Public Housing Committee Holds Oversight Hearing on NYCHA Private Investment

NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye answered questions on the Triboro Preservation Partners agreement.  On February 10, 2015 the City Council Committee on Public Housing held an oversight hearing on Triborough Preservation Partners, a public-private agreement between the New York City Housing Authority, L+M Development Partners, and BFC Partners. The venture was designed to rehabilitate six of NYCHA’s Section 8 properties containing nine hundred units: Bronxchester Houses, Saratoga Square, Campos Plaza, Milbank-Frawley, East 4th … <Read More>


ALJ Finds Landlord Harassed Tenants

Testimony showed landlord Aimco routinely ignored maintenance requests and issued baseless eviction threats.  The NYC Department of Housing Preservation Development charged Aimco with a dozen different forms of harassment against their tenants.  Aimco is the owner of the Tempo, a Class A hotel at 238-244 West 73rd Street, with 150 rent-stabilized single-room occupancy (SRO) units and 75 SRO units rented at market-rate.  Aimco’s representative, John Bezzant, denied the charges and petitioned for a certificate of … <Read More>


NY Law School Commentary on Talk by Tom Prendergast, Chair of NY MTA

MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast faces a huge challenge as the MTA needs a new round of capital funding starting in 2015. At the CityLaw Breakfast on November 21, 2014 Chairman Prendergast laid out a well-thought out five year plan designed to maintain the system, modernize it, make it more resilient and extend it geographically. The price tag: $32 billion. In the intensive competition for public money, elected leaders find funds in that range only when … <Read More>


Proposal for New Tower on Church Property Proves Controversial

Park Avenue Christian Church, which would demolish annex for mixed-use development in partnership with Extell, claimed finding was necessary to maintain historic church fabric and its religious mission. On October 21, 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on a proposal for the demolition of an existing church annex and the construction of a new 15-story building on property belonging to and adjacent to the Park Avenue Christian Church at 1010 Park Avenue in … <Read More>


Mayor Announces Citywide Community Parks Initiative

$130 million secured to invest in 35 under-resourced parks throughout NYC. On October 7, 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver announced a $130 million investment in 35 community parks throughout the five boroughs. This is the first phase of a multi-faceted program to support investment in the most under-resourced parks and communities, known as the Community Parks Initiative. The Mayor’s capital budget raised $110 million … <Read More>


Landmarks Applies Double Standard for Townhouse Addition

A recent decision by the Landmarks Preservation Commission to approve a non-compliant addition to a building within an historic district has enraged residents who are held to stricter standards, and preservationists who see the floodgates opening to the deterioration of the historic districts on a broader scale.