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.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

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

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

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

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

Voiding the Voids on the Upper East Side

FRIENDS has been sounding the drum about the mechanical void loophole for over two years, along with sustained joint efforts from civic-minded advocacy groups like Landmark West!, the Municipal Art Society, Carnegie Hill Neighbors, and CIVITAS, as well as invaluable and tireless support from our fellow local champion, Council Member Ben Kallos.

Continue reading
FRIENDS Executive Director, Rachel Levy, speaking at the Committee on Land Use hearing.

FRIENDS Testifies at City Council Hearing on POPS

On June 29th, the City Council’s Committee on Land Use held a hearing to discuss Intro. 1219-2016, a proposed bill that would require the Department of City Planning to report to the City Council about the status of Privately Owned Public Spaces, known as “POPS.”

Continue reading

FRIENDS testified on your behalf at the LPC Chair appointment hearing

Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, founded in 1982, is an independent, not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving the architectural legacy, livability, and sense of place of the Upper East Side.

Continue reading