BSA Grants Permit to Enlarge Special District Building in Brooklyn

The Board granted the permit after confirming the neighborhood’s character would not be altered. On March 10, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals granted a special permit to Athina Orthodoxou to enlarge a non-complying two-story two-family home at 337 99th Street, in an R4-1 zoning district in the Special Bay Ridge District of Brooklyn.  The Special District was established in 2005 to protect Bay Ridge from high-density development.  (See additional CityLand coverage … <Read More>


City Council, Borough President Push Against Illegal Home Conversions

The new legislation was announced in the wake of fire fatalities.  On March 8, 2015 Councilmember Jumaane D. Williams held a press conference to announce new legislation to stop illegal home conversions in New York City.  The legislation is co-sponsored by Councilmember Vincent Gentile, who has previously introduced two other bills to halt illegal conversions, and is introduced at the request of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.  An illegal home conversion occurs when … <Read More>


Landmarks Split on Project Proposed for SoHo Site

Landmarks previously approved demolition of one-story garage and new seven-story building in 2011. On March 3, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a proposal for the demolition of an existing one-story garage, and the construction of a new six-story-plus-penthouse building, at 150 Wooster Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The two-lot site is currently occupied by a vacant lot and a garage, which was heavily altered from an earlier structure at some point … <Read More>


Zoning Subcommittee Modifies Special Permit for Broome Street Conversion

Permit will allow Use Group 2 residential on the third through sixth floors only.  On March 9, 2015 the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to approve a modified special permit for the conversion of 498 Broome Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District of Manhattan to Use Group 2 residential.  The approved permit restricts conversion of the building to Use Group 2 residential for only the third through sixth floors, and leaves … <Read More>


CityLaw: Racial Disparity Persists in NYC’s Examination High Schools

(Editor’s Note:  The Department of Education recently released statistics on the first round of 2015 admissions for New York City’s examination high schools.  According to their report, offers to join the 2015-2016 incoming class at Stuyvesant High School counts just ten African-American and twenty Latino students.  The following by Professor Aaron Saiger of Fordham University’s School of Law was published in the January/February issue of CityLaw.)

New York City is experiencing one of its … <Read More>


Mayor de Blasio Delivers State of the City Address

Affordable housing issues, including rent-regulation, mandatory inclusionary zoning, and more were highlighted in the speech.  On February 3, 2015 Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered his second State Of The City address from Baruch College.  The Mayor spoke at length about the affordable housing crisis facing New York City and the programs his administration has begun or will propose to address the problem.