A Fresh, but not Inexperienced, Face at the Helm of MAS

Vin Cipolla, who took the reins at the Municipal Art Society as Executive Director early this year, brings a varied background in nonprofit and for-profit settings to his new endeavor. Prior to joining MAS, he was President and CEO of the National Park Foundation in Washington D.C. Bringing a national perspective and entrepreneurial experience to the venerable 116-year-old institution, Cipolla intends to maintain MAS’s relevancy and authority into the 21st century.

An eclectic resume. Cipolla … <Read More>


Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights Historic District designated

New historic district will be Brooklyn’s largest. On June 23, 2009, Landmarks voted to designate 21 blocks in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn as a historic district. Developed in the mid and late 19th century, the area is largely characterized by rowhouses spanning a variety of styles, including Italianate, Romanesque, Renaissance Revival, and Second Empire. The eastern portion of the district along Flatbush Avenue includes larger scale, mixed-use structures. At the hearing, community residents … <Read More>


Modified Coney Island Master Plan Moves to Council

Modifications include increasing ground floor amusement requirements and easing bulk restrictions. On June 17, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved the seven linked applications comprising the City’s extensive redevelopment plan for Coney Island. The approval included demapping of streets and parkland, creation of new streets and parkland, and a 19-block rezoning, running from West 8th to West 20th Streets between Mermaid Avenue and the Riegelmann Boardwalk.

The product of over 300 public meetings dating back … <Read More>


Lower Concourse plan OK’d

 

Lower Concourse, Adopted Rezoning Map used with permission of the New York City Department of City Planning. All rights reserved.

Plan envisions public walkway along Harlem River waterfront. The Department of City Planning’s sweeping rezoning proposal for a 30-block area of the South Bronx, bordering the Harlem River, obtained City Council approval on June 30, 2009. The plan impacts the underused and primarily industrial-zoned area along the Harlem River, bounded by East 149th Street … <Read More>


Proposed Brighton Beach rezoning criticized

 

Brighton Beach Rezoning: Proposed Zoning used with permission of the New York City Department of City Planning. All rights reserved.

Planning’s recommendation to downzone bungalow area opposed. On May 6, 2009, the City Planning Commission listened to extensive testimony on the Department of City Planning’s rezoning proposal for Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. The plan would impact 54 blocks generally bounded by Shore Parkway, Brighton Beach Avenue, Ocean Parkway, and Corbin Place.

The proposed rezoning area … <Read More>


Coney Island Plan Debated

Public comments focus on affordable housing and concerns over likelihood of development in the area. On May 6, 2009, the City Planning Commission heard extensive testimony regarding the comprehensive rezoning proposal for Coney Island. The proposal would establish a new Special Coney Island District to guide redevelopment and revitalization of 19 blocks bounded by Mermaid Avenue to the north, the Riegelmann Boardwalk to the south, West 24th Street to the west, and the New York … <Read More>