Rockaway rezoning approved without change

Beach 116th Street included in Rockaway rezoning. Photo: CityLand.

Avella’s plan to remove Beach 116th Street defeated. On August 14, 2008, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s rezoning proposal for the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. The rezoning plan impacts 280 blocks, extending six miles from the Nassau County line to Beach 130th Street, including the neighborhoods of Rockaway Park, Rockaway Beach, Somerville, Far Rockaway, and Edgemere.

Zoning in the Rockaways has remained … <Read More>


Morningside Park designated a City landmark

Morningside Park will be City’s tenth scenic landmark. On July 15, 2008, Landmarks voted to designate Morningside Park a scenic landmark, the first since 1983. Designed by Central Park architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the park consists primarily of a stone cliff between 110th and 123rd Streets, separating the neighborhoods of Morningside Heights and Harlem. Built between 1867 and 1895, the 30-acre park also features curvilinear walks, a buttressed stone retaining wall, a … <Read More>


New plan for East Harlem remains controversial

Six-acre site in East Harlem proposed for development. Image courtesy of the New York City Economic Development Corp.

Community and Stringer criticize EDC for initiating land use process before selecting developer. On July 23, 2008, the City Planning Commission heard testimony on a plan to redevelop a six-acre site in East Harlem roughly bounded by East 125th and East 127th Streets between Second and Third Avenues. The plan before the Commission resulted from a controversial … <Read More>


Appropriateness disputed despite praise of design

LPC rejects plans for 172 Duane. Photo: Jesse Denno.

Four-story addition opposite Duane Park sent back to drawing board. On June 10, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on the construction of a four-story addition and penthouse to 172 Duane Street, a two-story building within the Tribeca West Historic District. Built in 1871 as a store-and-loft building, the owners extensively renovated it in 1991 prior to the historic district’s designation. The widely-praised renovation, overseen by architect … <Read More>


St.Vincent’s presents revised proposal

Hospital claims hardship if prohibited from demolishing Seventh Avenue building. On June 3, 2008, Saint Vincent’s Hospital and Rudin Development returned to Landmarks with a revised plan for its controversial hospital expansion and residential development proposed for the Greenwich Village Historic District. Landmarks denied the initial plan, which included the demolition of nine buildings within the historic district and construction of two large towers – a 265-foot residential tower and a 329-foot hospital tower – … <Read More>


East Village theater landmarked


Webster Hall Photo: LPC.

 

 

Council questions owner’s grounds for opposition. On June 12, 2008, the City Council approved the landmark designation of Webster Hall, the East 11th Street theater now operating as a rock venue and music club. Landmarks designated the Renaissance Revival-style theater in March of this year. 5 CityLand 43 (April, 15, 2008).

The vote followed a hearing before the Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses. The current … <Read More>