-use development ground in the southeastern portion. Solow left the parking component of its plans intact.
Chair Amanda Burden and Commissioner Irwin G. Cantor both focused on the height of the proposed towers, some of which are significantly taller than the nearby United Nations headquarters. Solow’s attorney, Gary … <Read More>
Council passes new design standards for parking lots
New standards in tune with Mayor’s PlaNYC 2030. The City Council unanimously approved City Planning’s proposal to establish rules regulating the design of open public parking lots, as well as those for commercial and community use facilities. The new standards will apply to new lots and certain existing lots if enlarged.
Prior to the Council’s vote, parking lots were not subject to any Citywide zoning requirements that ensured vehicle maneuverability or environmentally friendly design. According … <Read More>
City issues RFEI on congestion pricing
Information will assist State evaluation of proposal. The New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications issued a request for expressions of interest to solicit innovative ideas to design, implement, operate and maintain the City’s congestion pricing plan.
Under the proposed congestion pricing plan, the City will charge vehicles entering or leaving Manhattan below 86th Street during the business day, as a way to alleviate … <Read More>
Julie Menin, Manhattan’s CB 1 Chair, Talks About One of the City’s Fastest Growing Districts
Comprised of Battery Park City, the Financial District, South Street Seaport, and Tribeca, the neighborhoods of Manhattan Community Board 1 are in the midst of a period of tremendous growth and development. New apartment buildings are bringing thousands of new residents to the district. At the same time, large redevelopment projects, such as the World Trade Center, promise to return millions of square feet of office space along with expanded retail and cultural spaces. Under … <Read More>