Hey Joe; There’s a nail salon in Apartment 5C!

FRIENDS recently submitting testimony at the NYC Department of City Planning about the CITY OF YES FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY proposal to overhaul the 1961 Zoning Resolution. While we believe updating and modernizing the city’s zoning is certainly important and overdue, we think the zoning text amendments are just a series

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Watch It Again: “City of Yes” with George Janes

Watch a recording of our online talk "City of Yes Explained" by urban planner and zoning expert George Janes held on January 18th and co-sponsored by FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts and Landmark West!

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FRIENDS Submits Testimony at Scoping Meeting for Lenox Hill Hospital Expansion Plans

Last month, on March 2, 2023, the Department of City Planning (DCP) held a Scoping Meeting to give the public an opportunity to make their voices heard about what should be included in the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposal. FRIENDS' public testimony at the meeting (watch it here) pointed

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Watch It Again: “Fact and Fiction about the 12FAR Cap” with George Janes

Watch a recording of our online talk "Fact and Fiction about the 12FAR Cap" by urban planner and zoning expert George Janes held on March 21st and co-sponsored by FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts and Landmark West!

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Advocacy Alert: State Still Pushing to Lift the Lid on NYC Residential Development

For the third time in recent years, there is a fast-moving proposal at the State level to lift the longstanding cap on residential development in New York City. Lifting the 12 FAR cap would potentially unleash a flood of development rights that are likely to yield more supertall superluxury development,

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New 2023 Expansion Plans for Northwell Health, Lenox Hill Hospital

After shelving expansion plans during the pandemic, Lenox Hill Hospital has once again come forward with a rezoning proposal to radically expand the scale of its full-block campus between 76th and 77th streets and Park and Lexington avenues. Although the residential tower on Park Avenue has been dropped from the

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Proposed Assembly Districts: Deja Vu All Over Again?

New district lines for New York State Assembly districts are now being considered for adoption, and as proposed, big changes are coming to representation in local government for the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island.

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Proposed Council Districts: Your Interests are About to Take a Backseat

New district lines for New York City’s 51 Council Districts are now being considered for adoption, and as proposed, big changes are coming to representation in local government for the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island.

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More Buildings ≠ More Housing, and More Housing ≠ Affordable Housing

Earlier this year, four historic tenement buildings on the southeast corner of East 75th Street and Third Avenue were demolished to pave way for a new 214 foot tall building, developed by the EJS Group and designed by Beyer Blinder Belle.

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1299 Third Avenue Update: FRIENDS Appeals DOB’s Endorsement of Segmented Approvals

In the last week there have been not one, but two, significant developments related to the long-stalled project at 1297-1299 Third Avenue between 74th and 75th Streets which has sat vacant for nearly three years.

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