As reported in April 2019, FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts filed a zoning challenge against 1059 Third Avenue, at the corner of East 63rd Street. Despite the fact that plans were approved in 2015 and construction is well underway, updated 2019 zoning diagrams show that the development relies upon falsified measurements and flagrant zoning violations to achieve its enormous size. The development has exceeded the amount of floor area permitted within this zoning district by nearly 10,000 square feet, or roughly five extra stories on the massive tower. This manipulation, paired with grave safety concerns at the site, illustrates a disturbing disregard for the laws that govern the built environment of New York City.

Last week, in a letter to Mayor de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer called for an investigation of the Department of Building’s “egregious lapses…at 1059 Third Avenue, that are either vastly incompetent or wholly intentional, which lays bare flaws in the entire plan review process under which the DOB operates.” Borough President Brewer has been instrumental in championing zoning issues and serving as a crucial voice for common sense development.

Click HERE to view FRIENDS’ Challenge.
Click HERE for more information about the development.

Click HERE to read the full article that was published in today’s New York Times that details the shameful tactics being challenged by FRIENDS and Borough President Gale Brewer.

Read More:

1. Mechanical void loophole closed by City Council vote,” by Caroline Spivak, Curbed New York, May 13, 2019.
2. “City Council passes crackdown on mechanical voids,” by Will Bredderman, Crain’s New York Business, May 29, 2019.
3. “City Council’s crackdown on mechanical voids is just the start,” by Georgia Kromrei, The Real Deal, May 30, 2019.
4. “No a-voiding this loophole: How to stop unexpected towers,” by Rachel Levy, Crain’s New York Business, April 8, 2019.