Search Results for: Appeal

Plumber fined for 159 gas errors

Master Plumber submitted a large number of erroneous gas turn-on requests. The Department of Buildings surveyed all plumbing requests for sign-off and gas authorizations made by New York City licensed master plumbers between April 1, 2016 and October 31, 2016. The inspections by master licensed plumbers should ensure that all the necessary work and inspections have been accomplished prior to submitting a request for turning on the gas. Buildings identified ten licensed master plumbers who … <Read More>

Victoria’s Secret fined $7,200 for signs

Outdoor signs at Herald Square store exceeded the maximum allowable height. Victoria’s Secret, located in Herald Square at 1328 Broadway in Manhattan, maintained three outdoor signs that reached 37 feet above curb level. On November 23, 2015, the Department of Buildings charged Victoria’s Secret with violating the maximum allowable height of 25 feet as set out in Section 32-655 of the New York City Zoning Resolution. The officer charged Victoria’s Secret with three Class 2 … <Read More>

New Local Law creates uncertainty for “as-of-right” development

Central to the concept of zoning is that a developer may rely on the text and build to the limits written into the zoning resolution.  The council has now tinkered with that expectation.  Under a new local law, the council can potentially overcome the “as-of-right” option by adopting a text change on an expedited basis.

The local law was a response to the controversial Two Bridges project, a proposal consisting of three residential towers … <Read More>

Court Rules Permit to Disconnect Historic Clock was Irrationally Issued

Landmarks permit that would have seen designated interior converted to inaccessible private residence, and historic clock mechanism disconnected, is ruled to have been issued irrationally and influenced by erroneous legal counsel. The Landmark Preservation Commission designed spaces in the former New York Life Insurance Building, located at 346 Broadway, constructed in 1894 to 1898, as an interior City landmark in 1987. The designation included the 13th floor clock tower, which held the four glass clock … <Read More>

Council Approves Retail Development on Staten Island Wetlands

A wholesale club and retail center will be developed on Staten Island Wetlands in Mariners Harbor. On October 31, 2017, City Council passed the South Avenue Retail Development land use actions by a vote of 45-1. The special permit and City map amendment will facilitate the development of five new retail buildings in Mariners Harbor, Staten Island. The special permit allows the retail buildings to be developed in excess of 10,000 square feet to accommodate … <Read More>

5Pointz: The Anti-Rebellion Message of the Graffiti Dispute

Graffiti has become much more than spray-painted tags and quickly disappearing pieces on train cars and underpasses. In some quarters it is now high art. Highly prized are works by Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the “Hope” poster Fairey made for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, Jean-Michel Basquiat, who began as a graffiti artist and whose works today command huge prices, and Banksy, whose street works are carefully preserved.  These dramatic changes in the nature and … <Read More>