Almost 300 New Residential Units to be Added in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Planning Commission approves two new residential buildings in northeast Brooklyn with up to 88 affordable units. On March 8, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application to construct two new mixed-used buildings opposite of each other on Franklin Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The developer, Riverside Developers USA Inc., requested the upzoning of the two project sites from manufacturing zoning districts to joint residential and commercial zones. The … <Read More>


CPC Agrees to Legalize Overbuilt Building for Expanding Non-Profit

City Planning Commission approves legalization and expansion of Red Hook non-profit servicing the needs of the community. On February 22, 2017, the City Planning Commission voted to approve an overbuilt building located at 763 and 767 Hicks Street in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood. The site contains two one-story buildings used by the applicant, the Red Hook Initiative. The two addresses total 4,794 square feet and rise to 19 and 21 feet high. Both buildings … <Read More>


CPC Holds Hearings on Four New Affordable Housing Developments

The City Planning Commission heard testimony on four developments, containing 224 units, to be 100 percent affordable housing for at least 30 years. On January 10, 2017, the City Planning Commission held hearings on four Department of Housing Preservation and Development applications to dispose of city-owned properties in order to facilitate four new housing developments. Each development—three in Harlem and one in Sunset Park—will contain varying levels of affordability under HPD loan structures.


Increased Contributions to the Theater Subdistrict Fund Considered [UPDATE: CPC Approves Measure]

Contributions from transfers of development rights by theaters in the district would be increased four fold—from $17.60 per square foot to 20 percent of the sales price. On September 7, 2016, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the City’s Zoning Resolution that would solidify the contribution rate to the Theater Subdistrict Fund related to the transfer of development rights from 46 listed theaters in Manhattan’s Theater Subdistrict. Currently, … <Read More>


Developer Withdraws Proposal Following Public Controversy over Affordable Housing

Phipps Houses withdrew its application for its ten-story, Barnett Avenue development following a lack of community support. On September 20, 2016, Phipps Houses, the oldest and largest not-for-profit developer of affordable housing in New York City, withdrew its Barnett Avenue development proposal—the day before its scheduled public hearing in front of the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises. Phipps Houses had sought a zoning map change and two zoning text amendments to … <Read More>


Mayor Bill de Blasio Reports on Progress of Housing New York Plan

The Mayor’s Administration is ahead of schedule in achieving its goal to build 200,000 affordable homes in 10 years. On July 26, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an update on the progress that has been made to achieve the goals set forth in his Housing New York plan, which seeks to build 200,000 affordable homes in 10 years. The Housing New York plan met the conclusion of its second fiscal year on June 30, … <Read More>