Mixed-use project near Navy Yard approved

Mixed-use development near Brooklyn Navy Yard. Image: Courtesy FXFOWLE Architects.
Proposed Navy Green development along Vanderbilt Avenue between Flushing and Park Avenues. Image: Courtesy FXFOWLE Architects.

Located on former prison site, the complex will provide affordable and special needs housing. On September 30, 2009, the City Council approved the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s proposal to facilitate the construction of a 455- unit complex, known as Navy Green, in Brooklyn’s Wallabout neighborhood. The 461,449 … <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>


Melrose housing project approved by Council

Council approves plan after HPD modifies affordable housing component. On December 18, 2008, the City Council modified the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s plan to build a mixed-use, mixed-income development in the Melrose section of the Bronx. The award-winning project, known as Via Verde/The Green Way, integrates sustainable design with affordable cooperative and rental housing. 5 CityLand 169 (Dec. 2008).

At the Council’s Planning, Disposition & Concessions Subcommittee hearing, Council Member Maria del Carmen … <Read More>


Council Approves Controversial Willets Point Plan

City agreed to increase affordable housing, but may still use eminent domain. On November 13, 2008, the City Council approved the City’s Willets Point Redevelopment Plan. The contentious plan, impacting a 62- acre area, designates Willets Point as an Urban Renewal Area, creates the Special Willets Point District, and lays out plans to develop a mix of uses, including 5,500 residential units, commercial space, a school, hotel and convention center, and publicly accessible open space. … <Read More>


Commission Approves a Modified Willets Point Plan

 

Eminent domain supported if negotiations with local businesses fail. On September 24, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved a modified version of the Willets Point Redevelopment Plan, and sent the contentious plan to the City Council. EDC’s plan calls for the creation of the Special Willets Point District, an Urban Renewal Area designation, and a rezoning for the 61-acre area known as the “Iron Triangle” in Queens. 5 CityLand 57 (May 15, 2008).

The … <Read More>


Architect fined $750

Former DOB plan examiner contacted DOB on behalf of employer about a problem with its e-filing system. John Tsarsis had been employed by the Department of Buildings as a plan examiner for six years. In 2007, Tsarsis worked for a short period with Ismael Leyva Architects, but then began working as a senior projects and code and zoning manager for Milrose Consultants. Less than a year after leaving Buildings, Tsarsis contacted the Department on behalf … <Read More>