Transient hotel order overturned

City claimed that West Side residential buildings were illegally converted to transient hotels. In October 2007, a lower court granted the City’s request for a preliminary injunction against three Upper West Side residential buildings, the Montroyal, the Continental, and the Pennington, ordering them to stop using the SROs as transient hotels. The court found that the transient use violated both the Zoning Resolution and the buildings’ certificates of occupancy. Although the multiple dwelling law allowed … <Read More>


Park W. Village permit upheld

Local residents claimed that all open space on a multiple building zoning lot must be accessible to all occupants of the zoning lot. 808 Columbus Avenue LLC obtained a permit from Buildings to construct a 29-story, mixed-use building within Park West Village on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The new building would share a zoning lot with three 16-story residential buildings located on a superblock bounded by West 100th Street on the north, Columbus Avenue on … <Read More>


43-story Art Deco skyscraper designated

275 Madison Ave. Image: LPC.

1931 building among Texas architect’s diverse body of works. Landmarks voted unanimously to designate 275 Madison Avenue as an individual City landmark on January 13, 2009. The 43-story tower was designed by architect Kenneth Franzheim for Houston banker Jesse H. Jones. Though he made his fortune in banking and real estate development, Jones also served as Chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and as Secretary of Commerce under President Franklin … <Read More>


37-space garage opposed by Borough Pres. and CB4

Opponents disputed developer’s claim that there was insufficient parking within the vicinity of the site. On January 21, 2009, the City Planning Commission heard testimony regarding 405 West 53rd Street Development Group LLC’s special permit application for a 37-space accessory parking garage within a seven-story mixed-use development in the Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen section of Manhattan. The garage would occupy portions of the cellar and ground floor of the development, which consists of approximately 83 owner-occupied units … <Read More>


DOB enjoined from revoking Church’s catering permit

Third Church of Christ, Scientist on the corner of Park Avenue and 64th Street. Photo:Melanie Cash.

Church contracted with caterer to run year-round private catering affairs. The Third Church of Christ, Scientist, located on Park Avenue and 64th Street in Manhattan, was concerned with its dwindling membership and concomitant lack of funds. Its building required major capital repairs to bring it up to code. In an effort to avoid selling the building, the Church entered … <Read More>


Trump SoHo Wins Appeal

Court finds that BSA’s decision to uphold DOB permits was supported by substantial evidence. The New York City Department of Buildings issued permits for a transient hotel at 246 Spring Street in Manhattan. Believing that the design amounted to an unpermitted residential building in an M1-6 zoning district, SoHo Alliance appealed DOB’s decision to BSA. BSA denied the appeal, 5 CityLand 74 (June 15, 2008), and SoHo Alliance filed an article 78 petition challenging … <Read More>