City Council approves Columbia rezoning
The City Council last month voted 35 to 5 to rezone a 35-acre section of Harlem, clearing the way for Columbia University’s $7 billion expansion. The vote to rezone the area from light industrial to mixed-use came a month earlier than expected. Columbia plans to expand onto 17 of the rezoned acres, bounded by Broadway, Riverside Drive, West 129th Street and West 133rd Street.
Dumbo gets landmark designation
The Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously voted last month to designate Dumbo as a historic district. The Brooklyn waterfront district includes 91 buildings and is bounded by John Street, York Street, Main Street and Bridge Street. Most of the buildings were constructed between 1880 and 1920.
City Council kills landlord rights bill
The City Council last month killed a bill that would have empowered landlords to sue tenants for harassment. Bronx Council Member Maria Baez withdrew the bill after tenants’ rights activists protested, the Daily News reported. Baez now supports a bill introduced by Council Speaker Christine Quinn that only allows tenants to sue landlords.
Washington Square Park redesign approved
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Joan Madden ruled last month that the Bloomberg administration can proceed with the long-delayed redesign of Washington Square Park. Two lawsuits against the city were dropped on the grounds that the Parks Department had taken a “hard look” at the renovation’s environmental impact. A construction date and a full plan have not been disclosed, but Parks spokesperson Jama Adams said the city has a $11.2 million contract for the first of the project’s three phases. The first phase of the project calls for moving the park’s fountain 23 feet and shrinking the central plaza, Metro newspaper reported.
Governors Island design team announced
Governor Eliot Spitzer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg last month announced the winning design team at Governors Island. Officials talked up the “whimsical” plan, which proposes tearing down the island’s barracks and converting them to hills. West 8, a Rotterdam firm, will lead the design team for the island’s western-facing half with a grand 2.2-mile promenade and three public spaces.
Work on Finger Building resumes
The Board of Standards and Appeals has allowed construction on the Williamsburg condominium known as the Finger Building to continue. A judge had ruled back in February that the Robert Scarano-designed building, between North 7th and North 8th streets, could not rise to 16 stories because the developers weren’t allowed to use adjacent buildings’ rooftop space. While the developers await a final decision on that case, they may resume work on the building, which was stopped at 10 stories.