BSA Permits Construction on Unmapped Street

Board approved a new commercial building on satisfying Fire Department requirements.  On July 14, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant a permit for the construction of a single-story commercial building at 47 Trioka Way in the Special South Richmond Development District of Staten Island.  The building will be concrete block with metal walls and roof, covering 15,120 square feet of floor area divided evenly among ten storage units and contractor’s establishments.


BSA Votes To Amend Prior Variance

Subject lot was altered following settlement of an adverse possession claim.  On June 23, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to amend a previously-granted variance for construction of a four-story building at 129 Elizabeth Street in the Special Little Italy District of Manhattan.  The proposed building would have retail use on the ground floor, residential use on the upper three floors, and a one-car garage.


BSA Upholds Buildings’ Rejection of Accessory Sign

Board rejected arguments an exterior building treatment did not qualify as an accessory sign under the Zoning Resolution.  On June 16, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to uphold a Department of Buildings’ determination that a design treatment on the north face of a parking garage in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan constituted an accessory sign in violation of local zoning.  The design treatment, on the north face of the garage … <Read More>


Chumley’s Wins Right to Reopen

Neighbors opposed the reopening of Chumley’s, a former speakeasy located on a residential block of the West Village. Chumley’s, a famous former speakeasy and literary hangout located at 86 Bedford Street in Greenwich Village, closed temporarily in 2007 in order to repair structural defects in its landmark-designated building. Chumley’s is part of the Greenwich Village Historic District. In May 2012 Chumley’s began the process to regain its liquor license and reopen. The reopened Chumley’s … <Read More>


Appellate Division Upholds Sloan-Kettering, Hunter College Expansion

Court held City did not act arbitrarily; parkland-for-floor area was not illegal quid pro quo.  On October 9, 2013, the City Council approved an application by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The City University of New York/Hunter College for development of a former New York City Department of Sanitation garage.  (See CityLand’s past coverage here.)  Residents for Reasonable Development petitioned for injunctive and declarative relief, arguing the environmental impact statement failed to consider Hunter’s … <Read More>


Demolition of Two Non-Historic Structures, New Canopy, Proposed for Seaport Pier

The demolitions would make new Pier building a free-standing structure, with four visible facades, and a new canopy that would allow for all-weather use of roof space. On August 4, 2015, representatives of the Howard Hughes Corporation appeared at the Landmarks Preservation Commission to propose revisions to their planned redevelopment of Piers 16 and 17 in the South Street Seaport Historic District. Landmarks in 2012 approved an application by SHoP Architects, after multiple hearings<Read More>