Public Hearing Held on Bay Ridge’s First Historic District

Due to its high degree of integrity, the block still looks much like it did 100 years ago and still houses medical professionals. On May 14, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation of “Bay Ridge Parkway – Doctor’s Row Historic District” in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The proposed historic district would be Bay Ridge’s first, comprised of 54 century-old rowhouses located on the same block of Bay Street, between … <Read More>


Landmarks Holds Hearing on Four Proposed Historic Districts in Sunset Park

On May 7, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed landmark designation of four historic districts in Sunset Park, Brooklyn: Sunset Park North, Sunset Park South, Sunset Park 50th Street, and Central Sunset Park. The four proposed districts encompass blocks that were found to be the most cohesive and intact concentrations of Sunset Park’s architecture, representative of its primary periods of development. If approved, designation would provide Landmark protection … <Read More>


LPC Releases Guidelines for Storefront Design in Historic Districts

The document provides text and visual guidance for applicants. On May 6, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission released Guidelines for Storefront Design in Historic Districts. The guidelines are designed to help business and property owners understand the rules and regulations for new storefronts created in historic districts.


Council Subcommittee Approves Crown Heights Mixed-Use Building with 103 Two-Bedroom Units

The new building is intended to revitalize a largely vacant block along Pacific Street in Brooklyn. On May 2, 2019, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to approve a rezoning of the western portion of a block bounded by Pacific Street to the north, Dean Street to the south, Franklin Avenue to the east, and Classon Avenue to the west in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The applicant proposed to rezone … <Read More>


Major Staten Island Project OK’d by City Planning Despite Significant Opposition; City Council Up Next

The proposed zoning actions were largely disapproved by the Community Board, the Borough President, and even Staten Island’s appointee to the City Planning Commission. The Department of City Planning, along with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services filed an application requesting several ULURP actions to help implement the goals of the Bay Street Corridor Neighborhood Plan. The Neighborhood Plan is a comprehensive plan to … <Read More>


City Planning Creates Plan Responding to Bushwick’s Rapid Development

The plan will address community concerns including affordable housing, open space, transportation safety, and economic development. On April 24, 2019, Department of City Planning Director Marisa Lago released the Bushwick Neighborhood Plan Update. The plan was created in response to the neighborhood’s rapid development, population growth, resident displacement, and lack of affordable housing from an increase in market-rate construction.