Restrictions in deed and Council’s approval do not restrict future owners. The City foreclosed on a deteriorated five-story row house at 330 West 86th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive. The City, through HPD, sought to designate the lot as a UDAAP, an Urban Development Action Area Project, to allow for a quick sale without an auction or bidding … <Read More>
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>
Developer’s plan to build dorm requires connection to a local school. In 1999, the City auctioned off the lot at 605 East 9th Street, containing the former P.S. 64 building, to Gregg Singer by a deed restricting it to a community facilities use under the zoning code. Singer applied for permits to construct a 19-story “college or student school dormitory” with floor plans showing units with bathrooms and kitchens. Buildings objected, asking Singer to prove … <Read More>
Court finds record insufficient to allow commercial use on a Staten Island residential street. After purchasing a single-family house at the intersection of Otis Avenue and Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island, GAC Catering Inc. demolished the house and applied to BSA for a variance to construct a two-story photography and video studio to serve couples having weddings at its nearby catering hall. Despite the lot’s residential zoning, GAC claimed that commercial uses predominated the area … <Read More>
1904 building one of last remaining horse auction mart buildings in city. At its August 8th meeting, Landmarks calendared the Van Tassel & Kearney Horse Auction Mart for possible designation as an individual landmark. The Horse Mart, at 126 East 13th Street in the East Village, was designed by the New York architecture firm of Jardine, Kent & Jardine in the Beaux-Arts style. The Horse Mart features an arched brick facade with bulls-eye windows and … <Read More>
Construction will require demolition of two Tribeca buildings. In August, Landmarks issued a permit for construction of a new building within the North Tribeca Historic District. The eight-story red brick and limestone residential building will be constructed at 50-52 Laight Street and will require the demolition of two buildings: a 1919-built, one-story … <Read More>