The New York Blood Center Advances Its Egregious Proposal – Help FRIENDS Fight It!

On April 19th, the New York Blood Center certified an application at the City Planning Commission for an astonishing array of rezoning, special permits, and amendments for a new building on their site at 310 East 67th Street.

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Blood Center proposal at East 67th Street

Ask YOUR questions of the Blood Center/Longfellow tower proposal

Following an announcement last week that the New York Blood Center/Longfellow commercial office tower proposal at 310 East 67th Street has entered the “pre-certification” phase of the City’s official public review process, known as ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure), the project team will appear tomorrow at the Zoning and

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IN THE NEWS: Developer Zoning Fraud

The issue of zoning fraud, heightened by the Buildings Department’s broken self-certification program, was highlighted today in an opinion piece published today in Gotham Gazette, by Diana Florence, the former head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Construction Fraud Task Force.

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200 Amsteram

Community Advocacy: Recent Victories and Ongoing Battles

On the heels of of the news regarding 200 Amsterdam, we thought this to be a good time to talk to you about zoning and development.

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U.S. Supreme Court Denies Stahl an Appeal AGAIN

FRIENDS is thrilled to share the news that the U.S. Supreme Court has denied Stahl an appeal for the second time.

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City Planning Void graphic

Breaking! City Council Passes 25-foot Limit to Uncounted Mechanical Void Spaces

FRIENDS is pleased to offer this extremely limited opportunity to venture behind the scenes at Central Park’s center stage: the Delacorte Theater.

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A Victory in the Fight Against Zoning Loopholes

The Department of Buildings (DOB) has filed an Intent to Revoke its prior approval for a 39-story, 775 foot tall tower at 50 West 66th Street. Extell, the developer, first filed for a 25-story, 260 foot mixed-use structure back in 2015.

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DEVELOPMENT ALERT: First Avenue

As reported in YIMBY, The Real Deal and the Upper East Side Patch, the Developer Extell has just filed demolition permits for an entire block on the east side of First Avenue between East 79th and East 80th Streets in Yorkville.

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ADVOCACY UPDATE: Inter-building Void at 62nd Street Periscope Tower Endorsed by DOB

After six months, the Department of Buildings (DOB) has finally responded to FRIENDS’ Zoning Challenge of 249 East 62nd Street filed in November 2017.

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Frick Collection, NYC

Frick Update: New Architect Chosen for Expansion

In June 2014, The Frick Collection announced plans to expand the institution, which included the replacement of the prized Russell Page garden with a new, out-of-scale tower. FRIENDS, among many other groups like Unite to Save the Frick, opposed these inappropriate plans. After much criticism, the Frick withdrew its proposal the following year.

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