On Jan. 19, 2021, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed an amendment to Section 277 of the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL) that would “authorize flexibility in zoning to address high commercial vacancy rates and...more
1/26/2021
/ Affordable Housing ,
Community Development ,
Conversion ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Homeless Issues ,
Hotels ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Vacant Properties ,
Zoning Maps
On Oct. 19, 2020, the City Planning Commission certified for public review a proposed citywide text amendment known as Zoning for Coastal Flood Resiliency (ZCFR). The proposal seeks to update and make permanent those zoning...more
Real estate lenders and borrowers everywhere are trying to figure out what to do with properties that are either sitting vacant or underperforming pre-pandemic expectations. In New York, a number of mezzanine foreclosures...more
The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) provided greater detail on its proposal to rezone nearly 56 blocks of the SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan, which includes the following key features...more
The New York City Open Storefronts Program will allow existing ground-floor storefront businesses to conduct business activity on sidewalks and on roadways that are part of the Open Streets: Restaurants program. ...more
11/2/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Non-Essential Businesses ,
Public Gatherings ,
Public Health ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Seating ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
This summer has brought two appellate court decisions that should help alleviate growing concern in the development community that the New York courts are overly receptive to community-based challenges to new development in...more
In an environment where real estate values are fluctuating and cash flows are difficult to predict, it is more important than ever to apply a comprehensive perspective when considering the purchase of real estate loans....more
Kramer Levin’s Land Use Department is continuing to monitor developments with respect to COVID-19 and its impact on land use approvals, site assemblage and development, and the real estate industry in general. ...more
On May 29, 2019, the City Council adopted a zoning text amendment to count certain mechanical voids as zoning floor area in residential towers.
The amendment does not prohibit any mechanical space outright; instead, it...more
On Dec. 20, 2018, the City Council adopted a zoning text amendment to require a special permit for the development of a transient hotel (Use Group 5) in M1 districts. ...more
1/18/2019
/ Building Permits ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Project ,
Hotels ,
Moratorium ,
New Amendments ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Standards ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Maps
Many of our clients have asked us how they can avail themselves of the state’s revamped 421-a tax exemption program — the Affordable New York Housing Program — on a project that is also subject to the city’s Mandatory...more
The recently adopted state budget bill included the long-awaited revisions to the 421-a program. These amendments to the Real Property Law, dubbed the “Affordable New York Housing Program,” provide partial exemptions from...more