Artists Get Additional Joint Living/Work Quarters

Owner argued that former hydroponic bean sprout farm created hardship. The owner of 425 Broome Street sought to add partial sixth and seventh stories to an existing five-story building, provide 10 accessory parking spaces and use the first floor as a spa. The building, zoned for use as joint living/work quarters for artists, will add 6,730 square feet in floor area, increasing the number of artist units to twelve.

The owner argued that a hardship … <Read More>


Five-story building approved for triangular lot

Underground storage tanks contribute to hardship. The owner of 1 Seventh Avenue South proposed to replace an existing auto service center with a five-story, mixed-use development.

The owner argued that the triangular shape of the small lot, the presence of four, 550-gallon under ground storage tanks, one waste-oil underground storage tank, gasoline contamination of the soil, the site’s proximity to the subway, and a nearby truck route to the Holland Tunnel created a hardship. The … <Read More>


Superior Ink factory site to get fifteen-story development

Poor soil conditions and site contamination create hardship. The owner of 469 West Street sought to construct a 64-unit, fifteen-story mixed-use development with ground floor retail and an underground 60-space accessory parking garage on the current site of the Superior Ink factory. The proposed development would consist of a three-story base topped with a twelve-story residential tower and a series of five, three-story townhouses fronting Bethune Street. In support of a variance, the owner argued … <Read More>


82-foot telecom tower approved in residential district

Telecommunications tower will be disguised as a flagpole. Omnipoint Communications sought approval for an 82-foot telecommunications tower in connection with a proposed wireless communications facility to be built on a 2,597- square-foot site in the United Hebrew Cemetery on Arthur Kill Road between Clarke and Newvale Avenues. The facility will eliminate a gap in wireless services in the South Richmond area of Staten Island. The tower’s design calls for internal antennas so that it can … <Read More>


South Brooklyn rezonings approved by City Planning

Amendment designed to protect existing character while allowing for appropriate development. The Planning Commission approved the rezoning of Sheepshead Bay and Homecrest, Brooklyn in an effort to preserve the existing character of both neighborhoods and curb out-of- character development.

affected included portions of eight blocks bounded by East 27th Street, Emmons Avenue, Shore Parkway, and Ford Street. Currently, the area consists of mostly one-and twofamily detached and semi-detached homes as well as a few rowhouses. … <Read More>


Three Bronx rezonings approved

Rezonings extend protection of contextual zoning and low-density regulations. The Planning Commission approved amendments to the zoning maps in three Bronx neighborhoods to ensure that residential buildings are not out-of-character with low-density development in the neighborhoods.

In Baychester, five of the five and a half blocks located immediately south of Co-op City are currently zoned R3-2 and permit detached, semi-detached and attached homes with a maximum building height of 35 feet. The remaining half block, … <Read More>