Court Upholds Zoning Restriction On Peace Sign

Zoning resolution prohibited apartment dweller from placing illuminated “Peace” sign in 17th floor window. In 2010 Brigitte Vosse placed an illuminated “Peace” sign in the window of her seventeenth-floor condo in The Ansonia at 2109 Broadway in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  The Department of Buildings fined her $800 for violating a zoning ordinance restricting illuminated signs in her neighborhood at heights above forty feet.  Vosse argued that the City placed a content-based … <Read More>


Court Vacates BSA Denial of Advertising Sign Registration

Court ruled the signs were not under City jurisdiction.  On March 26, 2012 the Department of Buildings issued Notice of Sign Registration Rejection letters denying registration for twenty-one advertising signs owned by CBS Outdoor Inc.  The Department based its rejection on the signs being too close to an arterial highway, in violation of the City Zoning Resolution.  On January 29, 2013 the Board of Standards and Appeals upheld the rejection.  CBS Outdoor, joined by the … <Read More>


Union Square Park, Bergdorf Goodman, IRT Powerhouse Among Items Considered at Third Special Hearing

Wide support voiced for designation of monumental Stanford White-designed powerhouse and iconic Classicist department store, despite owner opposition. On November 5, 2015, Landmarks held the third of four special hearings to address the backlog of items calendared prior to 2010, but never brought to a vote on designation. Previous hearings were held on October 8 and 22, 2015. The November hearing was the first devoted to items in Manhattan.


Community Engagement Begins for 86th Street Area BID Formation

The proposed Business Improvement District would be the 73rd BID established in New York City.  On November 6, 2015, City Council member Ben Kallos issued a press release regarding the launch of a push to create a Business Improvement District on East 86th Street in Manhattan.  The press release notes that a “District Needs Survey” was mailed out to community businesses, residents, and property owners last week.


Zoning for Quality and Affordability Program Sent to Community Boards for Public Review

The program would amend generation-old zoning regulations to encourage construction of efficient mixed-use buildings and affordable senior housing.  On September 21, 2015, the City Planning Commission issued a press release revealing two of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan.  The programs, which are currently making their way through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process, are the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program and the Zoning for Quality <Read More>


Council Approves Conversion of Henry Street Firehouse into Community Space

Community facility will provide on-site social services and improved access to need-based financial benefits.  On August 13, 2015, the City Council adopted a resolution to rehabilitate a vacant firehouse and convert it into a community facility.  The Department of Housing Preservation and Development submitted the Urban Development Action Area Project proposal to the City Planning Commission on March 31, 2015.  The four-story firehouse is located at 269 Henry Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood … <Read More>