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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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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BREAKING NEWS! Owner of Treadwell Farm’s Neglected Building Withdraws LPC Application

In an unexpected turn of events, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has decided to allow the applicant of 210 East 62nd Street to withdraw its application scheduled for tomorrow's public hearing.

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Advocacy Alert: 210 East 62nd Street! Your voice needed at LPC this Tuesday

Next Tuesday, April 26th, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will review the latest plans for 210 East 62nd Street located in the Treadwell Farm Historic District in a public hearing. The rowhouse dates to 1870 with 20th-century alterations, and has been the subject of a contentious renovation project since plans

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Elected Officials and Community Members Voice Their Opposition Against the Blood Center Rezoning

Last week, the City Planning Commission held a Public Hearing on the rezoning of the New York Blood Center site. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Council Member Ben Kallos, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer were among the many community members that spoke against the 334 foot commercial tower.

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Planning Together Without You

Tomorrow, the New York City Council will hold a hearing on Intro 2186, a legislation proposed by Council Speaker Corey Johnson called Planning Together: A Comprehensive Framework for New York City. This large proposal requires the city to undertake periodic citywide comprehensive planning and details a completely new process for the city

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FRIENDS Weighs in on City and State Proposals to Close Zoning Loopholes

The public discussion around the urgent need to close zoning loopholes that are contributing to overdevelopment continues to play out in the press, most recently in a Letter to the Editor that appeared today in Crain’s New York Business by FRIENDS’ Executive Director Rachel Levy.

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Third Avenue and 74th Street Tower Heads to the BSA

A proposed development at 1297-1299 Third Avenue, on the same block as the iconic J.G. Melon restaurant, has drawn significant attention from neighbors and community groups and will head to the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) next Tuesday, January 29th.

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