Developer sought for East Side Sanitation garage site

City seeks developer for East River site which will house Sanitation garage and institutional facility. The Economic Development Corporation issued a request for proposals for the redevelopment of a Department of Sanitation-owned lot at 525 East 73rd Street in Manhattan. The roughly 68,000 sq.ft. site occupies the eastern half of a block bounded by East 74th and East 73rd Streets, and FDR Drive and York Avenue. Sanitation in 2008 demolished an existing garage on the … <Read More>


Council Member Brad Lander on Current Initiatives Affecting Land Use in the City

Council Member Brad Lander, chair of the City Council’s Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses Subcommittee, draws from his experience as a public policy advocate when executing his duties.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Lander in 1991 earned a liberal arts degree from the University of Chicago. He then earned a master’s degree in Social Anthropology at the University College London in the United Kingdom, where he worked with community groups to research how a … <Read More>


Design for New Building in SoHo Approved

Seven-story plus penthouse building on Wooster Street would replace garage and parking lot. On May 3, 2011, Landmarks approved the design for a new seven-story building plus a penthouse at 146-150 Wooster Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The building would replace a one-story garage and a surface parking lot. The developer would need to obtain special permits from the City Planning Commission before developing the site, which is zoned for manufacturing.

The … <Read More>


Public Cafes OK’d in Water Street Corridor Arcades

Planning seeks to enliven privately owned public spaces along the Water Street by allowing tables and seating.

On May 4, 2011, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved the Department of City Planning’s proposal to permit public and cafe seating within arcades along the Water Street corridor in Lower Manhattan. Arcades are privately owned, publicly accessible covered areas along the perimeter of commercial buildings that were developed in exchange for a floor area bonus. The

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Howard Goldman Reflects on His Legal Career and Land Use Issues in the City

Howard Goldman’s 35-year career as a land use attorney has ranged from helping native Alaskan communities create coastline regulations to assisting developers navigate New York City’s complex land use process. Aspiring to work for the Natural Resources Defense Council or the Sierra Club, Goldman in 1972  received an ad hoc degree in environmental and pre-law studies from SUNY at Buffalo. Goldman stayed on to earn a law degree, and after graduation he joined Neighborhood … <Read More>


Meenakshi Srinivasan Discusses Her Role as Chair of the Board of Standards and Appeals

Meenakshi Srinivasan’s background in architecture and urban planning serve her well as chair of the Board of Standards and Appeals. With a staff of 20, including five commissioners, BSA reviews 400 to 500 applications per year, including appeals of final decisions made by the Department of Buildings, applications for variances from the zoning resolution, applications for certain special permits, and vested rights claims.

A native of India, Srinivasan’s early interest in art, science, and mathematics … <Read More>