Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, Resiliency and Dispositions meeting
March 3, 2026, 11:00 AM
The subcommittee held hearings on three land use applications: an HPD disposition at Hill Top Apartments at 1727 Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, and two related items for the DEP Newtown Creek CSO Tunnel project in Brooklyn.
What was discussed
- Chair Marte opens the hearing and drops the Flushing Creek items Council Member Christopher Marte gaveled in the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, Resiliency and Dispositions, explained the hybrid testimony rules, and noted that two Flushing Creek CSO applications originally noticed for the day were not called up by the Council and would not be heard.
- DEP presents the $3 billion Newtown Creek CSO storage tunnel A DEP panel — Tara Deighan (Government Relations and Community Affairs), Kate Edden (Bureau of Engineering, Design and Construction) and Terrell Estesen (Bureau of Sustainability) — presented the two ULURP land use actions for a combined-sewer-overflow storage tunnel along Newtown Creek. They
- What restrictions and compensation will property owners face from the permanent easements? Chair Marte asked how the subsurface easements would restrict owners and how they would be compensated. Kate Edden of DEP said the easement sits roughly 25 to 75 feet down, with no restrictions above it and development allowed in an upper 'non-exclusive' zone subject to DEP review, while no building
- How will DEP protect neighboring buildings and keep industrial businesses informed during construction? Council Members Lincoln Restler and Phil Wong pressed DEP on construction impacts. Kate Edden said a full-time community construction liaison would be in place by later this summer, that easements sit below typical building foundations and would not block future development outside the tunnel
- Chair Marte reads Council Member Gutiérrez's statement on the Newtown Creek tunnel Chair Marte read a statement from Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, whose District 34 holds much of Newtown Creek and the city's third-largest industrial business zone. Gutiérrez called the CSO tunnel a significant, long-overdue investment but stressed that meeting legal notice requirements is not
- ROM Realty supports the tunnel but seeks assurances on safety and notice Tanya Oberoi of ROM Realty, a private company with property on both sides of Newtown Creek near the John Byrne Bridge, testified in support but raised concerns: DEP has been hard to reach without going through legal, notification letters have arrived after meetings, and the company wants boring
- Environmental attorney opposes the tunnel over notice and subsurface concerns Maggie Macdonald, a partner at environmental law firm Sive, Paget and Riesel representing multiple affected property owners, testified in opposition. She argued DEP failed to give the public notice required under Title 62, citing owners who got notices at wrong addresses or after hearings ended, and
- Chair Marte reads Majority Leader Abreu's statement on the 1727 Amsterdam project Opening the hearing on the 1727 Amsterdam Avenue Hilltop Apartments, Chair Marte read a statement from Majority Leader Shaun Abreu, the local member, who was chairing his own committee. Abreu framed the site as public land in a West Harlem affordability crisis, defended supportive and low-income
- HPD, BRC and Health + Hospitals present the 1727 Amsterdam Hilltop Apartments Melanie Rodrigo of HPD's Division of Planning and Predevelopment presented the land use actions to designate an Urban Development Action Area and dispose of the city-owned Hamilton Heights site for a nine-story, 100% affordable building of about 200 units. Nicole Clare and Kyle Jeremiah of the
- Was community outreach sufficient, and is this project a shelter? Chair Marte questioned the team on Community Board 9's concerns about outreach, unit distribution, developer selection and health impacts. Kyle Jeremiah said BRC met the community board 11 times, secured 10 letters of support, and deepened affordability by adding 40% AMI units. Nicole Clare said
- How are the supportive units allocated, and why only nine stories? Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry asked about the unit breakdown and remaining Community Board 9 objections. Deborah Morris said 120 units are supportive (95 through the city's 1515 program plus 25 senior supportive), with studios for single adults and the other 79 rental units going through the
- Housing and service providers testify in support of the Hilltop Apartments Five members of the public testified, all in support. Ernesto Vigoro of Apex Building Group praised BRC as a bona fide developer in a neighborhood his firm has long worked in. Isaac Adlerstein of Broadway Community cited the homelessness crisis and argued supportive housing does not raise crime
Agenda
3 items
- LU 0035-2026 Application number C 260071 HAM (1727 Amsterdam Avenue – Hill Top Apartments) submitted by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, pursuant to Article 16 of the General Municipal Law of New York State for the designation of an Urban Development Action Area and an Urban Hearing Held by Committee
- LU 0036-2026 Application number C 260063 PCY (DEP Newtown Creek CSO Tunnel) submitted by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, pursuant to Section 197-c of the New York City Charter, for a site selection and acquisition of property for a new combined Hearing Held by Committee
- LU 0037-2026 Application number C 260064 PSY (DEP Newtown Creek CSO Tunnel) submitted by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, pursuant to Section 197-c of the New York City Charter, for a site selection of properties located in Brooklyn (1 Kingsland Hearing Held by Committee