City Council Approves Major Bay Street Corridor Plan with Modifications

Before reaching the City Council, the project received mixed support over concerns that the area was ill-equipped for the increased density. On June 26, 2019, City Council voted to approve with modifications an application that would help implement a major City-initiated plan to redevelop Staten Island’s Bay Street Corridor, which connects the St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton neighborhoods. The comprehensive plan will redevelop the Bay Street Corridor into a walkable, transit-oriented community that provides … <Read More>


City Council Approves City Planning’s Mechanical Voids Text Amendment

Developers were using excessive mechanical spaces to increase the height of their buildings. On May 29, 2019, the City Council voted to adopt the Residential Tower Mechanical Voids Text Amendment with modifications. The Department of City Planning proposed the amendment in response to developers incorporating excessively tall mechanical floors – “mechanical voids” – in residential towers to increase their allowable height, as mechanical floors did not count toward the zoning floor area in the Zoning … <Read More>


Mayor Appoints Gregory Russ as New NYCHA Chair

Russ has worked with municipal housing authorities across the country, including in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. On June 18, 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson announced Gregory Russ as the new Chair of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The national search for a new chair began in January after an agreement was made between NYCHA, HUD and the Southern District … <Read More>


Landmarks Designates the National Society of Colonial Dames in New York Headquarters as Individual Landmark

Although the original landmarking proposal also included an application to designate the Headquarter’s interiors, the Colonial Dames Society withdrew their support for that application. On June 11, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Headquarters of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York as an individual landmark. The four-story Headquarters building is located at 215 East 71st Street in Manhattan, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. … <Read More>


Affordable and Environmentally Friendly Senior Housing Project Opens in Queens

The development provides housing and supportive services to formerly homeless seniors. On May 29, 2019, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced the grand opening of HANAC’s $36 million Corona Senior Residence at 54-17 101St Street in Corona, Queens. The newly constructed eight-story housing project is environmentally friendly and comes with 67 affordable studio and one-bedroom residences, 21 of which are for formerly homeless seniors. The building features an early childhood education … <Read More>


Council Subcommittee Approves Crown Heights Mixed-Use Building with 103 Two-Bedroom Units

The new building is intended to revitalize a largely vacant block along Pacific Street in Brooklyn. On May 2, 2019, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to approve a rezoning of the western portion of a block bounded by Pacific Street to the north, Dean Street to the south, Franklin Avenue to the east, and Classon Avenue to the west in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The applicant proposed to rezone … <Read More>