City loses indemnification claim

Motorcyclist was injured by an unmarked speed bump; City claimed indemnification from street contractor. Antonio Pedoto was injured when his motorcycle hit an unmarked speedbump on Ampere Avenue, between Middletown Road and Bayshore Avenue in the Bronx. Pedoto sued the City of New York. The City in turn sought indemnification from Denville Line Painting.


City Planning Commission Approves Two Amendments Promoting Health and Fitness

Commissioners raised concerns about the removal of special permits as a way to vet out illegitimate massage parlors. On October 20, 2021, the City Planning Commission voted to approve two applications proposed by the City to support small businesses and promote healthy food options and fitness. The two applications, the FRESH Program Expansion and the Health and Fitness Text Amendment, were part of a series of zoning proposals proposed earlier this year. 


Sidewalk cafe permit denied

Owner of West 23rd Street restaurant sought to extend seating outside. In May 2018, Maxver LLC applied to the City Department of Consumer Affairs for consent to open an unenclosed sidewalk café outside of Calle Dao Chelsea, the Cuban-Chinese fusion restaurant that Maxver operates on Manhattan’s West 23rd Street. The application called for four tables, each seating two people. Consumer Affairs forwarded the application to Community Board No. 4, which, after a public hearing, unanimously … <Read More>


Court affirms Pfizer rezoning

Old Pfizer Facility Rezoned for mixed uses. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer operated out of a modest red-brick building located at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Bartlett Street in the Broadway Triangle neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn until Pfizer relocated in 2007. In 2012, Harrison Realty, LLC. purchased Pfizer’s Brooklyn real estate for $12,750,000. Since purchasing the Pfizer Site, the building has been demolished and the site officially designated a ‘brownfield.’ Harrison rented the site out … <Read More>


DEP’s default of contractor upheld

DEP defaulted the contractor upgrading the Bowery Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant following long delay and performance failures. On March 4, 2013, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection awarded Framan Mechanical, Inc. a $6,555,000 contract to upgrade of the Bowery Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant. The contract involved the replacement of all eight main sewage pumps, including suction piping, seven suction valves, high and low-level seal water skids, and ancillary seal water equipment.


Parks Dept Issues Request for Proposals to Develop Restaurant, Snack Bar, and Boat Rental Concessions at Clove Lakes Park

The restaurant, located in the Boathouse, offers panoramic views of Clove Lake. On August 27, 2021, the Department of Parks and Recreation issued a Request for Proposals for the renovation, operation and maintenance of a restaurant and concessions at the Boathouse in Clove Lakes Park in West Brighton, Staten Island.