http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4387 Community Board 2 in Queens voted unanimously on Monday in support of plans for Hunters Point South with a condition that a “more inclusive and more comprehensive” plan for affordable housing be developed. Some of the Board’s requests include more affordable housing for seniors, the disabled and civil servants, a height restriction of 42 stories, and expanding public transportation alternatives and routes. 2008-06-26 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4388 Community Board 1 in Queens approved rezoning plans for Dutch Kills on Tuesday with some conditions. The rezoning would split the community in four sub-districts and each would vary on density and development that will be permitted. The Community Board wants the City to reconsider the residential components of two of the sub-districts and also include a light manufacturing zone in the area. Many in the community are disappointed in how slow the rezoning process has been and blame the city for the dozens of new hotels that have been built in the area recently. 2008-06-26 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4371 Community Board 2 votes on Monday on whether to recommend approval of the City’s plan to develop over 5,000 units of housing along the Long Island City waterfront in the Hunters Point South development project. Despite the promise that 60% of those units will be reserved for families of four making between $55,000 and $158,000, many affordable housing advocates and elected officials are worried that the development will not be affordable enough. They point to the median incomes of Queens and Long Island City, $48,000 and $44,000 respectively, as proof of the need for more affordable housing. 2008-06-22 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4352 Rockrose Development Corp. is proposing an office tower to be built in Long Island City. The building, which would be known as 10 Court Square, will be 800,000 square feet and is currently looking for an anchor tenant to secure the project. Rockrose believes that the short train ride from Manhattan in addition to the other projects going on in Long Island City make this area desirable for office space. In order to piece together the development site, Rockrose bought out 12 private property owners since 1988. Rockrose is already developing an apartment complex on the Long Island City waterfront. 2008-06-17 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4333 Council Member Eric Gioia is urging the Department of City Planning to halt building of any new hotels in Dutch Kills, Queens even though the City’s current rezoning plan allows hotel construction on Northern Blvd. The Dutch Kills Civic Association supports the current rezoning but it also not opposed to the changes Gioia is pushing for. 2008-06-12 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4325 The Department of City Planning certified a rezoning of the Dutch Kills area in Long Island City. The next step in the ULURP, public review process, is a vote by Community Board 1 on June 17th. The Community Board is expected to pass the rezoning as well, since the community has been pushing for a rezoning of the area for upwards of 3 years. A rezoning in the area will make sure that new development, especially a large increase in high-rise hotel and condo development, will happen in a contextual manner. 2008-06-11 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4265 Tishman Speyer's proposal to transform a City-owned parking garage in Long Island City to an office tower is undergoing negotiations with both the City and the Modell’s family, who currently has a long-standing lease on the Queens Plaza property. The plans identify the City’s Health Department as the primary tenant, occupying 650,000 square feet and leaving approximately 150,000 square feet for other purposes, which could include retail and additional commercial usage. Although no contract has been signed, sources anticipate that the various parties will come to an agreement within the next month. 2008-05-27 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4162 Many Dutch Kills residents are expressing concern that the construction taking place in the Queens neighborhood is abundant and out of scale. In a roughly eight-block area, 14 sites have sparked interest from developers to build hotels, many of which are over 9 stories tall. The Department of City Planning (DCP) initiated a rezoning of the area in 2005 that would significantly thwart commercial development. Since then, developers have raced to the area to build before a rezoning goes through. The City is still in the process of redeveloping the plan and is currently working on the environmental review, which is expected to be completed in the next month or so. The plan must still then go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), a seven-month public review process. Many neighborhood residents think that the City has acted too slowly. 2008-04-27 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4146 The city’s redevelopment plan for Hunters Point South that will create 3000 new residential housing units for middle-income families can be financed by tax free bonds issued by a non-profit group, according to an official from the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC). By using this technique for financing, some housing advocates claim that the city is circumventing a federal requirement that true affordable housing be built, which would be required if the city applied for tax free bonds itself. The city says that by issuing tax free bonds through a non-profit organization the construction costs will be significantly reduced. 2008-04-24 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4123 The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced that the Jackson Avenue beautification project could break ground in May. The beautification project will use artistic elements, new lighting, outdoor furniture and a landscaped median to divide and transform Jackson Avenue into Long Island City’s major thoroughfare. 2008-04-21 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4118 The city plans to certify two Queens projects into the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) this Monday: Willets Point and Hunters Point South. The Willets Point redevelopment project has faced fierce scrutiny over the use of eminent domain and the displacement of local businesses. Hunters Point South has been a less controversial plan, but has still faced opposition over the lack of low-income housing. Financing the Hunters Point project could be trouble for the city as it is not able to issue bonds since the plan does not include 20% affordable housing. Certification of projects is the official trigger of the seven-month public review process, ULURP. 2008-04-19 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4084 Community Board 2 approved a plan by the City University of New York (CUNY) to build a housing complex for university housing and market rate units. A variance is needed for the construction as it exceeds the allowable height and building density in the area. Although the Board voted to approve the plans, some residents are concerned by the size and scope of the project and the externalities it could place on the surrounding community. The plan will not go before the Board of Standards and Appeals. 2008-04-10 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4029 The developers of a new CUNY dorm will attempt to gain support from the local community board in Long Island City Thursday night. The developers have already presented plans seeking a zoning variance to construct a 13-story housing development for CUNY doctoral students and faculty to the community board; the plans were poorly received. The developers will use Thursday's meeting to present a slightly different plan, which will designate 6,000 square feet of space to the Queens Council on the Arts in an effort to enhance the community. The proposal is slated for a hearing before the Board of Standards and Appeals on Tuesday. 2008-04-03 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4036 Areas of Long Island City (LIC) not located on the waterfront, including Queens Plaza, Court Square and Dutch Kills are seeing new growth and development. While the area lacks some basic amenities such as grocery stores, some residents are moving to the area in hope of new things to come. The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is planning on completing two projects in LIC – streetscape improvements on Jackson Avenue and reconstruction of Queens Plaza which will make it more pedestrian and bike friendly. Work on the EDC projects are not expected to be completed for another two years. 2008-04-03 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4037 Long Island City (LIC) is known to host a large artist population and some are concerned that rising housing prices may force these artists out of their homes and studios. Alyson Baker, who serves at the President of the Long Island City Cultural Alliance and also runs the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, has suggested the city undertake an affordable housing initiative for artists. Several cultural and art institutions, such as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, are fairly secure in their locations in LIC. 2008-04-03 00:00:00