Limits on self storage

From Crains:

A City Council committee provided a key approval for legislation to restrict the development of self-storage facilities in industrial business zones Thursday, despite biting criticism of the bill by one of its members.

The measure, which is likely to be approved by the full council Dec. 19, would require a special permit to build self-storage projects in most of the 21 IBZs, which account for around half of the city's manufacturing space. Obtaining this permission would require going through a nearly yearlong public review process that culminates in a council vote.

The new requirement would not apply in two zones in the Bronx and another pair in Staten Island, along with part of a zone in Jamaica, Queens. But self-storage companies would still need to set aside space for industrial square-footage in any project they build, according to the bill. Existing facilities would be grandfathered. (In the IBZs that opted out, self-storage facilities up to 50,000 square feet will be allowed as-of-right. Only buildings above that size will be required to set aside 25% of the space for industrial use.)

The council and Mayor Bill de Blasio have long wanted to restrict the proliferation of certain uses—such as hotels, offices or strip clubs—in areas that are supposed to be home to manufacturing and industrial jobs. Nonindustrial uses, the argument goes, can pay more for rent or land and thus tend to squeeze out manufacturing companies that provide higher-paying jobs.

Huge LGA parking garage concerns East Elmhurst

From the Queens Chronicle:

A number of East Elmhurst residents turned out at Community Board 3’s meeting last week to voice their displeasure with a plan to build an eight-story parking garage near LaGuardia Airport.

The Parking Spot wants to demolish the existing parking facilities next to the LaGuardia Marriott hotel at 102-05 Ditmars Boulevard and replace them with a garage that would have more than 1,700 parking spaces.

The plan has gotten some backlash from area residents who fear the project will increase traffic congestion and be a drain on the neighborhood.

“This is a residential community,” said Arthur Bryant. “They have to take it somewhere else. As far as I’m concerned, I hope the board turns it down. I hope the community turns it down.”

Representatives from The Parking Spot came in front of the board in hopes of securing various special permits to help facilitate the project.

The board voted against the approval of the permits.

Before the vote, John Lyons, the senior vice president of development at The Parking Spot, tried to alleviate concerns about traffic congestion, saying the garage would have a relatively modest impact.

He emphasized it would focus largely on long-term parking for travelers flying out of LaGuardia.

I thought we didn't need parking lots anymore because we were all supposed to ride bikes.

An end to developer loophole?

From Brooklyn Daily:

The city must repeal provisions letting Ridgites drastically increase the size of their houses, because homeowners are turning the neighborhood into a hodgepodge of McMansions, local leaders say. The Department of City Planning is considering no longer extending so-called “special permits” to residents who want to enlarge their one- and two-family homes bigger than zoning allows. The agency created such permits to help families grow in place — so homeowners could build an extra bedroom for a child instead of moving out of the neighborhood, for example. But in practice, greedy speculators use it to make a quick buck, one critic said.

“It is used rampantly by people to buy property, build it up, and flip it for a profit,” said Michael Bistreich, legislation and budget director for Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge). “Repealing it will help keep neighborhood character and the housing market in the area intact.”

Community Board 10 opted into the program 20 years ago under the belief that the Board of Standards and Appeals — a city planning sub-agency that grants the permits — would ensure that any expansions would not “alter the essential character of the neighborhood,” and that the community board would have some say in what permits were granted, according to a 1996 board report.

But since then, the city has rubber-stamped wildly inappropriate home expansions, according to a board honcho.

Supersized building to replace Forest Hills restaurants

From DNA Info:

The so called Forest Hills' "Restaurant Row" could soon be demolished in order to make room for a new mixed-use development, a plan that has immediately sparked protests among local residents and business owners.

The new 12-story development is being eyed for a 1-story building at 107-18 70th Road, between Queens Boulevard and Austin Street, which houses several restaurants, including The Grill, Cabana and Moca Asian Cafe. An annual jazz series is also held on that block.

Two restaurants that closed on the block in the past 2 years — Santa Fe and Uno Pizzeria — have since remained vacant.

Currently the developer can build up to seven floors (roughly 70 feet), but according to elected officials they will be seeking a special permit from the city to build higher.

Of course they are!

Silvercup West proposal back for renewal

From the Queens Chronicle:

Silvercup West, the long-delayed mixed-use development next to the Queensboro Bridge, was brought before Community Board 2 on Sept. 17 to renew special permits and authorizations.

In 2006, when the project was going through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, Silvercup West was praised for providing waterfront public access, affordable housing and office space for the film and television industry — in honor of the project’s namesake, Silvercup Studios.

Within two years of CB 2 approval and City Council approval, the development was stalled for various reasons and has since remained in limbo.

Now with the special permits and authorizations about to expire, developers want to renew.

“It is important to know this project has already been approved, so your consideration should be based on the facts upon which the project was approved and whether or not those facts remain true,” Marcie Kesner, the attorney representing the Silvercup West developers, said.

The permits in question are for a Silvercup sign on the side of one of the new buildings; building setbacks, which would allow builders to pull back the height of the buildings from the proximity to the Queensboro Bridge; and 50,000 square feet of waterfront access on the East River. The special authorization would be for the construction of a 1,400-car parking garage.

Overall, board members seemed largely in favor of the plan, though the Wednesday night meeting was a public hearing.

Questions asked by members were clarifying ones to ensure the project would still provide affordable housing and build an adequate seawall.

“At the time, the community board asked for 10 percent of units to be set aside for affordable housing,” Kesner said. “The commitment that was made was for 15 percent of units in the two south towers or about 150 units will be built off-site as affordable housing and then it breaks down for low-income, etc. If the developers do not fill the north tower as an office tower, but instead build that as a residential tower, the equivalent of 20 percent of the units would be affordable.”

I like the "if/then" caveat. Stupid.

Power plant may be killing fish

From the Times Ledger:

The Sierra Club is asking a judge from Queens Supreme Court to require that the state Department of Environmental Conservation review the issuing of the first water withdrawal permit given to the Ravenswood Power Plant because the organization claims withdrawing water from the East River is killing fish.

The challenge by the grassroots environmental group along with the Hudson River Fisherman was filed last Friday. The authorization by the state agency allows the Long Island City-based plant to use up to 1.5 billion gallons of water a day from the East River. The permit is valid until 2017.

According to the Sierra Club, the DEC failed to order the power plant to have a closed-cycle cooling system in place.

“I hope the judge decides to have a hearing on this,” said Jonathan Geballe, attorney for the organization. “We believe we have a strong case.”

Geballe calculates that in about two months the Queens Supreme Court judge will make a decision.

Midtown east rezone is back on the table

From Crains:

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new timeline for the rezoning of a large swath of east midtown in Manhattan Friday, one that could stretch into 2016 but will allow for one major skyscraper project to get started in the meantime.

Under a special permit to be issued by the city and subject to public review, SL Green will build a 1.6 million-square-foot office building adjacent to Grand Central Terminal on Vanderbilt Avenue between East 42nd and East 43rd streets. The 65-story tower will be 150 feet taller than the Chrysler Building on the other side of the train station.

The project, called 1 Vanderbilt, will include indoor and outdoor public space, as well as underground connections to the subway to help relieve above-ground congestion. The public review process for the surrounding five blocks along Vanderbilt Avenue will begin this fall.

SL Green will invest more than $100 million to improve the flow of commuter traffic through Grand Central Terminal, said Marc Holliday, CEO of the development firm. But City Planning Commission Chairman Carl Weisbrod said the developer's investment in transit infrastructure will be "a lot more than $100 million," and other private firms looking to reap benefits from the rezoning will need to pony up as well.

Mr. Weisbrod confirmed two other development sites as part of the initial Vanderbilt corridor rezoning: a property on Madison Avenue owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Roosevelt Hotel on East 45th Street.

The rest of the midtown east rezoning, which was shelved last year when the Bloomberg administration officials could not get midtown Councilman Daniel Garodnick to sign on, won’t kick off until at least the spring of 2015, and will likely extend into the following year. Mr. de Blasio tapped Mr. Garodnick and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to oversee a lengthy community review process before the mayor unveils a plan for the 70-block rezoning.

5 Pointz permit approved by City Planning Commission

From the Queens Courier:

5Pointz, the graffiti covered warehouses in Long Island City, are one step closer to becoming two high-rise apartment buildings.

On Wednesday the City Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the land use application that would allow the Wolkoff family, owners of the property on Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, to build apartment towers to larger dimensions than allowed by current zoning rules.

One tower would reach 47 stories and the other 41 stories, with close to 1,000 rental apartments, 30,000 square feet of outdoor public space and 50,000 square feet of retail space between them.

“Once City Planning delivers the application to the New York City Council, which we anticipate to be sometime next week, I will call the matter up,” said Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer. “By calling it up we will trigger a 50 day window in which the City Council must vote on this application. Once this happens there will be two public City Council hearings at which the public will be invited to comment and testify. I will review the application at City Planning’s recommendation.”

Van Bramer got a load of dough from the Wolkoffs

From LIC Post:

Staunch advocates for the preservation of the 5 Pointz building are not going to be getting the support of Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer.

The councilman said that it would make no sense for the city to buy the graffiti Mecca and that the future of the community would be better served by housing—filled with young families—and a bustling retail district.

He said he is not an advocate for keeping the 5 Pointz building in its current form. He said that he believes in “property rights” and that the owner of the property—Jerry Wolkoff– is entitled to develop the site as long as his plans meet zoning rules and regulations.

Wolkoff plans to demolish the 5 Pointz building and develop two residential towers–one would be 47 stories high and the other 41 stories.

Van Bramer said the real issue is whether Wolkoff should be awarded a special zoning permit that would allow him to build 1,000 apartment units, 370 more than permitted “as of right” by present zoning rules. “They have requested a significant increase and they are not entitled to it,” he said. “They have to work with the community … and earn it.”

Some of the staunch advocates of 5 Pointz argue that Wolkoff’s money is playing a part in the decision making process.

Van Bramer’s 2013 election campaign fund has received a significant amount of money from the Wolkoffs.

David Wolkoff, the son of Jerry, has contributed $2,750.00 to Van Bramer, with other Wolkoff family members contributing a total of about $5,250. This represents a little less than 6% of the $143,000 that Van Bramer has amassed.

This pretty much sums up the situation:

Medical Mess going to the BSA

There's now a whole website dedicated to the Medical Monstrosity just a few doors down from Peter Vallone, Jr.'s office on 31st Street in Astoria.

Attend the special permit hearing for #315-12-BZ scheduled for Feb 26, at 1:30PM
Spector Hall 22 Reade St. in Manhattan

The NY BSA is voting to permit the 8-story monstrosity to be built 10 feet too close to the rear neighbors homes by changing the rear yard zoning requirements.