Three New Rules Ease New York City Contract Process

February 28, 2014

The procurement policy board, which makes the contracting rules for the City of New York, recently adopted rules that will make it easier for the City to manage how it purchases goods and services. The most important rule in terms of large purchases will allow the City to award competitively-bid contracts for goods and services based on price plus previously announced best value considerations. Before, contracts for goods and services had to be awarded … <Read More>

NYU’s Plan Partially Enjoined

January 13, 2014

State Supreme Court declares project sites to be dedicated park land; enjoins construction. On July 25, 2012, New York City Council voted to approve the NYU Expansion project (See previous CityLand coverage here). Petitioners, including State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and more than 20 other individuals and organizations that reside or are located in the vicinity of the NYU Expansion, filed an article 78 petition challenging Council’s approval. In a 77-page opinion, State Supreme Court … <Read More>

Empowering Communities for Land Access: Paula Segal, Executive Director and Legal Director of 596 Acres

November 26, 2013

Paula Segal is the founder, Executive Director, and Legal Director of 596 Acres, a non-profit community land access program in New York City that supports and advocates the transformation of vacant public land into sustainable community institutions. The name 596 Acres refers to the amount of vacant land in Brooklyn as represented by the Department of City Planning when the organization began in 2010. Ms. Segal is a graduate of City University of New … <Read More>

Center for New York City Law Breakfast: Speaker Christine C. Quinn

February 15, 2013

This morning the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School hosted one of its City Law Breakfasts. The event was co-hosted by the Center for Real Estate Studies. New York Law School and the Center were honored to have City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn as this morning’s speaker.

Speaker Quinn was introduced by the Center’s founder and Director, Ross Sandler. Quinn began by thanking Ross Sandler and praising … <Read More>

Split Court Upholds Sunset Park Rezoning Plan [UPDATE: Court of Appeals Affirms]

June 28, 2012

This article was originally published on 10/15/2011 (see below for update).

Dissent argued that City only belatedly added consideration of rezoning’s impact on low-income residents. In April 2009, the Department of City Planning proposed a 128-block contextual rezoning of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Planning sought to preserve the residential neighborhood’s built character while allowing new construction at a height and scale consistent with existing development. The proposal called for establishing height limits, mapping new … <Read More>

Split court upholds Sunset Park rezoning plan

October 15, 2011