Blurb about giving testimony
Public Testimony
Manhattan Core Parking Testimony
This morning, we testified in the Council Chambers favor of the Department of City Planning’s proposed text changes on Manhattan Core parking policies. You can read our full testimony here:
The Zoning Committee of the Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC) has reviewed the proposed text submitted by the Department of City Planning to revise the zoning regulations governing off-street parking in the Manhattan Core.
We fully support these revisions and applaud the vision of the Department of City Planning to re-examine regulations that were initiated 30 years ago, study how they are working in practice today, eradicate references to … Read more…
CHPC Testifies at Public Hearing on Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Area
This week, CHPC has been keeping busy. In the midst of all the news about Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement of the adAPT pilot program competition, we testified at a public hearing before the City Planning Commission regarding the Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project. William R. Ginsberg Graduate Fellow Jinny Khanduja delivered testimony in favor of the project, with recommendations from our Zoning Committee for increasing the density of residential development on the proposed sites.
Read the testimony below.
Testimony
of Citizens Housing & Planning Council
on the Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project
July 11, 2012
CHPC enthusiastically supports the … Read more…
Policy Brief on Proposed City Council Green Building Legislation
At the end of 2010, the City Council put forward a number of legislative items that were related to green building construction. CHPC put together a summary of these numerous bills to inform our green building committee:
- The Building Code will be amended so that rooftop structures, including greenhouses, will not be included in the height of the building, or considered an additional story, unless the aggregate area of the structure exceeds a third of the area of the roof (INT-0338);
- Solar thermal and solar electric (photovoltaic) collectors and/or panels and their supporting equipment will now be considered rooftop structures
Car Share Zoning Text Amendment
The Department of City Planning recently proposed a zoning text amendment to define car sharing in the Zoning Resolution and establish clear rules to allow car sharing vehicles to park in public parking facilities, as well as in parking facilities accessory to residential, commercial, and other uses.
CHPC’s Zoning Committee met with DCP to discuss this initiative jointly with AIANY at the Center for Architecture. The Zoning Committee sent a letter of full support for this amendment to the City Planning Commission.
CHPC Letter of Support
Dear Chair Burden:
The Zoning Committee of the Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC) … Read more…
City Charter Land Use Panel Testimony
We testified at the City Charter Revision Commission forum on land use last Thursday (24th June 2010) and thankfully ‘long-term planning’ was a prominent theme (you can watch the full four hours here). The debate around how long term planning could be better integrated in the structure and processes of government was brought to the fore by a question by Commissioner Hope Cohen of the RPA, which led to one of the most lengthy discussions of the night. There seemed to be a lot of support for exploring how an overall sustainability framework and long-term plan for the city … Read more…
City Charter Revision – CHPC’s position paper
As highlighted by Mayor Bloomberg when he announced the Commission, the challenges and opportunities in New York City today are vastly different from those in 1989. We believe that this shift is most acute in the areas in which CHPC specializes ‐ housing preservation and development, land use policy, and long‐term planning ‐ and this must be reflected in the City Charter. PlaNYC, launched in 2007, was the articulation of this new era for New York City. It set out the key goals for a sustainable 21st century city, and showed the world that New York continues to be forward‐thinking … Read more…
‘Key Terms’ Clarification Text Amendment
In 2007, the Department of City Planning rejected the application of an owner of an Upper East Side townhouse to convert his basement into a garage with a curb cut. The applicant sued, contesting the usage of the term “development” when his townhouse was, in fact, an existing building. The State Supreme Court agreed and this decision prompted City Planning to rethink the definition and the usage of both of these incredibly important terms.
The CHPC Zoning Committee was one of the few organizations who were asked to review hundreds of pages of altered Zoning Resolution text throughout Spring and … Read more…
Testimony on new DOB rules
In May 2010, the Department of Buildings proposed new rules regarding progress inspections for new construction and compliance with the NYC Energy Conservation Code. Our Green Building Committee analyzed the complication new rules and put forward our detailed recommendations on amended the proposed rules. Our testimony followed a similar theme for CHPC; there should be more focus on incentivizing green construction materials and processes rather than adding to the cost of construction for developers.
DOB Energy Code Comments by the Green Building Committee
Our committee has reviewed the proposed amendment and adoption of new rules related to the NYC Energy … Read more…
Residential Streetscape Preservation Text Amendment
The Department of City Planning recently put forward a citywide zoning text amendment to preserve and enhance the streetscape character of residential neighborhoods. The text amendment closes loopholes in front yard planting requirements, responds to concerns of Community Boards and elected officials related to inappropriate curb cuts and front yard parking pads, and clarifies parking requirements for new dwelling units created in existing homes and for older residential buildings developed before there were parking requirements.
CHPC’s Zoning Committee met with DCP to discuss this initiative and also moderated a DCP presentation of the rezoning jointly with AIANY at the Center … Read more…
Policy Brief on new Green Building Legislation
In December 2009, the City Council passed a number of local laws as part of New York City’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan. Our green building committee set out a number of ongoing concerns to the City Council, on behalf of the housing development industry, regarding the public policy direction of the new green legislation. In the letter, we said:
While we are encouraged by the passing of these Local Laws, we would like to set out our continued concerns so that they may be taken into account when implementing this legislation and developing future green initiatives.
1. CHPC recommends that … Read more…
Our Current Initiatives
