The Castle on the Concourse is doomed. Had any other owner of a designated landmark abandoned his property to the elements like this, the Landmarks Preservation Commission would have sued him for “demolition by neglect.” But here the commission is helpless. The owner is the City of New York, and while the city fully expects owners of designated properties – private homeowners, businesses, landlords, or institutions – to adhere to standards set by the LPC, … <Read More>
Search Results for: Designation
Simeon Bankoff: Taking the Context out of Contextual Zoning
In March 2015, the City Planning Commission announced a proposal called Zoning for Affordability and Quality, which broadly calls for three principal changes in the current citywide zoning resolution. The plan proposes to change and enlarge definitions of senior housing to include more types of housing providers than currently permitted. It also proposes to increase buildable space for senior housing in some instances. The proposal also seeks to lessen or some instances no longer mandate … <Read More>
Third Northern Crown Heights Historic District Designated
Largely developed between 1870 and 1930, primarily residential neighborhood served as home to Shirley Chisholm and Richard Wright. On March 24, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Crown Heights North III Historic District. Landmarks previously designated the Crown Heights North and Crown Height North II districts in 2007 and 2011, respectively. The new district, composed of approximately 640 buildings, is contiguous with those previously designated, and possesses a similar development history … <Read More>
Council Subcommittee Approves Flushing Mixed-Use Building
Proposal praised as valuable for Flushing’s commercial growth. On March 24, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to approve a zoning map amendment facilitation construction of an eleven-story mixed-use building at 137-61 Northern Boulevard in Flushing, Queens. The proposal was recently approved by the City Planning Commission, and would offer commercial retail, residential, hotel, community facility, and parking space.
CityLaw: Racial Disparity Persists in NYC’s Examination High Schools
(Editor’s Note: The Department of Education recently released statistics on the first round of 2015 admissions for New York City’s examination high schools. According to their report, offers to join the 2015-2016 incoming class at Stuyvesant High School counts just ten African-American and twenty Latino students. The following by Professor Aaron Saiger of Fordham University’s School of Law was published in the January/February issue of CityLaw.)
New York City is experiencing one of its … <Read More>
Wide Community Opposition Voiced in Hearing on Three-Dwelling Development
Applicants sought to subdivide lot with existing home to construct to new buildings, and also build another dwelling on adjoining site. On February 17, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application to develop three new free-standing homes in the Fieldston Historic District. The site is composed of two lots at 4680 Fieldston Road, with one lot, to be subdivided, currently occupied by a 1918 one-family home. According to the New York Times, … <Read More>