Finding of Appropriateness Granted for Seventh Avenue South Development

Following criticism of earlier design from preservationists and the local Council member, applicants revised design to better integrate with district and reconcile two distinct facades. On October 7, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve an application to demolish an existing one-story building and construct a new five-story development at 192 Seventh Avenue South in the Greenwich Village Historic District at the corner of 11th Street. The building will be residential, with ground-floor retail.… <Read More>


Redevelopment of Former Indigent Farm Community Proposed

Plan for former Farm Colony would entail the demolition five out of eleven historic structures in the district, create senior housing. On September 30, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application for the redevelopment of the New York City Farm Colony-Seaview Hospital Historic District, located in Staten Island in the Castleton area. The 45-acre property, which housed indigent and disabled New Yorkers in exchange for labor, operated roughly from 1898 to 1975, and … <Read More>


Council Subcommittee Hears Proposal for SoHo Six-Story Commercial Building [Update: Committee approves with modifications]

(READ UPDATE FROM 9/30/2014 BELOW)

Developers seek permission for three floors of retail over community objections.  On September 16, 2014, the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on a proposed six-story commercial building at 19 East Houston Street in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District of Manhattan, between Broadway and Crosby Street.  The lot was incorporated into the Historic District after the Landmarks Preservation Commission expanded the … <Read More>


Fordham Road BID Secures Expansion Approval

Fordham Road BID will incorporate One Fordham Plaza into the Bronx BID.  On July 9, 2014, the City Planning Commission approved the Fordham Road District Management Association’s application to expand the Fordham Road Business Improvement District to include two new lots located directly to the east of the existing BID.  The new lots are bounded by East Fordham Road to the north, East 189th Street to the south, Park Avenue to the east, and Washington … <Read More>


REBNY Issues New Report on Landmarking and Housing Production

REBNY report shows that housing production, particularly affordable housing, is drastically lower in landmarked areas in the five boroughs. In 2013, the Real Estate Board of New York conducted a study which showed that nearly 28 percent of Manhattan is landmarked and that fewer than 2 percent of new housing units built in Manhattan over a ten-year time period (2003-2012) were constructed on landmarked properties. On July 1, 2014, REBNY released a new report which … <Read More>


Call for a Senior Housing Task Force

The shortage of affordable housing is felt in every corner of our City. Reasonably priced options are elusive– jeopardizing many residents’ personal security and eradicating diversity from our communities. Our rapidly growing population of elderly New Yorkers is especially vulnerable; seniors face unique challenges at a time when stability is paramount.