On July 28, 2015, the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant a zoning variance to the applicant, Akerman Senterfitt LLP, for the construction of the Brooklyn School for Medically Frail Children in the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. The construction would yield a pre-kindergarten school at 570 East 21st Street with dormitory facilities for physically-handicapped children who require breathing ventilation and general respiratory care throughout at least part of the school day. The … <Read More>
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CityLaw Profile – City Council Zoning Chair Donovan Richards on Improving Sustainability
Donovan Richards was elected to the City Council from the 31st District in February 2013. When you speak with City Council member Donovan Richards, two things become readily apparent: an encyclopedic knowledge of the needs of his Southeast Queens Council district and the drive to pursue solutions for each of those needs simultaneously.
Council Hears Testimony on Amendment to Noise Control Code
Proposed law would restrict activities conducted on construction sites located in close proximity to a school while classes are being held. On June 25, 2015, the City Council Committee on Environmental Protection held a public hearing on Intro 420, which would restrict the level of permissible noise emitted from construction sites located within 75 feet of either a public or private school. The proposed law would prohibit construction noise above 45 decibels during normal … <Read More>
Taxis: Yellow, Green and Black: Competition & Evolution
On a daily basis I am reminded that seemingly everyone loves to talk about taxis. Last year between the Daily News, the Post and Times, there were over 2,000 articles mentioning taxis, which transport about a million people a day – yet only about 3,000 articles mentioning subways which transport six-million people a day. Travelers and New Yorkers are clearly disproportionally obsessed with taxis.
Assuming that what people ask me is representative of what’s on … <Read More>
50th Anniversary of Landmarks Law Marked with Exhibit and Symposium
Sometimes-contentious debate focused on the struggle to balance new development with historic preservation in New York City. On the evening of April 20, 2015, the Museum of the City of New York commenced a series of events and exhibitions commemorating the 50th anniversary of the City’s Landmarks Law with a symposium titled “Redefining Preservation for the 21st Century.” The Saving Place exhibit, intends to examine the “impact of a landmark preservation movement that has … <Read More>
My Rules for Thee, But Not for Me: The City Destroys a City-Owned Landmark
The Castle on the Concourse is doomed. Had any other owner of a designated landmark abandoned his property to the elements like this, the Landmarks Preservation Commission would have sued him for “demolition by neglect.” But here the commission is helpless. The owner is the City of New York, and while the city fully expects owners of designated properties – private homeowners, businesses, landlords, or institutions – to adhere to standards set by the LPC, … <Read More>