City seeking developer for 46-acre site in Staten Island’s Farm Colony – Seaview Hospital Historic District

Developers asked to incorporate historic preservation into proposals for Brielle Avenue parcel. The City’s Economic Development Corporation on March 6, 2012 issued a request for expressions of interest for the redevelopment of an approximately 46-acre site located on Brielle Avenue in the Willowbrook neighborhood of Staten Island. The majority of the property was originally used as an institutional work farm for the poor, known as the New York City Farm Colony, but has been … <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>


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>


Kenneth J. Knuckles Brings a Diverse Perspective to the City Planning Commission

Kenneth J. Knuckles, vice chair of the City Planning Commission and CEO and president of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, has worn many hats during his career; a community advocate, student of architecture, lawyer, deputy borough president, public servant, and business leader. After serving in the United States Army, Knuckles in 1968 joined the Architects’ Renewal Committee of Harlem (ARCH). The Committee pursued two principal goals: advocating for urban renewal and socialequity in Harlem, and … <Read More>


City’s Waterfront Plan Vetted at Public Meeting

Comprehensive plan for managing the City’s shoreline unveiled for public comment. On October 12, 2010, the Department of City Planning held a public meeting to present its Vision 2020 Comprehensive Waterfront Plan draft recommendations. Vision 2020 is Planning’s response to a local law mandating the creation by the end of 2010 of a comprehensive plan for the City’s 578 miles of shoreline. The proposal builds on the City’s original 1992 waterfront plan and is part … <Read More>


City moves closer to controlling all of the High Line

City can now negotiate to acquire northern section of High Line in order to complete 1.45-mile elevated park. On July 29, 2010, the City Council approved a proposal by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and the Department of Parks and Recreation to acquire the remaining portion of the High Line elevated rail line and associated easements. This section, currently owned by CSX Corporation, begins at West 30th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues and … <Read More>