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CHILDREN’S EDITION INSIDE ◄ P.13
WEEK OF JUNE
6-12 2019
INSIDE
AUGUSTA SAVAGE RETURNS TO NYC Parents joined students at the Monday protest. Photo: Michael Garofalo
An exhibit seeks to restore the Harlem Renaissance figure’s place in American art. P. 12
PROTESTS ROCK LAGUARDIA HS
‘A TRUE INVESTIGATOR’ A rendering of Extell Development’s in-progress 775-foot tower at 36 West 66th St., which includes over 170 feet of mechanical space in its middle section. Image: Snøhetta
SCHOOLS Students say arts have been put on the back burner at ‘Fame’ school
BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Dozens of LaGuardia High School students, parents and alumni gathered outside the elite Upper West Side public school June 3 to protest what they characterize as a shift in focus away from the performing arts education at the core of the school’s mission. Holding hand-drawn signs with slogans like “This is an Art School,” the demonstrators voiced their displeasure with increased academic requirements at LaGuardia that they say have detracted from students’ creative pursuits and departed from the conservatory-style education that inspired the film “Fame.” The demonstration at the
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CITY CRACKS DOWN ON BUILDING VOIDS DEVELOPMENT Council strengthens earlier City Planning Commission proposal to address so-called zoning loophole BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
The City Council last week voted by a 47-1 margin to enact a longawaited zoning change that will place new limits on the use of mechanical voids — a controversial development practice which some builders have utilized to inflate tower heights through the use of largely empty spaces. The measure tightens a so-called zoning loophole that exempts spaces designated for mechanical use from the floor area calculations
We’re saying no to empty buildings filled with voids simply to give the onepercent better views while leaving the rest of us in their shadow.” Council Member Ben Kallos that in many districts effectively govern a building’s maximum permissible height. In recent years, a number of developers had exploited the fact that these mechanical spaces were not subject to height restrictions by designing buildings with tall voids in their middle sections. Such spaces ostensibly hold
mechanical equipment but primarily serve to enhance the views and price tags of residential units on the floors above. The zoning text amendment approved by the Council at its May 29 meeting will limit mechanical voids to 25 feet in height; spaces exceeding 25 feet will count toward a project’s buildable floor area. In issuing its approval, the Council modified the amendment to tighten earlier language proposed by the City Planning Commission that would have permitted voids up to 30 feet tall. Developers will be permitted to claim the exemption for multiple mechanical voids within a building, provided that each void space is separated by at least 75 feet in vertical distance.
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An Upper East Side detective wins a top NYPD honor. P. 5
HARD TIMES FOR BEACON HARDWARE Gofundme for an “anchor” on the UWS. P. 26
WHEN JEWISH REGUGEES WERE TURNED AWAY Commemorating 80 years after the St. Louis ship’s grim journey. P. 12
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WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
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