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HI:

I realize this is a contentious issue, but we purchased a 1920′s rowhouse in Bay Ridge that is one in a group of 5 rowhouses. All of the homes were built with, and still retain, curb cuts in front of the homes. Ours, however, does not as the previous owner rented the home out and paved the front yard, which also included a garden to the right of the stoop.

We would like to restore the garden and the curb cut/driveway, but are not sure where to start and whether we’d get permission.

We have been told on more than one occasion, that because the house was originally built with a driveway, that we could just go ahead and restore it. But that doesn’t sound right to me – I don’t want to be fined by the DOB.

What are our chances of getting a permit from the DOB to do this work?

Note: We wouldn’t even be taking away a legal parking space, as when the previous owner paved the front of the house, he simply added additional curb to an already existing space thereby creating an oversized parking space. We would only be taking out that small piece of the curb that was originally the home’s drive.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.