[Photo courtesy of Pro-Zak on Flickr]
Remember the controversial condo that threatened to block the historic view of the Statue of Liberty from the Minerva Statue in Green-Wood Cemetery? The Department of Buildings may have driven the final nail into its coffin. A review of the seven-story development on Seventh Avenue found "serious zoning violations" in the design by (our old friend) architect Robert Scarano. Now, the DOB says it may revoke a permit for the project. The Seventh Avenue building and other high-rises led groups to successfully push for rezoning 50 blocks in South Park Slope and Windsor Terrace. Ultimately, the downzoning may have killed the Scarano building, as DOB ruled its foundation was not in place in time and that it is covered by the new zoning.
Last month, the New York Times reported that DOB is also accusing the architect of evading building codes or zoning in plans for 25 Brooklyn buildings, in many cases by using mezzanines to report less square footage than is actually the case.
· Minerva Gets a Leg Up on Developer [Park Slope Courier]
· Our Liberty belle gets a reprieve [NYDN]
· How Big is Too Big? [NYTimes]