Variance for midtown building amended

342 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Photo: Kevin E. Schultz

BSA grants office, retail, and church building variances from Grand Central Subdistrict requirements. 340 Madison Owner LLC, the owner of 342 Madison Avenue, a 48,265-squre-foot lot between East 43rd and 44th Streets in Manhattan, proposed to enlarge an existing 21- story, 503,487-square-foot office, retail and church building. 340 Madison, which received variances on March 23, 2004 to transfer floor area across a zoning district and … <Read More>

BSA denied variance to allow 20-unit residential building

Owner failed to meet burden of proving actual hardship. The owner of a vacant 16,512-square-foot lot, located at 75-48 Parsons Boulevard in Queens, sought a variance to construct a 20-unit, three-story residential building in an R4 district.

In support of the application, the owner argued that a hardship existed due to the irregular shape of the lot, its adjacency to a school and over-bulky buildings, and its proximity to a busy intersection. It also argued … <Read More>

HPD’s conversion of vacant school approved

Former school at 217 W. 147th Street in Harlem. Photo: Kevin E. Schultz

HPD argued that variance would avoid demolition of 1905 school building. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development, owner of 217 West 147th Street, a 29,975-square-foot lot in Harlem, proposed to convert a vacant school into a 56-unit residential building with a community facility space in the cellar. The school, constructed in 1905 and declared obsolete by the Board of Education in … <Read More>

BSA grandfathers partially completed developments

Controversial West Village developments go forward. After the City rezoned the Far West Village in October 2005, several developers were forced to stop construction on projects inconsistent with the new zoning. Developers of two projects, a 12,325-square-foot project at 163 Charles Street and a two-story addition to a six-story garage at 164 Perry Street, sought BSA approval to grandfather their development plans and continue work. Each developer filed two appeals with BSA, arguing to continue … <Read More>

Bay Ridge 5th Avenue BID approved

BID will encompass 340 properties to address sanitation and security needs. The Planning Commission unanimously approved an application by the Bay Ridge 5th Avenue District Management Association and the Department of Small Business Services to create a Bay Ridge 5th Avenue Business Improvement District in Brooklyn. The proposed BID will allow an annual assessment on businesses and residents to provide improved sanitation and security for 340 properties containing 320 businesses. The BID area extends along … <Read More>

Parking garage approved; Stringer raises issues

Special permit for 174-space garage approved over new Borough President’s objections. Continental Residential Holdings, LLC applied to the Planning Department for a special permit to allow for a 174- space attended public parking garage within its new, as-of-right 41-story residential building at 325 Fifth Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets in Manhattan. Although the building is located in a predominantly commercial area one block south of the Empire State Building, in recent years the area … <Read More>