Where Does a Tree Stand in Development Hierarchy?
What do you do if you’re trying to put up a building next to a city park and some pesky tree branches get in the way? If you’re David Angel and the address is 639 Sixth Avenue, you amputate now, ask questions later. To bad for him that a neighbor who happens to quite like…

What do you do if you’re trying to put up a building next to a city park and some pesky tree branches get in the way? If you’re David Angel and the address is 639 Sixth Avenue, you amputate now, ask questions later. To bad for him that a neighbor who happens to quite like Mayrose Park and the old sycamore tree that has stood in it for decades. The Parks Department has handed out a summons already (which can go on the wall next to the outstanding DOB violation for work without a permit), but the really rub is that for the building to reach its full height the canopy of the tree will have to be substantially destroyed. We’re a little hazy on the rules and procedure in a situation like this. Anyone case to fill us in?
Illegal Tree Pruning [Flickr] GMAP DOB
cos they contribute plenty of money to local politics
I’m finding it incredibly hard to believe that a pack of anti-conservation, anti-ecological people have bum-rushed the brownstoner site. It seems pretty clear they are the developer or they work for him.
Developers in NYC look at laws as being meant to be broken. Period. And that offends good citizens. You trolls might not care much about a tree, but when they’re breaking a law you do care about, suddenly you’ll be whining. Mostly I have to ask, why CAN’T developers be responsible members of society? Why is it they above the law, again? Because they’re just so special? I don’t get it.
“the deforestation of brooklyn by scumbag developers..give it up. we can spare one or two tree limbs if it means providing housing for families in need.”
That’s rich…or rather you’ll need to be rich to afford these condos. These are not living spaces for families in “need” anon 11:21 am.
We’re looking at $600-700 a sq. ft. and up. Check out yesterday’s Scarano building thread and see some of the well thought discourse as to how no “needy family” will be able to afford a condo in our ‘nabe.
At the BSA (and the reason he won) said he would abandon the project if he could not make at MINIMUM $600-$700K per unit. Now, there are 6 units in the building, so that’s $3.6-$4.2 MIL in sales of these units. By the time they are finished, the market will be up again, so I’d bet he’ll gross at least $6MIL.
A modest, but still very profitable development site.
Hey anon 11:12 am
Nice start to a day’s positive dialog.
Sec. 8 is doubtful. Our bad-boy developer will be making big-bucks, bucko!
6 on 6th:
http://tinyurl.com/scnh4
Notice the rendering on Di Silva Architects’ website (too bad the interiors showing views over looking the park and the trees they are CUTTING DOWN) is no longer up there).
Welcome to the ‘nabe, chum.
Hey anon 11.19, mind your own business.
the deforestation of brooklyn by scumbag developers..give it up. we can spare one or two tree limbs if it means providing housing for families in need.
I moved from PS into this neighbor. I do not what is worst the stuck up yuppies/elitist I left or these fanatic nimbys. They have nothing to do but take snapshots and create stories for blogs. I hope this site is bankrupted, a non-profit buys it and converts into shelter or section 8 housing. I hope those new famiies bring in a bunch of little darling to sell drugs to kids in school, break into your house steal your cameras and computers, then spray paint your house.
Damn TypeKey, 11:09 am post was me. See, I like to leave my handle, rather than being an anon.
To the first two anon’s…”mind your own business” and “let this guy finish…”
WTF?
This supposed asset to our community (wait, correct “ass” word?) is cutting down NYC Park’s trees. Not HIS property, but all of OUR property. This is BREAKING THE LAW.
If he truly needs to trim these trees to finish his project (which we all want him to do), then he (and his contractor) should have contacted NYC Parks and had the trees pruned LEGALLY! Plain and simple.
Another scum bag developer breaking the law to cut corners and this time, ruin a neighborhood’s park.
Well, the men in green have already visited Mr. Angel and will be doing so again, shortly.
I truly hope he stops, since the next tree in the back of the property is also on the chopping block (pun intended).