June 2016

1109 Madison Avenue

Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to Renovate Their Eight-Story Building at 1109 Madison Avenue, Upper East Side

10:00 am on June 8, 2016 By Reid Wilson

The Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic of the United Nations is planning to renovate their eight-story, 35,000-square-foot mixed-use building at 1109 Madison Avenue, located on the corner of East 83rd Street, on the Upper East Side. The building, which currently houses the mission’s office space and 16 apartments, will see its interiors entirely reconfigured and upgraded, according to DNAinfo. The building’s façade, which will be preserved, will also see a restoration. Fradkin & McAlpin Architects and Czech Republic-based A69 Architekti will be responsible for the renovations. The property also contains 16,390 square feet of air rights, although it’s not known if an expansion is planned. Alteration permits have not yet been filed with the Buildings Departments, but completion is expected next year.

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Council members David Greenfield and Peter Koo lead a public hearing on Intro 775 last September.

City Council Land Use Committee Approves Deadlines for Landmarking

7:30 am on June 8, 2016 By Rebecca Baird-Remba

Yesterday, the City Council’s Land Use committee voted through a contentious bill that would impose deadlines on the Landmarks Preservation Commission and its process of designating historic properties. Preservationists and their allies on the City Council overwhelmingly oppose the bill, Intro 775-A, because it would force the LPC to consider buildings and historic districts within two years of being calendared.

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Pier 6

Updated Two-Tower, 266-Unit Mixed-Income Residential Project Approved for Pier 6, Brooklyn Heights

6:30 am on June 8, 2016 By Reid Wilson

Last month, news broke that the city, with selected developers RAL Development and Oliver Realty Group and architect ODA New York, would be moving forward with a two-building residential project at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, in southern Brooklyn Heights, without the support of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESD). Yesterday, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation voted to approve the updated project, Curbed NY reports. The latest plans call for a 28-story, 126-unit market-rate condominium tower and a 12-story, 140-unit mixed-income rental building, where 100 of the rental apartments will rent at below-market rates, according to the Wall Street Journal. One of the buildings will feature a public restroom, but there’s no mention of any commercial components. Construction is expected to begin in the first half of 2017. As part of the deal, the city will receive a one-time payment of $115 million followed by $2.7 million per year.

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