Proposal to Limit Size of Banks and Other Storefronts in the Upper West Side Awaits Vote from Full Council [UPDATE: City Council Approves Proposal]

Banking group claimed proposed limitations on widths of new ground floor storefronts along Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, and Columbus Avenue unfairly discriminate against banks. On June 21, 2012, the City Council’s Land Use Committee approved the Department of City Planning’s Upper West Side Neighborhood Retail Streets proposal. The proposal would establish two Special Enhanced Commercial Districts in Manhattan’s Upper West Side and establish limits on the widths of new and expanding ground floor retail stores, … <Read More>


New Facade and Addition Approved for “Accidental Landmark” Adjacent to Plaza Hotel

Eight-story building sharing same tax lot as Plaza Hotel was included in 1969 designation. On June 19, 2012, Landmarks approved a plan to rebuild the facade of, and build a rooftop addition to, an eight-story building at 22 Central Park South. The building was constructed in 1897, and was substantially modified and enlarged in 1909. It abuts the western wall of the individually landmarked Plaza Hotel, and was included in the 1969 landmarking … <Read More>


[Update] Former Home of the American Stock Exchange Considered for Landmarking

The 1929 building, with a 1931 addition, has been vacant since the AMEX closed in 2009. On June 12, 2012, Landmarks held a public hearing on the potential designation of the New York Curb Exchange Building at 78 Trinity Place in Lower Manhattan as an individual City landmark. The origin of the building’s name, which was once known as the New York Curb Market, dates to the mid-1800s when stocks and securities were traded … <Read More>


New Filings and Decisions Charts for June 2012 Uploaded

Every month CityLand publishes a comprehensive set of charts to track applications to, and decisions from, New York City’s land use agencies. Agencies covered include: Department of City Planning, City Planning Commission, City Council, Board of Standards & Appeals, and Landmarks Preservation Commission.

CityLand tracks these applications through the review process to a final decision. The majority of these decisions are available on the Center for New York City Law’s CityAdmin database (found at www.CityAdmin.org<Read More>


Seven-Story Greenwich Street Project Revived

Taconic Investment Partners LLC stepping in to complete Morris Adjmi-designed seven-story building after financial troubles delayed project. On May 31, 2012, the City Council  approved a zoning text amendment that will allow Taconic Investment Partners LLC to move forward with a plan to replace a freight-loading garage with a seven-story residential development at 412-414 Greenwich Street in the Tribeca North Historic District. Taconic is under contract to purchase the property from 71 Laight Street … <Read More>


City Comptroller Audit Criticizes Public Design Commission

Public Design Commission rejected Comptroller’s recommendation for more efficient design review process.  The New York City Public Design Commission (formerly known as the Art Commission) reviews permanent works of art, architecture, and landscape architecture proposed on or over City-owned property. The Commission is composed of 11 unpaid members, eight of whom are appointed by the mayor, and includes an architect, landscape architect, painter, and sculptor, as well as representatives of the Brooklyn Museum, the … <Read More>