Council holds hearing on industrial employment zone

 

Map showing current Industrial Business Zones. Image courtesy of Office of Industrial and Manufacturing Businesses.

Proposal would add protections for manufacturing by requiring nonindustrial uses to obtain special permits. On September 18, 2006, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises held a public hearing on a proposal to create Industrial Employment Districts. Current zoning laws permit nonindustrial buildings, such as commercial or retail uses, in manufacturing zones, which can destabilize an area and … <Read More>


Permit denied to developer who cheated on demolition

Developer caught on video demolishing building with mechanical excavator and without a permit. In July 2005, Isaac Katan, of Global Development, received demolition permits to dismantle the building at 182 15th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn to make way for a new 62-unit, 11-story residential building. Buildings issued a stop-work order and then rescinded, stopping Katan’s work for almost a month from October 4th to November 11th. On November 16th, the City Council rezoned Park … <Read More>


Court denies owner’s motion to increase appraisal

First appraisal allegedly based on flawed calculation under City’s Zoning Resolution. Malba Cove Properties, Inc. had owned a 655,188- square-foot undeveloped parcel in College Point, Queens that the City acquired by eminent domain in 1996 as part of the City’s plan to develop a waterfront park.

With the trial on the property value set to start in mid-July 2006, Malba asked the court in late May for permission to file a revised appraisal that would … <Read More>


BSA grants permit to controversial Queens spa

Spa obtained special permit despite Council member objection over use. On July 18, 2006, BSA granted a special permit to Spa World, allowing a 49,634-square-foot, three-story spa at 11-11 131st Street in College Point, Queens. The project site’s 30,124-square-foot lot was formerly vacant and is located in a manufacturing district that contains several residential and commercial uses. The three-story facility will provide sauna, skin, and massage treatments on the first floor; hot tubs, hot pools, … <Read More>


Two Brooklyn developments grandfathered

BSA extends time to complete construction based on common law, not the zoning code. Brooklyn’s South Park Slope neighborhood was rezoned in November 2005 to prevent out-of-scale development, forcing some developers to stop work on projects that no longer conformed to the new zoning. 2 CityLand 161 (Dec. 2005). Two developers in South Park Slope, with projects at 639 Sixth Avenue and 400 15th Street, requested permission to extend their construction time, filing two applications … <Read More>


Freight transfer facility allowed to work on Sundays

Post-9/11 changes required amendment to 1996 BSA resolution. Compass Forwarding operates a freight transfer facility near JFK Airport at 159-15 Rockaway Blvd. in Springfield, Queens. In 1996, Compass obtained a variance to permit enlargement of its transfer station on condition that operations would be suspended Sundays. In July 2005, Compass applied to BSA to amend the terms of the variance to allow Sunday operation so that it could comply with post-9/11 regulations for air freight … <Read More>