Mayor Bill de Blasio Announces New Crane Safety Plan, Effective Immediately

New plan subjects crane operators to additional safety regulations and increased fines for non-compliance.  On February 7, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a four-prong safety plan to be taken by large crane operators.  The new set of safety measures arose in response to a fatal crane collapse incident, which occurred on February 5, 2016 in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan.


City Planning Commission Approves Modified Affordable Housing Proposals

Despite expressing broad support for proposals, City Planning calls on City Council to make further modifications.  On February 3, 2016, the City Planning Commission voted to approve the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability proposals, which are two of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan.  This was the first opportunity for City Planning to present its modified versions of the MIH and ZQA … <Read More>


Land Use Committee Approves New Two-Lot Wide Building on Controversial Site

Developers spent months engaging local representatives and neighborhood residents to garner their approval before formally initiating ULURP process.  On January 28, 2016, the City Council Land Use Committee unanimously approved an application to construct a mixed-use building at 146–150 Wooster Street, located in Manhattan’s landmarked SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District.  150 Wooster LLC, the project developer and subsidiary of KUB real estate investment and design firm, is the second owner to attempt to build a … <Read More>


Work Associated with Residential Conversion of 1 Wall Street Approved

Robert A. M. Sterne-designed project would see the addition of several stories to an un-designated annex, and the creation of two additional window bays on south facade, among other work. On January 19, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a proposal for alterations to the individually landmarked 1 Wall Street Building. The 1931, 50-story, Art Deco skyscraper in Lower Manhattan was built as an office tower by the Irving Trust Company to designs by … <Read More>


CityLand Recognizes New York City’s Civil Rights History

Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorates the life of Dr. King and the work of the African-American civil rights movement in the United States.   As one of the oldest cities in America, New York City has been a location for many significant milestones of African-American history, for better and for worse.  In celebration of the holiday, we have created a list of historic places that have a connection to the civil rights community.  Some of … <Read More>


Community Boards: For Affordable Housing But Against Administration’s Solutions – What’s Going On?

The results are in, and two of the de Blasio administration’s key land use initiatives, Zoning for Quality and Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, are not receiving a welcome reception at community boards and borough boards.

In fact, as of this writing, according to CityLand’s vote tracker of the city’s 59 community boards, 45 have voted to oppose Zoning for Quality and Affordability and 38 have voted to oppose Mandatory Inclusionary Housing. Four of the … <Read More>